Is Homeschooling Legal?

Is Homeschooling Legal?
State Regulations in the US about homeschooling

In the US, all 50 states (plus DC & Puerto Rico) have mandatory school attendence laws until a certain age (often 16). But, each state has it's own method of defining what constitutes "school attendence".

In some states, parents are free to set up their own homeschool and take full responsibility for their children's education without any reporting or constraints. In other states, the children need to be enrolled full time in an accredited school but the school can provide a home-based distance-learning program. Often, some states require the parents to establish a "school".

In short, each state is different and many states change their rules. And, the rules for school attendence are different than those about who can issue an accredited high school diploma.

Time4Learning has been researching and recording some of these different regulations. While this does not constitute legal advice, here is a collection of information by states about homeschooling....

Alabama Homeschooling & Time4Learning
Florida Homeschooling & Time4Learning
California Homeschooling & Time4Learning
Georgia Homeschooling & Time4Learning
North Carolina & Time4Learning
Ohio Homeschooling & Time4Learning
Texas Homeschooling & Time4Learning
Alaska Homeschooling & Time4Learning
Virginia Homeschooling & Time4Learning
South Carolina Homeschooling & Time4Learning

Grade Level Curriculum

Online Learning - Grade by Grade

Time4Learning teaches preschool, elementary, and middle school curriculum.

We have put ontline a series of grade level summaries for our parents convenience. Take a look!

Preschool
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
Eighth Grade

Social Studies Homeschool Curriculum

Social Studies is one of subjects that some kids seem to really like. Here's an overview of Time4Learning's online social studies curriculum.

In first and second grade social studies, students learn about human's basic needs and are introduced to map reading and historical and cultural holidays. Learn more about first and second grade social studies lesson plans.

Map skills are enhanced in third grade social studies and geographic terms are introduced. Students also study Alaska Inuits, Vikings, exploration of the Americas and colonization of North America. Read about the third grade lesson plans here.

Upper Elementary - Fourth & Fifth Grade Social Studies Curriculum

In fourth grade, ancient civilizations, the Incas, Mayas and Aztecs and the American Revolutionary war period are studied in the history lessons. Geography lesson focus on land formations and how people interact with their physical environment. United States civics are introduced. Complete details are in the fourth grade social studies lesson plans.

Early civilizations ranging from the Olmecs to the Phoenicians are the focus of fifth grade history, along with 19th century United States history, including the events leading up to the Civil War, the war itself, and post-war reconstruction. Economics, US and world geography, and government systems round out the fifth grade social studies curriculum. Read here for complete details about the fifth grade social study lesson plans.

Preschool Homeschool - Is it?

Does it count as homeschooling, if it's only preschool?

What a silly question!

Answer: since you can get into arguments about curriculum, it must be homeschooling?

Is preschool too young to learn to read?
Should a preschooler be unschooled?
Should a preschooler follow a structured curriculum?

I find that one system that works as part of the preschool homeschool curriculum for me is Time4Learning with their learning games.

Learning and Games

Here is quick overview of electronic games and how it affects learning.


1. Todays learners are different. They have different abilities to absorb info and skills, different concentration spans, familiarity with different tools, different ways of communicating etc etc. The "digital natives" concept is credited to Marc Prensky who then concludes that they've taken the attitude of digital-age learning styles.

2. Much of game playing is learning. Not learning about academics, not learning in a way that many schools have understood or appreciate. But a raw type of learning thru observation, trial-and-error, theorizing, testing theories, in a way that somehow encompasses both the scientific method, cultural literacy, algebraic thinking, spatial reasoning, and common sense. The writer that I'm familiar with on this topic is: James Paul Gee. I'm also influenced by the grade novel, Enders Games. Adn the fact that I spent half a decade on the development side of games.

3. Games can be used to motivate kids to learn. To get to the next level, you must complete the fractions island. Basically, create a learning mgt system which provides game-like motivation for kids to collect powerups, crystals, and complete levels which map to educational benchmarks. I've never seen this done well. I intend to build an educational system in which the navigation system can be changed so that game structures can be tried.

4. Learning activities can be game-like. Shoot the right answer for math facts before it gets you. Provides motivation for boring tasks. If done right, can include nifty help with memorization or concepts.

5. Make tools fun to use like the soon to be launched spelling program.....

All of this is being explored as the next step for Time4Learning, the leading homeschool curriculum that's fun and effective and affordable.

I've been looking at different approaches to tutoring.

I of course am a big believer in student directed online learning such as the online learning games from Time4Learning. I've been looking at how to compare this with the Kumon Math and Reading Centers , or the Sylvan Learning Centers, the Huntington Learning Centers, any Learning Center, or even the old famous late-night-TV direct marketing heavy-weight champion, Hooked On Phonics!

More later on the choices for each of these levels.....
Preschool games, Elementary, and Middle School

Christian Curriculum

The Shelf-Life of Christian Curriculum
By Kerry Jones

We all do it at some point in our lives. Stick that milk back in the refrigerator after smelling it and discovering it has indeed gone past it’s prime. But we hate to waste it. Maybe we could give it to the cat? Or use it for that homemade sour cream recipe we always meant to try? Unfortunately, our attempt at frugality is usually in vain, and we will eventually get up the courage to pour the foul-smelling stuff down the sink.

Whether we realize it or not, that past-dated milk sometimes has a good bit in common with our familiar Christian curriculum. It has served its purpose incredibly well for us in the past, but it just feels lately like it may have gone a bit sour. Even looking at it makes us pucker up and dread opening the lid! So what do we do? We want to give our children a strong Christian education, and we want them to grow into godly men and women, but we feel like we are in a rut. We want our children to continue loving learning, but our current curriculum is boring us to tears.

If we feel like this, are we heretics? Of course not. God has seen to it that homeschool never has to feel stale. Within the Christian homeschool culture, there are any number of ways to successfully homeschool your child. There are unschoolers, Classical schoolers, Waldorf schoolers, Montessori schoolers, Charlotte Mason schoolers, and Unit Studiers. Some homeschoolers use mostly video-based software, while others depend on the internet for their curriculum. Some do all their schooling at home, while others take advantage of homeschool co-ops in their communities. Believe it or not, some Christian homeschoolers even supplement their curriculum with secular materials that meet the specific needs their child.

The most important thing to do when you discover you curriculum isn’t working for you anymore is to go back to the basics. Ask yourself some key questions about your child.

· What type of learning do they most enjoy?
· What style of learner are they?
· Do they have any special learning needs?
· What reasons made you start homeschooling your child, and why do you continue?

The answers to these questions can and should greatly influence your curriculum choices. For instance, if your child is a visual learner, he may do poorly with a workbook-style curriculum. If your daughter learns best by demonstration and hands-on involvement, she will probably not excel with a video-based curriculum. If your child enjoys delving deeply into subjects that interest him, he might find unit study curriculum much more helpful than a simple textbook overview.

Also, ask yourself what it is about your current curriculum that has gone stale for you. And what do you wish it had, that it doesn’t. Chances are, there is another curriculum or perhaps a mix of curricula that will be just what you and your children need at this particular juncture of homeschooling. Sometimes, we go through a phase where we are simply tired of plain old milk. We need variety - - chocolate milk, strawberry milk, soy milk - - something different. I believe we are created to enjoy diversity from time to time. I recently wrote about this in an online article titled “A Different Drum.”

“Because of this, I know that when I hit the roadblocks of life, I can find a way around them. When my children face the challenges of being different, I can remind them that means they are on the right track! When the normal battles of life take over my home, I understand that I will win the war in the end. And when I have laid my head down on my pillow at the end of a difficult day, and wondered why God has called me to this thing called “homeschooling” - - I will remember that it is because I have been called according to His purpose. Called to be different.”

In my experience, one of the greatest ways to jumpstart your homeschool motor again is to completely switch gears. Instead of pulling out the textbooks and worksheets one morning, how about announcing that you are going to do an online curriculum for a while? Time4Learning.com is a company that has an incredible multimedia homeschool program without long-term contracts or high monthly fees. An interactive, engaging, computer-based curriculum may be just what you need to freshen up your homeschool stale spell. But if that sounds too radical for you, you might at least consider using an online program to supplement or enrich your current curriculum.

The key to long-term homeschool success is flexibility, and the willingness to experiment to find what works. The most difficult step is finding the courage to pour the old milk down the drain when it has passed its usefulness. Once you have diagnosed the problem, the solution will be just around the bend. So gather your courage - - and go sniff out the source of that sour smell coming from the direction of your homeschool materials. You will be glad you did!

Christian Homeschoolers too

Time4Learning has turned out to be a real melting pot. Amongst our members, we can count a great number of Christian homeschoolers, a number of traditional anti-educational homeschoolers (unschoolers), and accidental homeschoolers.

We just read a very interesting story by a Christian homeschooler, Kerry Jones.

There is also interesting diversity in terms of highly gifted and special needs.

Lego Ergo Sum

"Lego Ergo Sum" - what does it mean?

This fall, the educational content of Time4Learning (from CompassLearning) was greatly enhanced by a large number of wonderful new lessons.

The highlight of the new materials was a large number of vocabulary exercises. Antonyms and synonyms and all sorts of exercises done in a fun multimedia manner.

Fast paced but with just the right type of repetition so that the children really learn.

Each one starts with the announcement of Lego Ergo Sum.

If someone could tell me what that means, they've earned a free Time4Learning coffee cup.(no, saying that it is Latin does not count). email to john at time4learning . thats a com.

The winner is Kathy. Although her translation of lego ergo sum only fed my curiosity.

Preschool Online Learning Games

There are lots and lots of good online and computer learning games for preschoolers.

For the kids, everything is new and fun and they are so curious and ready to learn.

Parents are of two minds. They are thrilled to see their children using sophisticated tools and playing preschool games that teach.

But they worry about the amount of time that their kids spend online and whether they are creating some sort of computer or game addict. Also, since the kids move rapidly, parents need to keep finding new games and site for them to use.

Time4Learning solves alot of these problems for families. Time4Learning's preschool program has a timer which helps parents manage the kids time online. And it provides an endless stream of lessons in a meaningful educational sequence. So, you can start your child at time4Learning at preschool and have them use it to learn with right up thru elementary games and middle school.

Music Learning at Home

Homeschoolers Learn Music at Home

Look at the new page appearing this week on Todays Learners, an affiliated site to this one. The idea is start looking for a "Time4Music" type product. At this stage, we are measuring interest and offering two interesting products, a miracle piano and voice training product, both very interesting.

Time4Learning - An Online Learning Resource

If you are using Time4Learning as a supplement for your child who is enrolled in a public or private school, then choosing materials to supplement their schoolwork is as simple as going to the Scope and Sequence lesson plans page, picking the correct grade and subject matter (either math, language arts, science, or social studies), and then finding the matching lesson that your child needs extra practice in.

Each lesson includes corresponding activity numbers that can be inserted in the Activity Finder within the child’s welcome page. This will take the child directly to the lesson where he or she needs reinforcement.

If you are using Time4Learning as a supplement to a homeschool curriculum, you have many choices as to how you could best use Time4Learning to aid your child’s education. One choice would be to use Time4Learning as the primary curriculum for one or more subjects, and then use the other subjects as supplements to your other preferred curriculum. Or, if you are using a conventional homeschool curriculum for your core subjects, you could use the Activity Finder to pick and choose those lessons you want to give your child further practice in.

Time4Learning also understands that children can have very different mixes of skills which can be considered "above" or below" grade level. Often both gifted and special education students have areas of strengths and weakness. Maybe your child is enrolled in fourth grade at their public school, is excelling in their math, but is only reading at a second grade level. You might want to supplement their math at grade level, but supplement reading at a lower level. The availability of this multi-level learning is one of the key benefits of the Time4Learning system.

by kerry jones, homeschooling mother

HomeSchool Curriculum Reviews

There have been a few homeschool curriculum reviews of Time4Learning recently:


Anita - a homeschooling mom in Mississippi with four children who starts with:
I had read thousands of stories of beginner homeschool families on the internet and no matter how different each was - what they had in common was the total overpurchase of teaching materials that first year....her homeschool review

Heidi - a California homeschooling mom who says:
Ok...this is just TOO weird. My daughter, TOTALLY unsolicited, just said, "I like problems with orders of operations...In fact...I LIKE math now. If that isn't worth $19.95 a month, I don't know what is. VERY cool.

And here is another ...Venomous Kate says Yes-Freaking-Hah! about her best homeschooling day yet!.

Maryland Homeschool High School Story

I ran into an old friend today who homeschooled his second child during high school. Here's the story.

R (son) went to a public high school in Maryland. He had asked his parents a few times about private school and was clearly not doing well at the start of 10th. Near the end of the first semester, on a Friday, there was some incidents which confirmed the parents' suspicions that he was involved with drugs, perhaps dealing.

By Sunday night, the parents had made a decision to not send him back to school. They decided to start homeschooling him on Monday and would try to find a decent alternative school. They told M on Sunday night and he did not complain.

Monday morning, they took him to the office (he is an optician, she is the office manager) and father started to establish a program. They took him to the office daily and his father put together his educational program.

For math, he basically got the school text book and teacher guide (getting the teacher guide was a major pain) and starting work R through it.

In language arts, after having some discussions with R, his Dad decided that the major goal was to get his son to read. It seemed that he had never really read a book. He picked King Rat by James Clavell because it was the type of book that would appeal to his son, was meaty and would provide a sense of accomplishment, and he remembered it as gripping from page one.

The first week did not go well on this score. R was surley and while he spent the requisite one hour a day on it, he seemed to have covered less than half a dozen pages by the end of the week. Week 2, R started reading and over a few weeks, devoured the book. They talked about what to read next and R asked if Clavell had written anything else. This opened the floodgates.

On science and social studies, they discussed what courses to do when and basically followed the public school text books.

There was no socializing or other homeschool activities, there was just a daily focus on academics. In MD, there are meetings with public educators mandated to get reviewed and advised. Some meetings were very helpful, some were a waste of time, in one case, the reviewer was hostile. Overall, they had minimal impact or input.

They did look for schools for a few months but did not really pursue it. Over three years, he covered a good high school curriculum and graduated. He continued his very active athletic career during this period (he was a world class kayaker).

I found this a very interesting story. It shows how parents need to be responsive to their child's needs and to be both sense what problems they are having and help with leading them out of it. In this case, pretty successfully.

This homeschool case story sponsored by Time4Learning - online homeschool curriculum for gifted children, Special Needs Learning , aspergers, etc with math, language art, science and social studies.

All roads lead to Rome

Names? Please help name this article....
a - Homeschoolisms End up being not as different as we all initially think.
b - All Roads Lead to Rome
c - Religious, Radical, or just problem-solving - All Homeschooling Parents share common Problems
d - HomeSchool Parents

Time4Learning has been surprised to find that its homeschoolers have widely divergent reasons for homeschooling and philosophies. Despite their obvious differences, they seem to commonly find Time4Learning an important part of their homeschool use.

I was intrigued by this and have been spending time talking to our homeschool members trying to better understand their motivations. I've come to believe that while parents start with widely divergent views, their experience working with their children generally leads many of them to the same place.

First the differences - Three Reasons that People Homeschool

Problem-Solvers - These families had their children in school with every intention of keeping them there. But, it did not work out well. This can happen for many reasons (which is not the topic of this article). But for one reason or another, the parents have found that the best solution for their children was to homeschool.

Religious Reasons. This category is parents who want to manage their children's education during their formative years.

Philosophical or Educational Innovators. This are the traditional homeschoolers, often inspired by Gatto or Holt, who rebel against the institution of todays schools.

Why Each Group Adopts Time4Learning...

stay tuned....