Michigan Homeschooling Information

Homeschooling in Michigan

Hi, my name is Kathy, and I homeschool in Michigan! I have lived in Western Michigan all my life. One of my favorite things about Michigan is the change of seasons. I have been married for 16 years to my husband Dan. We have two children: Eli, 13, and Isaiah, 10. I work full-time, second shift in an assisted living home caring for the elderly. When I'm not studying, homeschooling or working I enjoy taking naps, baking chocolate chip cookies and just being with my family. I also love to write and enjoy maintaining an online blog where I share my thoughts and feelings.

If you have questions or comments about homeschooling in Michigan, check out our homeschooling tools and resources or visit our online Michigan support group.

To find out more about the legal requirements for homeschooling in Michigan, articles, and state-specific resources, you can also visit one of these sites:

• Michigan MEAP Test Prep resource page
• The Homeschool Mom's Michigan support page
• Home Education in Michigan by Ann Zeise
• Homeschool World Michigan support groups

Legal disclaimer: This section is one family's story and how they meet the mandatory school attendance laws in Michigan. 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.

My Favorite Sites for Support and Resources

As I mentioned above, I have some favorite sites for finding support and resources for homeschooling in Michigan. The following is a listing of some of these:

• Time4Learning - I can't say enough about Time4Learning. Let's just say that without T4L I don't think I could homeschool at all. I looked two years ago -- long into the night -- for something that would work for our family. I am not able to be a stay at home mom, so I needed to find a program that would not require a lot of preparation or organization. I didn't have a lot of time to spend preparing lesson plans and I am not gifted with organizational skills. These two things were very important to me. I also needed something affordable. Time4Learning has met all our needs in these areas and I am so thankful for it. It's also fun -- not that school has to be fun. The kids enjoy it and learn at the same time!
• Discovery Education Videos - If you have the money, this is a great website. It has resources such as video clips on just about any subject. For an annual subscription of $265.00, it comes with a free 30 day trial and provides a core curriculum for grades K-12.
• Time4Writing Courses - This a great way to teach writing without a lot of stress. It cost $99.00 for an eight week course and teaches anything from beginning writing to writing essays and research papers. My son, who struggles with writing, is taking the first and basic course. He is doing well. What I like is that there is an instructor who reviews his work, grades it and offers feedback. Sometimes it is necessary to have someone besides mom or dad to be accountable to.
• Homeschool Reporting - I just discovered this website. For $20.00 a year you can track your child's records, grades, and community service/volunteer work online. There is a 30 day free trial. I am currently in the trial period and so far love the program. As our students get older, it's more important to keep track of grades and records in order to develop a transcript. This program helps with all of these things, makes it organized, accessible and simple.
• HIS Place for Help in School - This website is designed to help parents homeschool kids with learning disabilities. It helps the parents create their own IEP. I just came across this website and I'm still investigating it, but it has been helpful thus far.
• Keys For Kids - We use this website for our daily devotions.
• Homeschool Building - The Homeschool Building is located in Wyoming, Michigan. This building is used by a variety of homeschool organizations to provide classes and activities for local homeschooling families. There is also a great homeschool bookstore located here with staff that has experience in homeschooling. My son takes classes here on Fridays. It's a great resource for other links and local support groups as well as activities and other extracurricular activities. This is probably my favorite site for local resources.

Time4Learning is vibrant, engaging, educational, and funny. It sure beats our previous homeschool curriculum which was textbook/workbook based.

Time4Learning is so effective that very little intervention is required. This works great if you're homeschooling multiple children.

How I Fulfill State Requirements

When we decided to homeschool, our oldest was going into second grade at the local public school. We have a great school system but our son needed a different atmosphere to learn. We have found our community and local school district to be very supportive of homeschooling. I cannot speak for the entire state, but where we live there are numerous homeschool support groups and co-ops. I will list some of these later.

Michigan doesn't require homeschooling families to report or test. However, homeschoolers are required to be taught in the major subjects of reading, writing, math, art, and social studies. In order to obtain testing by the school district, homeschoolers must be registered with the state.

The way I fulfill my state requirements is by providing my son a curriculum that teaches all the required subjects. We also provide social interaction through a local homeschool service that provides classes in a variety of subjects with an adult experienced in the subject as the teacher or the facilitator. These classes are typically complementary to the student's core curriculum. It's important to keep track of what you are using to teach and the student's progress or work. I simply create a portfolio with all their work in it for each year. I also keep any workbooks, art work, etc. in a box labeled for the year.

By using Time4Learning I am able to provide a core curriculum. I can access reports, print them and keep them in the portfolio. This was very helpful when sending my youngest son back to public school this past fall. I was able to give the school a copy of the subjects he covered as well as his test scores in each subject. I also supplement.

Advice to New Homeschooling Families

My best advice to new homeschooling families is to find what works for you. My sisters who homeschool really enjoyed using unit studies and hands on projects. While this worked great for them, I can't teach this way. I had to find a method that I was comfortable with and that was effective for my children. It's taken time, but we have found what seems to work for us. Secondly, be flexible. Teachable moments come all the time, not just during school hours. Watch for those times when you can teach a lesson, value or make a point. Homeschooling families learn all the time. Finally, find support. My parents live just five doors away and are both retired teachers. Mom teaches my oldest son piano, dad teaches history. Last year when both boys were homeschooled, mom did an entire unit on Africa.

Time4Learning is a fun software, entertaining and I really like the way it explains things in a way that the kids can understand, without making it boring.

In the lesson, you can click on the
highlighted word and hear it spoken.

Our Homeschool Day

This year our homeschool day looks different than last year when we homeschooled both boys. This year dad gets up with our youngest and gets him ready for school. Because I work second shift, I sleep until about 7:45 a.m. I get up and spent time with Isaiah before the bus comes. Eli gets up at 8:00 a.m. and follows his daily agenda. We are learning that structure and routine work well for him.

After he finishes his morning routine, we start school -- usually around 9:00 a.m. He does Time4Writing Monday through Thursday and then Time4Learning math daily. Sometimes I have him do a lesson in every subject on Time4Learning -- it just depends on the day. He practices piano each morning as well. We work on school work, the two programs listed above, spelling and science or another subject until about 11:00 a.m. He takes a break so he can work out on the Wii-Fit or do some other activity. He also has developed an interest in cooking. I teach him how to cook different things for lunch. Sometimes, he fixes lunch for both of us independently. He then helps with the clean up and has free time until 1:00 p.m.

From 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. he can either read or watch educational t.v. He gets grandpa's mail every day and delivers it between 2:00-2:30 p.m. Any work that is not completed in the morning he can do in the afternoon. We find though, if he sticks to it, it only takes a couple of hours a day to complete the necessary work. Grandma and Grandpa teach him once a week. I send his work and he takes his piano lesson that day and gets a history lesson as well. When both boys were home, we were more traditional with doing school in our school room where they each had a desk and I had a whiteboard to use. We don't need that now and prefer the kitchen table. On Fridays, we go to the homeschool building where he has three classes. I use this time to go to a local coffee shop and study for my classes or go out to lunch with a friend.

After his first day using Time4Learning, my son looked over at me and said 'I'm really smart mom!' That statement is priceless!

Time4Learning started out as a supplement, but has now become more of a center piece to our homeschooling. I wasn't expecting that at all!

Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

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.

For families with more than one child, choosing a homeschool program can 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.

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, multi-media 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.
• 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 Michigan, head over to the Michigan Parents Forum.

Some Helpful Tools and Resources

Welcome to Homeschooling Guide - Are you new to homeschooling? This guide was written by seasoned homeschoolers to answer some of the difficult questions new families often struggle with.

Curriculum Lesson Plans - An overview of the number of lessons that are included for each grade and subject. All students have access to at least 2 (and in most cases 3) grade levels of curriculum for each subject, so they can move ahead or review at their own pace.

Homeschool Portfolio Information - Answers common questions about homeschool portfolios and evaluations. It includes tips on organization methods, what to include and how Time4Learning can be used as part of your homeschool portfolio.

The Lesson Activity Finder - One of the many helpful tools that Time4Learning offers its members. The activity finder is a shortcut that makes it easy for parents to preview lessons or find extra practice for their child. You can visit our hints and help section for more information about the activity finder.

Lesson Planning Worksheet - Wondering how many lessons to have your child do each day? Estimate the number of activities per day using this easy to use, printable worksheet.

Online Parent's Forum - Reach out to homeschoolers in your area, join discussions, ask questions and trade ideas on our online community of homeschooling parents. Having the support of seasoned homeschoolers can really help make your homeschooling journey a success.

Sign up for Time4Learning and gain access to a variety of educational materials, which will engage and challenge your child to succeed. Make Time4Learning a part of your children's homeschool resources.

I want to Learn More about Time4Learning's homeschool curriculum or how to use the program for afterschool enrichment.