Military Homeschooling Information

Homeschooling in the Military

Greetings from Japan! My name is Shannon and I am a homeschooling mother of three. Our family uses and loves Time4Learning. It has made learning fun for my kids and easy for me! We are an active duty military family who has enjoyed learning at home in three different countries over the past few years. Countless transfers to new areas are the main reason our family decided to homeschool. Learning at home also gives our family the flexibility to travel and enjoy the new and exciting places we live in without being held to the typical family travel times that coincide with the traditional school calendar.

If you have questions or comments about homeschooling in Military, check out our homeschooling tools and resources or visit our Military Parent Forum.

Legal disclaimer: This section is one family's story and how they meet the homeschooling laws while enrolled in the military. 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.

Being a Military Homeschooler

As with all things pertaining to the military, there is a publication on homeschooling. Thankfully, the military recognizes and supports the importance of homeschooling for military families. The following is an excerpt from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Policy Memorandum concerning homeschooling:

It is DoDEA policy neither to encourage nor discourage DoD sponsors from homeschooling their minor dependents. DoDEA recognizes that homeschooling is a sponsor's right and can be a legitimate alternative form of education for the sponsor's dependents.

A host nation, state, commonwealth, or territory where a DoD sponsor is stationed may impose legal requirements on home schooling practices. DoDEA encourages DoD sponsors who wish to home school their dependents to communicate their desire to their commanders to determine if there are any command policies or other rules ensuring that home schooling practices meet host nation, state, commonwealth, or territory requirements. Sponsors are responsible for complying with applicable local requirements.

The DoDEA can also answer additional questions and concerns about homeschooling, as well as help you find particular laws within your state or host country.

My Favorite Homeschooling Resources

Time4Learning is by far our favorite homeschooling resource. We use it as our core curriculum for math, language arts, science and social studies.

The world and our surroundings are another top favorite homeschooling resource. My family enjoys hands on learning together and we pick out different areas of study to dive into as a family. Many times these hands on activities coincide with a lesson or theme from Time4Learning.

Soar at Home is a resource exclusively for military families. This is a free yet invaluable resource for military homeschooling families because of the unique situations our children are placed in with transfers and deployments.

Parent components include:

• Easy access to their children's accounts
• Links to military installations, transition resources and school websites
• Resources for at-home learning activities
• Message board
• State-specific resources, such as state learning standards
• Links to Department of Education and other educational resources websites

Student components include:

• Assessments aligned with state standards to identify their strengths and weaknesses in reading and mathematics
• Tutorial lessons to reinforce and review skills not mastered

Our family is also a member of our local homeschooling group on base. It is nice to be connected with other homeschoolers and go on field trips to explore Japan together. We were also members of a group while we were stationed in Canada and we loved it! Most bases have homeschool groups and they can be found by calling your base's Family Support Center.

We have also used Time4Writing as well as Spelling City and have enjoyed what these programs offer.

My children's favorite part of the day is their time on Time4Learning. This is the easiest and most consistently productive program we've used!

My kids can work independently or with my involvement. Time4Learning has enriched their education and simplified my life!

A Day in Our Homeschool

We would be considered an eclectic homeschooling family because I pick and choose from a variety of beliefs and resources to put our homeschooling program together. We do not "school at home" therefore do not have a formal classroom nor do we follow the traditional nine month school year calendar because we school throughout the entire year without taking a formal three month summer break. We school at the desk, at the kitchen table, on the couch, in the car or train, or wherever we happen to be because Time4Learning is portable and convenient to use anywhere! I do, however, believe that the learning of core subjects needs to be done in a systematic way by using scope and sequence, for that reason we use Time4Learning as our core curriculum and follow through with each grade for all subjects.

Each morning the kids take a few hours to complete their daily Time4Learning lessons. I then supplement with free writing notebooks, reading books, online research, hands on activities, extracurricular activities or classes, field trips and creative projects. Each of my children has their own assignment binder that holds both a daily schedule of assignments plus worksheets for the chapters that they are working on. I found that following the lesson plan within Time4Learning helped all of my kids stay on task and ensure that no assignment or quiz is missed.

My goal is to make our homeschool journey academically complete but still fun for everyone!

How Time4Learning Has Helped Our Family

I enjoy using Time4Learning as a core curriculum because we can easily bring it with us wherever we go! Just this year, our family transferred from Canada to Japan and spent over two months in a hotel. The kids never missed school because all we needed was our laptop. There was no way I could have brought three sets of assignment books for everyone during our travels. Using Time4Learning also helped while we were getting used to the big time difference. Many times when we first arrived to Japan, we would do school work at 3:00 am because we couldn't get to sleep!

I absolutely love how easy Time4Learning is for all three of my kids to use. Brandon is in seventh grade. He is able to use Time4Learning independently but I always know what he is working on and answer any questions he has. Brandon is also doing an in depth study of U.S. history (found in the teacher's guide on the Time4Learning lesson plans), writing essays and completing projects pertaining to his lessons. Aidan is in third grade and finds the lessons easy to understand, fun and engaging. I do help him complete his worksheets in math, mostly for my own peace of mind so that I know he grasps the content. I do help Mia, who is in first grade, log on and complete quizzes and tests, mostly because she is still a beginner reader. We also complete Mia's worksheets together out loud.

As a parent, I appreciate how easy Time4Learning is for both my children and myself to navigate; the lessons are quick, engaging, and fun. They are also easy to review if one of my children did not fully grasp the learning concept the first time. I am able to keep up with how many and which lessons are completed by logging onto the parent administration page and accessing their progress reports. All of these tools enable both parents and children to be successful; truly the complete package for homeschooling military families!

With Time4Learning, math lessons are taught by engaging characters in colorful, fun activities.

Here at Frank's Fraction Pizzeria, 3rd graders learn about "parts of a whole" from Frank and his employees.

Time4Learning Homeschool Curriculum

Time4Learning is used by homeschool parents both as a primary curriculum and as a supplemental program to other materials such as Saxon, Alpha Omega, Five in a Row and A Beka. 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 the 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, satisfaction guaranteed! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.

If you have any more questions or comments about homeschooling in the military, head over to the Military Parent 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.