Homeschooling in Idaho
Hi, my name is Melissa, and I homeschool in Idaho! I am married, mother of three awesome kids: Jesse 15, Tristan 12 and Asaysia 5. I love camping, waterskiing, scrapbooking, reading and learning! Boise is a great place to call 'home', in one day you can be at the top of a mountain, the middle of the desert, or on the beach at the ocean.
If you have questions or comments about homeschooling in Idaho, visit our online Idaho support group .
Idaho Homeschooling Resources
To find out more about the legal requirements for homeschooling in Idaho, 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 Idaho. 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.
Resources for Homeschooling in Idaho
There are also Yahoo groups for Idaho homeschoolers as well. For public-school-at-home types there are Idaho Virtual Academy, Idaho Distance Education Academy or Inspire Connections Academy. They all have their pros and cons depending on what you are looking for. There is the Idaho Home Educators Association that is fairly new but becoming a great source of information.
Idaho Has Been a Great Place to Homeschool
There was a year that we dual enrolled so Tristan could take music and P.E. and the school district was happy to work with us. Last year we belonged to IDEA (Idaho Distance Education Academy) which is a charter program for homeschoolers and that was a good experience as well.
The regulations for homeschooling in Idaho are very minimal. The law states: "Children of compulsory age (7-16) must be instructed by--or at the direction of--their parent (or guardian) in subjects commonly and usually taught in Idaho public schools." Just this spring a new law was passed that took out the word, "comparably" (to public schools)- Senate Bill 1017. The new wording also allows friends or relatives to provide the instruction (i.e., does not restrict instruction responsibilities solely to the parents). This flexibility is important for times of crisis where parents want to continue homeschooling but need to have the support of someone outside the home to provide the instruction for a time.
Our Homeschool Day
We usually have slower mornings; the kids will read or play quietly while I do a few chores and until we all "wake up". By 10:00 a.m. we gather and do group work, this could be research or project based around the given subject. Usually I lead this during this time and keep everyone on track. We have great discussions and laugh a lot! At noon we break for lunch and then some free play time. Between 1 and 2 (depending on how long lunch took or if the weather was nice and we lost track of time playing outside!) the kids work on individual work like handwriting skills, math, personal interest subjects or writing a paper. I help each child as needed during this time. Everyone works until 3 or 4 (depending on when we started, LOL). We do this Monday-Thursday and reserve Fridays for field trips or getting together with our home school friends. On Tuesdays and Thursday we also do a home school PE class at the YMCA (so awesome that they offer this!) for an hour.
Choosing Homeschool Curriculum
Idaho homeschool law includes the freedom for families to pick and choose their own curriculum based on what works best for their child. However, families new to homeschooling quickly discover a dizzying array of choices when it comes to selecting homeschool curriculum. There is no more popular discussion among homeschoolers on the web than the pros and cons of various homeschool curriculum.. After sifting through the homeschool curriculum reviews, most parents end up mixing and matching homeschool program, trying to create the best match for their child.
For families with more than one child, choosing a homeschool program 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.
If you have any more questions or comments about homeschooling in Idaho, head over to the Idaho Parents Forum.
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