How to Start Homeschooling in Las Vegas

How to Homeschool in Las Vegas

Nevada is an extremely homeschool-friendly state. Parents have plenty of freedom to design a customized home education program for each child they are homeschooling. The state doesn’t mandate specific curriculum you must use, tests you must take, or even a schedule you must follow.

But there are some important steps you should take when beginning homeschooling in Las Vegas.

1. Formally withdraw your child from his/her current school, if enrolled.
2. File a one-time Notice of Intent to Homeschool (NOI) with the Clark County School District Office of Homeschool.
3. Be sure to include an Educational Plan with your NOI that covers your general overview of how you will teach the subjects of English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, including history, geography, economics and government.
4. Seek out local Las Vegas homeschool groups that can support you through your transition.
5. Have fun learning together!

Time4Learning Curriculum for Homeschooling in Las Vegas

One of the more overwhelming parts of home education is choosing the best homeschool curriculum. There are so many things to take into account: your child’s learning style, your family’s preferred homeschool approach, your budget, and your overall homeschool goals.

Time4Learning has become one of the most popular homeschool programs in Las Vegas because it is flexible enough to be used in so many different ways by so many different families. Furthermore, the fact that our program provides the required subjects also makes it an appealing online homeschool option for Las Vegas families.

Here are just some of the reasons why Clark County homeschoolers choose Time4Learning as their primary homeschool curriculum.

• Membership includes access to award-winning curriculum in PreK-12 as well as 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.
• Virtual labs, interactive projects, guided notes, and much more help enhance material, bring concepts to life, and allow students to apply what they’ve learned.
• Elementary students get extra help in math with Time4MathFacts. The gamified lessons help students gain mastery in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
• Students simply log in when they are ready to learn and have complete access to all their work. Lessons are laid out in a suggested sequence and families can utilize as much or as little of the program as they see fit.
• The monthly subscription model means that families don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars on a curriculum that may not end up working for them. Subscribers can start, stop, or pause their Time4Learning subscription at any time.
• Time4Learning is accessible to kids with widely varying learning aptitudes, including learners with special needs and kids who are gifted.

Field Trips in Las Vegas and Beyond

Being an urban homeschool family has some especially great perks that you might not have considered. When you live in a city like Las Vegas, you can be studying about nuclear energy in the morning, and seeing it for yourself at the National Atomic Testing Museum in the afternoon! Homeschool field trips not only break up your routine, but they inject real-world learning that expands what your students are learning in their curriculum.

Homeschoolers in Las Vegas have so many opportunities for hands-on learning, here are just a few field trip ideas you may want to explore together.

Las Vegas Natural History Museum – Head to the downtown area and enhance your science curriculum with a trip to this nonprofit museum that first opened in 1991. Families can learn about animals native to the area, dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals, marine life, Ancient Egypt, and more. Homeschool guided tours are available for up to 10 guests.

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park – This was the first permanent, European settlement in the Las Vegas Valley. It was built along a spring-fed creek by Mormon missionaries in 1855 as a protection against native inhabitants of the area. Abandoned by the Mormons at the beginning of the Utah War, it became a Civil War fort renamed “Fort Baker.” In 1991 the site was acquired as a State Park and offers a visitors center and historical artifacts and exhibits to explain the history of the site.

Discovery Children’s Museum – One of your go-to Las Vegas homeschool resources will be outings to this interactive museum–particularly if you purchase a yearly membership.  The many exhibits, workshops, camps, and events offer young learners an opportunity to explore art, ecology, engineering and so much more through active, hands-on discovery. The three-story museum is committed to enhancing STEAM education for kids of all ages with both permanent and traveling exhibits.

Luxor’s Bodies Exhibit – Is your middle or high schooler studying biology? Then definitely make a plan for an outing to this unique exhibit that showcases actual bodies preserved through an innovative process. Outside of an anatomy lab it would be difficult for students to get such an up close look at the complexities of the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, and circulatory systems of the human body. Free teacher’s guides and lesson plans to accompany your visit are available on the website.

College of Southern Nevada Planetarium – Young astronomers have the universe at their feet when they explore the exhibits or attend one of the many public shows in the 30-foot dome with high definition hemispheric video projection. Free telescope viewing sessions are held after Friday and Saturday evening public shows in the nearby Student Observatory on clear nights. The planetarium also offers an internship program for high school and college students.

Clark County Wetlands Park – A six-mile section of the Las Vegas “Wash” (a channel that feeds water from the Las Vegas Valley to Lake Mead) has been transformed into one of the most unique wetlands parks in the country.  This constructed wetland reduces the environmental impact of storm runoff while showing visitors the importance of water conservation and management. The park includes a nature center, and miles of walking paths with plenty of opportunities to see distinct nature habitats and wildlife.

There are so many more places you can explore with your child. Check out this post on field trip destinations in Nevada to start planning your next outdoors learning adventure. Be sure to leave any ideas you may have to help other homeschoolers in the comments section!

Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Nevada

• Homeschooling in Nevada
• Nevada Homeschool Laws
• Nevada Homeschool Associations
• Nevada Homeschool Groups and Co-ops
• Homeschool Field Trips in Nevada
• Unit Study Supplement: Fun Facts About Nevada