Homeschooling in South Carolina

Hi, my name is Angie, and I am the South Carolina state representative for Time4Learning. I am a 32-year-old work-at-home mother of 5. My kids are between the ages of 3 and 12, and I have homeschooled for 2 years.

You can visit me on the South Carolina forum to ask any further questions.

South Carolina Homeschooling Laws

Legal disclaimer: This section is one family’s story and how they meet the mandatory homeschooling requirements in South Carolina. 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.

Finding Local Resources in SC

I love Insights on Education, one of the local accountability organizations. They have co-op classes, activities for the students and families. In my area, upstate SC, you can join any number of local homeschool associations such as CHE, or if you prefer online groups, there are several Yahoo groups for SC homeschoolers including: SCarolinaHomeschool, and SouthCarolinaHSTimes.

South Carolina Makes It Easy For Parents to Homeschool

I think that South Carolina does make it easier for parents to homeshool their children that some of the other states. There are several homeschool accountability associates, as well as local homeschool co-ops that you can get involved in.

South Carolina requires the teaching parent to have a high school diploma. The school day must be four and a half hours a day of studies, and 180 days a year. The subjects required by South Carolina are Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. You also have to be a member of an accountability organization. You can add electives and other subjects such as PE at your discretion.

Time4Learning For Our Visual Learners

You might be interested in knowing what a typical day in our homeschool might look like. The typical day for us starts with breakfast, then class begins at 8am. I give the kids a break at 10 for some fun and active games. We have jump rope competitions or races, and this counts as a PE class. At 10:30 it is back to work, and we do not break again until 12:30 when they have lunch. After lunch the children have quiet reading time or they finish up assignments that have not yet been completed. We usually end our school day by 2pm.

How Time4Learning Makes Homeschooling Easier

The first year I spent hours a night preparing for lessons and printing out worksheets, or correcting assignments. I save so much time now that I can spend with the kids because Time4learning does the work for me. The lessons are interesting and they hold the kids attention. If you can't get them to pay attention, then they are certainly not going to learn or retain any information. It is very easy for even my 3-year-old to log herself into the site and make her way to her assignments. The addition of the playground time gives them a goal to work towards, and they love all of the games, songs and coloring that they get to do. I currently have my two youngest (ages 3 and 4) enrolled with Time4learning, and I hope to enroll my 3 older children next year.

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, 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 the 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, <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/program/faq.html#guarantee">satisfaction guaranteed</a>! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.

If you have any more questions or comments about homeschooling in South Carolina, why not contact me on the South Carolina Parent Forum at: MEHIMAND5OFTHEM