Trouble finding support group...

[jodieanneanton]

I would really like to meet and maybe befriend some home schooling families in order to normalize home schooling for my daughter for when the time comes around to really start schooling her. My she has many cousins who go to school and there are some teachers in the family, so I am concerned that "going to school" will be what seems normal. KWIM?

I am truly having trouble finding a secular support group/co-op/play group for home schooling. Google gives plenty of options for "home school support group Cleveland," but they are all Catholic or Christian based.

My library search brought up a few science classes for home schoolers, but my daughter (being only 3) is too young for them.

I am Christian, but pretty liberal in my ideas about religion/faith/etc. Religion does not factor into my decision to home school at all, and I am thinking that Catholic/Christian groups are more conservative in nature and perhaps have their religion as a main reason to home school. Perhaps my prejudgment is not the case....

Anyway, does anyone have any info to share about groups that are faith based in nature? Is there a HUGE focus on the faith/religion in many of the activities? Also, does anyone have any info on how to find home school groups that are secular in nature?

TIA.

[Marimami]

We found ours in a variety of ways:
- the tribe section here at MDC
- Yahoo groups--all of ours are on there
- AP/holistic parenting groups

Once we hooked into one group, we just slowly started hearing about others.

I am in the South surrounded by Christians and religious homeschoolers (we are neither), but we are active in several completely secular groups so they are out there just sometimes harder to find!

Holli

[InstinctiveMom]

You can try this site, too:
http://www.uuhomeschool.org/groups.php3

[jodieanneanton]

Thanks for the Unitarian universalist web link...I found something there that was useful. I am also going to check into Yahoo groups. I have stumbled upon a few of those, but need to "become a member" before seeing anything, so I will have to do that, too!
Thanks! I'll keep at it until I find something!

[4evermom]

I'd give the religious ones a try since they aren't outside of your belief system. You just don't know until you do. Catholics don't tend to get as religious outside of church as other forms of Christianity, IME. And maybe you'll meet some nice families with the same aged kids and you can have playdates without doing anything more structured.

[PGTlatte]

You might check the Tribe area here at MDC, and perhaps also this forum:

http://www.secularhomeschool.com/forum.php