Homeschoolers Need Third Spaces

Your library card might be one of the most useful tools in your homeschool and you may be using only a fraction of what it offers. In this episode, Ashley talks about using libraries for books, audiobooks, documentaries, research, programming, homeschool meetups, study spaces, and more. She also shares why she has seven library cards and how homeschoolers can look beyond their local library for digital resources. We talk about:  Libby, Hoopla & Kanopy  Audiobooks and digital collections  Library research databases  documentaries to ask better questions  Library programs, study spaces & community resources  Digital library cards beyond your local system  Building unit studies from library resources  Finding perspectives missing from traditional narratives  Using public resources instead of buying everything  Keeping homeschooling connected to the larger community Your homeschool library challenge Get your library card, explore your library's digital resources, and ask your librarian: "What does your library offer that most people don't know about?" Then see what you find. Resources 🌐 Secular Homeschool Revolution secularhomeschoolrevolution.com   Thanks for listening, sharing, and supporting independent homeschool conversations.

When educational systems fail Black children, who absorbs the cost? Ashley connects her daughter’s unmet service needs and her family’s financial and relational sacrifices to her mother-in-law’s experience desegregating San Antonio schools. This episode explores homeschooling as protection, the unequal access to educational alternatives, and why individual escape is not the same as collective liberation. Read the New York Times Magazine article that inspired this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/magazine/ny-public-schools-black-students-segregation.html Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @secularhomeschoolrevolution Website: https://www.secularhomeschoolrevolution.com  

Co-op Q&A: Building an Inclusive Homeschool Community Is starting a homeschool co-op hard? How do you attract diverse families, navigate conflict, and keep your community sustainable? In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, Ashley answers the questions you dm'd her about building a secular, diverse, and inclusive homeschool co-op. We're talking parent-led classes, leadership, nonprofit status, community responsibility, and why creating an accountable space matters more than simply calling it a safe space. Connect & Support: Instagram: @secularhomeschoolrevolution   TikTok: @secularhomeschoolrevolution  Buy Me a Coffee    #SecularHomeschool #HomeschoolCoop #InclusiveHomeschooling #HomeschoolCommunity #ProgressiveHomeschooling #HomeschoolPodcast

What does a secular, parent-led homeschool co-op actually look like? In this episode, Ashley shares how For the Culture Homeschool Co-op serves about 40 families through parent-taught classes, mixed-age clubs, community traditions, and a shared commitment to inclusive education, honest history, and evidence-based science. She also talks about FTC’s shift toward community-led leadership, her Fairness Lab, and why the homeschool community has to be something we contribute to not just consume. Follow: @secularhomeschoolrevolution on Instagram & TikTok Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution Like, follow, subscribe, and share with another homeschool family.

How do you know if your child is actually learning? Ashley shares how completing an online homeschool curriculum failed to reveal major writing gaps—and what she learned from it. Discover four practical questions to evaluate homeschool progress, recognize learning gaps, assess curriculum effectiveness, and decide when to adjust or seek support.   If you would like to support the podcast, visit buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution. Follow @secularhomeschoolrevolution www.secularhomeschoolrevolution.com #SecularHomeschool #HomeschoolTips #HomeschoolCurriculum #NewHomeschoolers #HomeschoolHelp #ProgressiveHomeschool

Podcast Show Notes: How to Create an Affirming Homeschool Environment What does it actually mean to create an affirming homeschool environment? In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, I’m sharing simple, intentional ways to make your homeschool a space where your kids feel seen, supported, and involved in their own education. We’re talking about why I put my kids’ pictures on their homeschool binders, how a feelings wheel can build emotional literacy, why affirmation menus are more useful than generic positive statements, and how a “How I Learn Best” page can help kids understand their own needs and become stronger self-advocates. I also dig into why representation matters in homeschool curriculum and how creating a family learning agreement can help establish a homeschool culture built around curiosity, respect, mistakes, growth, and belonging. In this episode: Creating an affirming homeschool environment Helping kids understand how they learn best Building self-advocacy and independence Using feelings wheels for emotional literacy Creating meaningful affirmation menus Personalizing homeschool binders Using mirrors and windows in your curriculum Creating a family learning agreement Supporting different learning needs without lowering expectations Teaching kids that struggle does not define their ability An affirming homeschool isn't about having the perfect homeschool room. It's about creating a learning environment that tells your child: You belong here. Your needs matter. Your identity matters. Your voice matters. And you can learn how to advocate for yourself. Follow @secularhomeschoolrevolution on Instagram and TikTok for more secular homeschool resources, curriculum discussions, and behind-the-scenes homeschool life. Support the podcast on Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution   SEO Keywords secular homeschooling, affirming homeschool environment, progressive homeschooling, homeschool binder ideas, homeschool organization, homeschool affirmations, emotional literacy for kids, feelings wheel for kids, homeschool social emotional learning, homeschool self advocacy, inclusive homeschool curriculum, homeschool learning styles, how kids learn, homeschool routines, diverse homeschool curriculum, secular homeschool podcast

Our 2026–27 Homeschool Curriculum & Activities What are we actually using for homeschool this year? In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, I’m sharing the curriculum, enrichment, sports, and outside programs we chose for my 14-, 10-, and 5-year-old and, more importantly, why we chose them. We talk about outsourcing high school classes, choosing curriculum that fits each child, letting kids try new activities, keeping kindergarten simple, and building a homeschool that includes academics, art, music, sports, community, and real-life experiences. I’ll also be sharing my kids’ weekly schedules on Instagram so you can see how we fit everything in without doing every subject every day. Resources Mentioned Hearth & Story — Language Arts Mint & Bloom — U.S. History Math with Confidence IXL — Math practice Real Science Odyssey: Evolution Logic of English Foundations B Glitter Bomb Art Simply Piano Girls Inc. Microschool classes Dual-credit Speech & Sociology Math tutoring Engineering Club Fencing Horseback riding Softball Swimming T-ball Homeschool co-op + field trips Follow me on Instagram and TikTok: @secularhomeschoolrevolution Support the podcast on Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution If you enjoyed this episode, follow Secular Homeschool Revolution wherever you listen and share it with another homeschool family planning their year.

How young is too young to talk about race? In this episode, I answer a listener’s question about talking to a five-year-old about race and share what racial literacy looks like in my own home from melanin and identity to those unexpected “ouch moments.” We also talk about how these conversations should grow with our kids, from simple conversations about fairness and belonging in early childhood to systemic racism, history, media literacy, and critical thinking in middle and high school. Resources mentioned: Because of Melanin Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child Stamped (For Kids) Learning for Justice Facing History & Ourselves Zinn Education Project Teaching for Black Lives Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture EmbraceRace There is no single curriculum that can teach everything our children need to understand about racism. Racial literacy is something we build over time through history, literature, representation, current events, media literacy, family conversations, and real life. Follow Secular Homeschool Revolution Instagram: @secularhomeschoolrevolution TikTok: @secularhomeschoolrevolution ☕ Support the podcast: Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution Keep asking hard questions, keep having the conversations, and keep homeschooling unapologetically.

How has your summer been going? In this episode, Ashley shares how her family’s supposedly slow summer turned into a full season of camps, friendships, learning, and new responsibilities. Her oldest daughter completed her first summer job as a camp assistant and began learning about investing through a financial-literacy course for teens. But after receiving several messages and reviews criticizing the podcast for being too “woke,” promoting equity, and talking too much about race, Ashley takes a moment to reintroduce herself and the purpose behind Secular Homeschool Revolution. Ashley is a Black woman, a secular homeschooler, and a mother who believes deeply in justice-centered education. She created this podcast to take up space in a homeschool community where Black, nonreligious, progressive, queer, disabled, neurodivergent, and multiracial families are often underrepresented. This podcast is not about making homeschooling comfortable for everyone. It is about creating honest conversations around education, identity, race, history, equity, inclusion, and the systems that affect our children. Ashley also reviews her family’s experience using Math with Confidence for kindergarten and fifth grade. She discusses why it has been one of her favorite math programs to facilitate, how it compares with Beast Academy and Singapore Math, and why a gentle approach does not mean a curriculum lacks rigor. In this episode Ashley discusses: Her family’s busy summer of camps, friends, and homeschooling Her oldest daughter’s first summer job Introducing teens to investing and financial literacy Why secular does not automatically mean progressive Taking up space as a Black, nonreligious homeschool mother Why race, equity, and justice belong in conversations about education Her Math with Confidence review for kindergarten and fifth grade The benefits of games, review, and short lessons Conceptual math through Beast Academy and ST Math Why the parent’s experience facilitating curriculum matters The difference between productive challenge and unnecessary struggle Helping children build a healthy relationship with math Connect with Secular Homeschool Revolution Visit SecularHomeschoolRevolution.com for more episodes, resources, and progressive secular homeschooling conversations. Support the podcast at Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution   Secular does not automatically mean progressive, but this podcast absolutely is.

Homeschool kids need more than curriculum, co-op, and activities — they need third spaces where they can belong outside of home and academics. In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, Ashley talks about why third spaces matter for homeschoolers, especially in a world that is not always kid-friendly. We discuss how libraries, parks, youth groups, art spaces, co-ops, sports teams, community centers, and cultural spaces can help kids build identity, independence, friendships, confidence, and real-life community skills. This episode also explores the challenges: access, cost, transportation, unsafe spaces, performative inclusivity, and overscheduling.   Listen, like, follow, and subscribe to Secular Homeschool Revolution — the podcast for secular progressive homeschoolers who are reimagining education unapologetically. Support the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution