How to Start Homeschooling in Phoenix
Homeschooling in Phoenix has mushroomed in recent years. Maricopa County reported over 14,000 homeschoolers on its records for 2020. So, if you are on the journey toward home education in the Silicon Desert, you are definitely not alone! We at Time4Learning want to make your transition into homeschooling as informed and seamless as possible. To help, we’ve put together a guide with some of the key details you’ll want to know first, such as:
- How to Homeschool in Phoenix
- Time4Learning Curriculum for Homeschooling in Phoenix
- Field Trips in Phoenix and Beyond
- Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Arizona
This information should by no means be interpreted as legal advice. It is your responsibility to interpret and understand the laws that you will be homeschooling under.
How to Homeschool in Phoenix
When you are ready to take the leap and begin to homeschool in Maricopa County, there are some important initial steps to take.
- Research the homeschool laws in Arizona.
- Submit an Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool and a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate to the Maricopa County school superintendent. (These will be returned to you by mail).
- If your child(ren) is/are currently enrolled in school, you will want to also submit a homeschool withdrawal form with the superintendent’s office.
- Take time to explore your options and choose the best homeschool curriculum or mix of curricula to fit your budget, homeschool style, and your child’s individual needs.
- Teach the required subjects.
- Start having fun learning together!
Time4Learning Curriculum for Homeschooling in Phoenix
It’s not surprising that for many families in Phoenix, an online homeschool curriculum is their first choice. No one wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a program that may not even be a good fit for their child. That’s why Time4Learning, with its no-contract, affordable monthly subscription model, is such an ideal choice for first-time homeschooling families.
Of course, that’s just one of many reasons why our curriculum is so popular with families homeschooling in Maricopa County, AZ. Here are some other benefits of Time4Learning to consider.
- Time4Learning’s comprehensive curriculum covers each of the subjects required by Arizona homeschool law: reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies, and science.
- Our award-winning curriculum for PreK-12 offers time-saving automated grading and reports that automatically track and record your student’s progress.
- The multimedia lessons combine video and animation to keep students engaged. Concepts are taught in short chunks and are followed by interactive software exercises for reinforcement and discovery learning.
- Built-in lesson plans mean that parents can have their child follow the suggested sequence for the year, or focus on a particular area of study.
- Time4Learning is accessible to kids with widely varying learning aptitudes. Because of the flexibility of the curriculum, and how each student can move at his or her own pace through the lessons, T4L works well for kids who are gifted, kids with learning disabilities, and kids with all learning aptitudes in between!
- Free access to Time4MathFacts, which helps students master crucial math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using a fun, gamified approach.
- Families can use the curriculum for summer learning to either help students review previous year’s material or get a head start for the upcoming school year.
- Access to various tools such as guided notes, virtual labs, and more to help enhance your child’s learning experience and further understanding.
- Time4Learning makes learning fun!
Field Trips in Phoenix and Beyond
One of the most delightful parts of homeschooling in an urban center like Phoenix is that almost everything you are learning about at home can be complemented with a hands-on excursion. Is your high schooler taking a U.S. government class? Then a field trip to the Arizona Capitol Museum will highlight the many ways the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government work together. Are you studying earth science in your middle school curriculum? Then be sure to make an excursion to the North Mountain Visitor Center to see the local geology of the Phoenix Mountains on full display.
Not only do field trips break up your homeschool routine, but they can make abstract concepts truly come to life for your child. For families interested in a hybrid homeschool, Phoenix also has limitless opportunities to combine in-home learning with community classes and co-ops. Let’s explore just some of the amazing places your family can explore to enhance your home education experience.
Musical Instrument Museum – Did you know that the world’s only global musical instrument museum resides in Phoenix? MIM has a collection of more than 8,000 instruments from more than 200 world countries! A visit to the galleries will introduce your children to everything from how instruments are crafted to the sensory nature of music and how it affects our thoughts and emotions. The museum also offers downloadable educational resources to deepen and extend the learning from your visit.
Desert Botanical Garden – The focus of this unique garden is on plants that are adapted to desert conditions. Over 50,000 plants are on display throughout 140 acres of protected land. Bring lunch, and plenty of water and plan on spending the better part of a day wandering through the nature trails, watching the pollinators, and learning about environmental sustainability. Through permanent trailside exhibits, temporary art installations and seasonal experiences, the Garden offers something new to see every time you visit.
Pioneer Living History Museum Step back in time to the Arizona territorial period of 1863-1912. A visit to this village gives you an up-close-and-personal insight into the lives of the early pioneers, with a better understanding of what it was like to survive without ready water, electricity, or paved roads. Your homeschoolers will learn about everything from mining to early forms of communication such as telegraphs and printing presses. Coordinated field trips are available for your Phoenix homeschool co-op or you can take a self-guided tour as a family.
Phoenix Art Museum – Did you know that the largest museum for visual art in the southwest United States resides right in Phoenix? In addition to frequently-changing traveling exhibits, the museum’s permanent collection includes more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, and Latin American art. Organizing a docent-led tour with your Phoenix homeschool groups is the best way to explore the museum because students will be engaged in conversation about the art throughout the visit. If you are homeschooling on a budget, however, the museum offers free admission every Wednesday from 3 to 9 pm and on the first Friday of each month from 6 to 10 pm.
Butterfly Wonderland – Less than 15 miles away Phoenix, in Scottsdale, AZ, you’ll find the largest butterfly conservatory in America. Imagine entering a true rainforest environment right in the middle of the desert where thousands of butterflies fly freely! Your future herpetologist will enjoy the interactive exhibits, an emergence gallery where they can watch butterflies break free from their cocoons, and a 3D movie theater with educational films about the butterfly life cycle and the magic of flight. This attraction is located at the Arizona Boardwalk, so you can combine this field trip with visits to other educational attractions such as the OdySea Aquarium and Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs.
Engineering for Kids – When it comes to homeschool classes in Phoenix, AZ, the programs at Engineering for Kids are a great enrichment idea. This program focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education for kids 4-14 through a variety of offerings: science camps, regular classes, virtual experiments, apprentice programs, and even dedicated engineering curriculum. Programs are available in civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering and much more.
Want to venture beyond Phoenix? Discover even more educational trips in Arizona here!
