How much religion is in Konos?

[tdeveson]

I love unit studies and have heard wonderful things about Konos. When I went to their website, however, I found it to be extremely religious which is a huge turnoff for us.

 

Can the unit studies be salvaged? I don't mind skipping over overtly religious portions or just explaining to ds that those parts reflect the personal beliefs of some people, but not ours.

 

I'd love to get some feedback. Can I adapt these wonderful units for our secular home, or is religion so interwoven that I won't be able to separate the content from the religion?

 

Thanks for any feedback.

[tdeveson]

After posting the question, I realized I may as well ask for references for other secular unit studies

 

Can someone recommend a series of unit that are completely secular? I would appreciate the feedback.

[Ellie]

You can easily skip the references to Christianity, although remember that KONOS considers the character traits to be *godly* character traits.

[Mandy in TN]

http://www.konos.com/elemcurriculum/sampllesson.htm

Here is a link to a sample lesson, so you can take a look.

 

For middle school, TRISMS HM can be used in a secular home.

http://www.trisms.com/HM/learnmore.html

 

HTH-

Mandy

[tdeveson]

You can easily skip the references to Christianity, although remember that KONOS considers the character traits to be *godly* character traits.

 

That part doesn't bother me. They can be godly traits. They can also be humanist traits which is what I am teaching ds.

 

Thanks for the feedback -- this is encouraging.

[Aurelia]

Five in a Row is secular, if you don't buy the separate Christian character supplement and skip some of the books (The Clown of God, for example).

 

Moving Beyond the Page is also completely secular, and I like the thinking skills it encourages. We have tried both FIAR and MBTP and I prefer MBTP.

[Michelle T]

If you use the original Konos volumes, it is very easy. Just pick the non-religious units (you would obviously skip ones such as Tabernacle, or other religious topics) and skip the religious activities in the units you choose. There are hundreds of suggested activities, so it is very easy to pick-and-choose.

 

Same with the booklists, which you don't really need to follow anyway. Just use what your local library has on hand.

 

Konos is great for those who really like hands-on activities, and don't mind doing a bit of planning in advance for supplies.

Michelle T