Homeschool World Forum

[nomadmom]

I am looking for any input anyone can give me. I am looking at a possible relocation from AZ to OH. All you need in AZ is the letter of intent. Ohio superintendent website says homeschool students are required to have a minimum of 900 hours per school year. This seems almost impossible to meet, especially for younger students. It also says that students are required to have fine arts and P.E. What do most people do to meet the requirements? Also, I am curious about how testing is handled. Are students required to take tests at the public schools or can they take any standardized test and have it administered by the parents? How strict are the rules in OH. What do most of you send in to the superintendent? Thanks ahead of time for any help you can give.

[Theodore]

It's not really that hard if you're creative. Almost anything can be counted as education - for instance, doing chores around the house counts as Home Ec, any sport is of course Phys Ed, and playing board games involving math / probability can count as math. You should have no problems coming up with at least 700 hours for core subjects, and just fill out the rest by categorizing day-to-day stuff you do anyway as education. For younger children, reading stories to them counts, as does watching anything educational (though the latter should be kept to a minimum for mental development reasons).

Fine Arts can be covered by studying the history of art (books of paintings will do for this, your library will probably have quite a few) and any art style that's been used in the past, including but not limited to drawing, painting, sculpture, mosaics, pottery, carving, etc. I'm sure you can find at least one type of art for each of your children that they'll enjoy.

Phys Ed is basically just exercise. Calisthenics will work, as will any sport, martial art, or even just mowing the lawn or doing other vigorous yard work.

If they don't specify that you have to take the state's official test, then you can take any widely-used standardized test. Other state tests will work, as will third-party tests from any accredited source.
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[nomadmom]

Thank you.