Homeschooling in Connecticut
Hi, my name is Ponn and I homeschool in Connecticut! I have been honored for my writing, marketing, work with public
health and my administration of the website American Muslim Mom, but my biggest
pride and joy is being a homemaker to my beloved husband, and homeschooling mother
to our three daughters. I am also a devout Muslim. I have a rare brain disorder,
but my attitude has always been "I'm living with a disability, but NOT disabled."
If you have any questions about homeschooling in Connecticut, visit our
online Connecticut support group.
Connecticut Homeschooling Resources
To find out more about the legal requirements for homeschooling in Connecticut, articles, and state-specific resources you can also visit one of these sites:
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Legal disclaimer: This section is one family’s story and how they meet the mandatory school attendance laws in Connecticut. It is not intended and should not be used as definitive legal advice. In most states, parents find a variety of legal methods to pursue the educational approach that they prefer for their child.
Our Favorite CT Homeschooling Resources
We have found some terrific resources that help us to homeschooling successfully in our state. We are active members of most of these organizations and recommend them highly:
Great Ways to Home Educate - A monthly newsletter for over 150 families statewide. Typically 10+ pages each month for $10/year membership that includes, annual spelling bee, geography bee, science fair, math clubs, co-ops statewide and regional, homeschooler-specific team sports and much more. For more information, please contact me directly.
I also recommend:
How We Homeschool in Connecticut
We're an eclectic homeschool family and have been homeschooling our three girls, ages 9, 8 & 6 yo since birth, with the exception of seven months. We love to travel domestically and overseas (our oldest trumps me about about seven countries). We're a very high-tech family with multiple computers on our own wireless home network.
We strive to utilize all eight Multiple Intelligences (such as Art Smart/Artistic Intelligence, People Smart/Interpersonal Intelligence, Self Smart/Intrapersonal Intelligence, etc.), and use all our senses when we teach and learn. We love exploration, problem-solving, critical thinking and brain teasers, and we like to use as many learning styles as possible so we can integrate hands-on, interactive, and most of all
fun in all that we do!
Connecticut Homeschooling Laws
The state of Connecticut requires compulsory school attendance of children between the ages 5 and 18. Connecticut recommends that homeschools operate for 180 school days, and cover the following subjects: reading, writing, spelling, English, grammar, geography, arithmetic, United States history, and citizenship, including a study of the town, state, and federal governments.
Parents are requested to file a notice of intent to homeschool with the local school superintendent within 10 days of beginning their homeschooling. This intent form would include pertinent information about the homeschool such as the name of the teacher, subjects to be taught, plan for assessment, and days of instruction. They will also be asked to submit a portfolio of each homeschooled child's work for the previous year for review. No standardized tests are required of homeschoolers in Connecticut.
Regarding Islamic Home Education
We live strict to the Qur'an and Sunnah (actions and saying of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). We study the Qur'an based on our obligation to read and recite our Glorious book based on the rules of Tajweed (correct articulation, pronunciation, and enunciation with correct speed of the recitation), with understanding the tafsir (meaning) in order to memorize; not the other way around.
We Love Homeschooling in Connecticut
We love homeschooling in Connecticut. There are no legal requirements for the state of CT, if you opt not to report a letter of intent. However, since birth, I have portfolios (more like a full cabinet) & standardized tests for various (ad-hoc) years just to make sure our children are getting at least "grade" level. Fortunately, they far exceed the average; typical of many homeschoolers.
How We Homeschool
We are notoriously known as a "not-at-homeschool-family", because we get most of our education outside of our house. We enjoy contests, field trips, games, competitions, etc. mostly for the educational fun of meeting families with similar interests.
This year, we plan on being a bit more "organized", since I'm a co-moderator of two local homeschool Yahoo groups, and active members of the nearly a dozen homeschool Yahoo groups, where I organize coops, math club, invention classes, study groups, playdates, Invention conventions, science fairs, board game days, socials, etc. Additionally, we're using Time4Learning for most of our core courses and keeping the records as "formal" documentation or "grades" finished.
Generally speaking, we get our studies done in the morning, which includes, T4L, Qur'an, Arabic, Islamic Studies, etc. before we go out for our daily activities that start and end between 12 noon and dinner time. Each day we have some social activity, such as math club, science/invention class, playdate, book club, archery/air rifle, museum day Sunday through Saturday. If they did not finish any "work" before our daily outing, they complete it in the evening; which is not typical because we enjoy cooking, eating, and cleaning all our dinners together as a family (with Baba). We like to spend our full evenings as a family with family games, reading circles, documentaries, movies and fun.
Choosing Homeschool Curriculum
For families with more than one child, choosing a homeschool curriculum can even be more problematic. What works for one child, may not work for another. What works for one subject may not work on the next. What works one year, may fall flat the very next year.
Time4Learning's experience shows that there is no single, best homeschool material. Rather than feeling torn between homeschool resources, parents should select a diverse blend of materials and activities.
Some of the features that make Time4Learning so successful include:
- Time4Learning appeals to a wide range of learning styles. Our online learning materials are especially well-suited to children who are visual or kinesthetic learners. These children can take advantage of Time4Learning's interactive, multimedia materials.
- Children like using the computer to learn. It's a convenient, interactive homeschool resource that provides a welcome change each day to paper-and-pencil workbooks and textbook-based lessons.
- Parents like that it tracks progress and helps children advance by clearly presenting and reinforcing each lesson. Quizzes and tests are graded by the computer, saving valuable time and effort for parents who would be happier concentrating on other areas.
- Time4Learning's self-paced, modularized lesson plans allow you to move forward and back through the materials whenever you want. You can skip lessons that teach concepts your child has already mastered and repeat those he or she has not. The choice is yours. With Time4Learning, you are always in control.
Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers, has a low monthly price, is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children!
Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.
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