Regardless of their chosen spiritual path, Pagan homeschooling families share common bonds in their love for nature, their strong commitment to living harmoniously with the earth and providing their children with an education that follows their specific spiritual beliefs.
Homeschooling and the Many Paths of Paganism
For Pagans, teaching their children at home often comes with a unique set of problems. Because Paganism includes such a large and diverse group of people of different beliefs and religions, homeschooling families often have difficulty finding an appropriate curriculum or homeschool support group. In actuality, there are hundreds of Pagan religions. Several of the more well known ones include:
- Native American Religions
- Shamanism
- Wicca
- Neo-Paganism
- Celtic
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- Druidism
- Taoism
- Secularism
- Shintoism
- Eclectic Paganism
Since a majority of homeschool programs and material are Christian based, the majority of Pagan families are limited in their choices. There are, however, some Pagans that do follow certain Christian beliefs and those that do not follow any religion at all.
There are Pagan parents that choose not to incorporate any religious education into their homeschooling. These parents believe children should make up their own mind concerning their religious choice when they are older. Other Pagan parents teach their children their religious beliefs within their homeschool curriculum.
Putting Together Your Own Homeschooling Pagan Curricula
Many Pagan parents find themselves putting together their own curriculum for their children. The Internet provides many wonderful resources that are helpful in creating a plan of study.
One of the most important things to remember when choosing instructional material is to think creatively. Once you let yourself be creative in your thoughts, you will find many ways to incorporate Paganism into your curriculum. If the subject is science include lessons on the Druids and their understanding of astronomy or read about Native Americans in history.
Pagan Homeschooling Resources
- Author Kristin Madden's book, Pagan Homeschooling, is an excellent resource for Pagan homeschooling families. Addressing the many needs of parents that homeschool, the book includes:
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- Resources
- Exercises
- Checklists
- Questionnaires
- Experiments
- Arts
- Crafts
- Rituals
- Spells
- Homeschool provides a list of other faith-based homeschooling resources. The links are not separated by a specific Pagan path.
- Homeschooling email lists and support groups for Pagans include:
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- Pagan Freedom Schoolers is for parents that homeschool regardless of the style of schooling. Styles range from unschooling to school at home.
- A list of Pagan online homeschool and support groups, associations and educational networks, resources and newsletters from A to Z Homeschool.
With the many resources and online support groups for Pagan homeschooling families, even solitary pagans should not feel alone in their homeschooling endeavors.
