The Definitive

Guide to

HOMESCHOOLING
IN KS OR MO
FROM MIDWEST
PARENT
EDUCATORS (MPE)
 FROM THE AUTHOR

Hi! I’m Shanxi Omoniyi, online content director for Midwest Parent
Educators (MPE).

In the fall of 1986, a group of 17 homeschool families gathered to provide

encouragement and fellowship for one another. This was the beginning of
MPE. Today we serve homeschoolers in the greater Kansas City metro area
and Midwest (including the states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas and
Nebraska).

I wrote this eBook to help you navigate the most important questions
asked as people begin their homeschool journey. While we cover only
Kansas and Missouri law in Section 3, many of the other principles and
techniques will help families everywhere who are considering homeschool
as an educational option.

Enjoy, and we look forward to hearing from you!

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

4
C - Customize

8
L - Learn

14
I - Invest

19
C – Change As
Needed

24
K – Keepsakes &
Records
 Chapter One

Customize Your
TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER
Homeschool
SHALL GO HERE
 CUSTOMIZE
Or, Your Homeschool Is Unique …
Just Like Everyone Else’s!

If you don't customize your homeschool first, you may spend a lot of time
exploring a bunch of options that will never apply to your homeschool.

If your kids are in kindergarten, your homeschool will look very different from
the family who's just withdrawing their 16-year-old from public school!

Questions to ask as you set up your homeschool:

1) What are the ages and stages of my children?

• Preschool through kindergarten (ages 0-4)

Rather than spend a lot of money on academic programs, we suggest that you
take time to enjoy your kids and involve them in practical, hands-on activities.
In fact, many homeschoolers debate the usefulness of a formal, classroom-type
structure for learning at this point.

Is homeschooling preschool necessary? (MPE Blog Post)

• Elementary school (ages 4-11)

At this age, many homeschoolers will not spend more than 2-4 hours each
school day in formal academics. Homeschoolers typically focus on cultivating
their children’s love for learning, general knowledge, basic skills (reading,
writing, arithmetic), and character training.
 CUSTOMIZE YOUR HOMESCHOOL

• Middle school (ages 11-15)

During these years, homeschool students gradually become more independent
and self-directed in their education. They may be setting their own
educational goals, grading their own work, and more. They will also be
spending more time during the school day studying.

• High school (ages 15-18)

This can be the most challenging – AND rewarding – part of your homeschool
journey. Some parents can feel overwhelmed at the thought of homeschooling
their teenagers, especially if they've experienced school only in a classroom
setting until now. However, it's not just possible, but highly recommended!

Homeschooling can help your teen build stronger family ties, boost academic
and social skills, explore work/service opportunities, and much more.

Now more than ever, your role as a teacher isn't to handhold your students,
but prepare them for a lifetime of success. You'll likely be balancing a lot of
things beyond the classroom: e.g. extracurricular activities, driver’s ed, college
prep, transcripts, and possibly work or service experience.

2) What are my children's learning styles?

Learning styles involve 3 basic categories:

1. Visual and spatial learners, or "lookers." They process information
best when they see it.
2. Auditory learners, or "listeners." They are most efficient when they can
hear information.
3. Kinesthetic or tactile learners, or "movers." They function best when
they can physically interact with information in a hands-on way.

This helps you make decisions on curriculum, e.g. is the curriculum based on
YOUR learning style, or your children’s? Also, do all your children have the
same learning style?
 CUSTOMIZE YOUR HOMESCHOOL

3) What are some time and schedule constraints on me as a teacher?

This is important especially if you're balancing other outside commitments in

addition to homeschooling.

How much time can you reasonably set aside just for homeschooling, and
when? Maybe you work a night shift instead of a day shift. Don't worry, we
have many families who don't fit the typical 9-to-5 workweek!

If you do have outside commitments, many homeschool families in the same

situation have found help by joining an area co-op or enrichment program.

These typically involve 1-2 days a week, or several days a month, where the
children meet with other homeschool families and do academic work together.

7 Tips From Working Homeschool Moms & Dads (MPE Blog Post)

4) What is my budget?

The good news is that it can be extremely affordable to homeschool in

virtually any budget range.

Homeschool families spend an average of $600 per student annually for their
education, according to the National Home Education Research Institute.
However, that average varies widely by family. Especially in the preschool
years, you probably won't be spending that much.

There are also a range of educational resources for low-income families, like
buying used or donated curriculum and more, which we'll cover later.
 Chapter Two

Learn About
TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER
Homeschooling
SHALL GO HERE
 LEARN ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING
Or, How Do I Homeschool Thee?
Let Me Count The Ways…

There are a huge number of styles, or methods, to homeschooling out there.

But we'll give you seven main approaches:

1) Traditional, or "classroom" homeschooling.

This is probably what you think of when you hear the word "school." You find
textbooks with chapters to read, then you answer questions in the workbooks.
Then the teacher gives grades based on your responses.

2) Online schooling.

This is like traditional schooling, but involves computer software programs or

Internet-only courses.

3) Classical homeschooling.

This is based on teaching children in three stages, called the Trivium.

The Grammar Stage is for 6-10 year-olds. It focuses on absorbing information

and memorizing rules for subjects like phonics, spelling, history, science and
math.

The Dialectic Stage is for 10-12 year-olds. It focuses on logical discussion,

debate, and the whys behind information.

The Rhetoric Stage is for 13-18 year-olds. It focuses on systematic, rigorous

study and seeks to develop a clear, forceful, and persuasive use of language.
 LEARN ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

4) Charlotte Mason.

This is based on the philosophy of Charlotte Mason, a British educator in the

late 1800s and early 1900s. She emphasized a broad education that included
nature study, art and music, handicrafts, and so forth, as well as the usual
academic subjects.

5) Unit studies, or project-based learning.

This takes a theme or topic and incorporates many school subjects like
language arts, history, science, music, and more into that theme or topic.

For example, say you're studying Ancient Greece. You read books about it,
which is history and language arts. You make a map of Greece, which is
geography. You learn about Pythagorus and his theorem, which is math.

6) Unschooling/deschooling.

This is based on the interests of the child. If a child is interested in butterflies,

you research and learn about them until the child is satisfied. There is no set
curriculum.

7) Eclectic.

This is basically everything and anything you want!

Many families end up using more than one of these approaches at different
points of their homeschool journey, so don't feel like you have to take just one
of these and stick with it all the time.
 LEARN ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING:
Portrait of a Homeschool Family

Maureen Werner (center), a longtime MPE member, and her

family. Maureen is a single mom, manages her own accounting
business, has adopted and fostered multiple children, and also
homeschools! Read her story on our blog:
https://midwesthomeschoolers.org/maureen-werner/
 LEARN ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

2) Curriculum options

Choosing your curriculum will depend a lot on the following factors:

a) Homeschool style and child's learning style. If you’re unschooling, you

may not need any formal curriculum at all, just your local library!

b) Budget. Generally the more expensive the curriculum, the more subjects
and planning they do for you.

c) Time. On one side of the spectrum is creating your own unit studies, lesson
scheduling, and so forth, from scratch. On the other side of the spectrum is
getting the curriculum prepackaged and in a box, or taking an online course.

You will probably go somewhere in-between these extremes, based on your

unique homeschool and the time you have each week to prepare lessons.

d) Any outside help. If your children attend a co-op or enrichment program,

they often require you to purchase certain curriculum items or texts.

We recommend the following tools to help you in your curriculum search:

a) Homeschool conferences or conventions. MPE has one in the KC area

every spring. The vendor booths are a great way to see the curriculum and get
your questions answered before you buy.
b) Used curriculum sales. MPE has one every summer, just after the
conference. It’s a wonderful way to support local homeschool families and get
gently used items for your family.
c) Reviews and comparisons of curriculum. You can find these online, on
YouTube, and in books. A longtime favorite in the homeschool community is a
book by Cathy Duffy, called "102 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum."
 LEARN ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

3) Homeschool schedule

"School time" in public school settings includes recess, lunch lines, bathroom
lines, moving between classrooms, quizzing and testing to determine what is
understood in a large group of students, etc. With homeschooling, you have
the freedom to target your learning to a much smaller window of time.

Creating The Best Homeschool Morning Routine (MPE Blog Post)

Here are some very rough guidelines on the number of hours that many
homeschoolers spend on formal work and learning:

• Grades K-2: 1 to 1.5 hours / 3 to 4 days per week

• Grades 3-4: 2 to 3 hours / 4 days per week
• Grades 5-6: 3 to 4 hours / 4 days per week
• Grades 7-8: 4 to 6 hours / 5 days per week
• Grades 9-10: 5 to 6 hours / 5 days per week

The beauty of homeschooling is that you never stop learning! Sometimes the
best academic questions come at mealtimes, after all the books are put away.

This is also a huge help to the family with nontraditional work and life
schedules. You can tailor your hours of learning whenever your kids are most
ready and excited about it.

[If I had to homeschool again,] I would've spent

more time playing, reading together and exploring

“
outside in the early years, less time on workbooks
and formal curriculum.

From Jennifer Kilgore (see more comments in this

Facebook post)
 Chapter Three

Invest In Your
TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER
Homeschool
SHALL GO HERE
 INVEST IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL
Or, Calculating Your Investment
(& Return On Investment)

As you set up your homeschool in Kansas or Missouri, you need to avoid any
mistakes that can technically make your children "truant."

NOTE: Homeschool laws change at the state level, which means anytime you
move, your homeschool may need to change based on the laws of your new
residence.

Let’s start with some definitions first:

1) Compulsory Attendance

This is the age your child must legally begin attending school. In both Kansas
and Missouri, the compulsory attendance age is 7 years old.

So if you're beginning preschool with your 3- or 4-year-old, or even

kindergarten, you don't need to file anything official with the government at
this time.

What This Means

In Kansas: As soon as your child reaches their 7th birthday, you must begin
complying with Kansas's compulsory attendance law.

In Missouri: Homeschool laws apply only if your child is 7 when the school
term begins. For example, if you want your school term to begin Sept. 1 and
your child turns 7 in December, your child was not of school age or age 7 when
your term began.
 INVEST IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL

2 common questions we hear:

1) What if my child has already enrolled in a public school before age 7?

Whenever you enroll your child in a public school, they are subject to
compulsory attendance law IMMEDIATELY, no matter their age. This applies to
both Kansas and Missouri.

If you're in this situation, that means you must formally withdraw your child
from public school, or else your child can legally be declared "truant" for not
attending that school.

(We have free school withdrawal letter templates for you to use on our
website for both Kansas and Missouri residents.)

2) When does compulsory attendance end?

In Kansas: Once your child reaches their 18th birthday, they're no longer
required to obey the school laws. A child can be exempted at age 16 if a simple
process is followed, mostly involving the consent of the parents.

In Missouri: Compulsory age ends at 17.

Now we're going to list the absolutely essential steps to start your homeschool
legally in either Kansas or Missouri.

For Kansas

1) Register your homeschool as a non-accredited private school with the

Kansas State Department of Education.

NOTE: Sometimes people think their Kansas homeschool is "accredited" as

long as they are using an accredited curriculum. This is NOT TRUE. That's why
it is important to remember that your homeschool is not recognized by Kansas
law as a "homeschool" per se - you are a non-accredited private school.
 INVEST IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL

To register your homeschool, you will need to have a name for your school.
You can be as creative as you like, but we recommend not to get too crazy
since this may appear on official school transcripts!

9 Ideas To Name Your Homeschool In Kansas (MPE Blog Post)

We recommend keeping records of your registration once you've registered

online or by regular mail. The KSDE website will not send you a record.

2) Classes must be held for a period of time that is "substantially

equivalent” to the time public schools are in session.

“The time required for public schools is at least 186 days of not less than 6
hours per day, or 1116 hours per year for grades 1-11."

NOTE: To meet the legal requirement for this amount of time, include learning
activities such as free play (recess) and extracurricular activities (music
lessons, art, sports, etc.) just as they would in another school (band, P.E., etc).

For Missouri

Homeschoolers must fulfill three requirements until their child reaches the
age of 16:

1. Keep track of work samples from your child.

2. Keep a record of periodic assessments.
3. Keep documentation showing 1,000 hours of instruction during the
school term that you set.

Of those 1,000 hours:

• 600 must be in what can be called core subjects.
• 400 can be in electives.

The core subjects are reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science.
There’s no requirement for what the electives can be; it can be anything you
wish.
 INVEST IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL

It’s important to write this because the law requires some documentation.

Many people will use a daily log. As they go through the day, they take a
notebook, form, spreadsheet, or app, and write (e.g.), “Math: 30 minutes. Or
social studies: 45 minutes. Or language arts: 1 hour.” By the end of the school
term that you set, you should have at least 1,000 hours.

Our strong recommendations

1) Become a member of the Home School Legal Defense Association

(HSLDA). They provide legal protection and counsel to ALL their members, as
well as many resources both online and through their newsletters.

If you join MPE first at the Family tier or higher, we'll be happy to send you a
group discount on HSLDA's annual membership!

2) Become a member of MPE at the Family tier or higher.

We hear all the time from members who love the network of support and
encouragement they receive. It's wonderful to know that you're never alone
in your homeschool journey, and that other people have experienced – or are
experiencing – the same struggles you're going through!

We have so enjoyed being a part of MPE over the

many years and also taking part of the special

“
graduation ceremonies that reflect the heart and
spirit of homeschooling.

From Gary and Stacey (see more on this webpage)

 Chapter Four

Change As Needed
TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER
SHALL GO HERE
 CHANGE AS NEEDED
Or, It’s Not Working! … Or Is It?

To help you navigate the whole school year - not just the first few days - this
step will help you anticipate and hopefully avoid many of the most common
mistakes that new homeschoolers can make:

1) Core habits.

• Require respect as a teacher.

It sounds basic, but bears repeating: Your child's respect is crucial to the
success of your homeschool. One of our longtime members and homeschool
mom, Kathy Roggow, says it like this: "Your homeschool will not work if your
children won't listen to you."

Maybe your relationship with your child is already strained, and you feel like
homeschooling will only strain it more. But if this is your situation, take heart!

Many children actually report a closer relationship over time with their
parents through homeschooling. After all, they get to spend time with you and
see how you handle challenges. They know you come alongside them and help
them even if it costs you your time, your effort, and even your patience!

• Study your student.

Take advantage of homeschooling's built-in advantage: one-on-one

instruction! Throughout history, people have paid enormous sums of money
for the kind of individual attention that you naturally give your child all the
time.
 CHANGE AS NEEDED

By listening to your children, you note their interests and the ways they learn.
That helps you figure out the best approach for their education. As one mom
explains, "If they see personal value and meaning in the learning process, then
they will embrace it."

• Avoid comparisons.

Perhaps your child is still wrestling with the alphabet, while Little Miss
Overachiever in the homeschool house next door is already writing in cursive!

It can be especially easy in homeschooling to compare your family with others,

but it's NOT a competition. Every homeschool is unique. Therefore, every
homeschool will look different.

• Keep the right perspective.

In the daily chaos, things can look overwhelming. But many homeschool
veterans will just advise you to take a step back and ask two questions:

1) Why did you start homeschooling? Was it just to give your kids a good
education, or did you want them to grow up to be outstanding people?

2) In a year or even a month for now, will this particular challenge really
matter? As one mom writes, “As long as they are progressing and you are
instilling the love of learning, you are doing a great job!”

2) Community.

This can be especially hard to cultivate in today's world, but it is well worth
the extra time!
 CHANGE AS NEEDED

We don't mean just virtual community, like Facebook, websites, and Pinterest.
Where’s the person you can talk face to face with? Someone who can watch
the kids for you one afternoon, or who you can discuss curriculum with?
Someone who can come to your home and whose kids hang out with yours?

Here are some places and avenues to build community:

• Support groups. These can be your local co-op families, or MPE cluster
groups that we offer to members at the Family tier or higher.
• Mentoring moms. MPE has an amazing group of local volunteers, called
"mentoring moms" that help other homeschoolers just by being there.
They can listen to your concerns (such as creating a homeschool schedule,
household and family management, etc.), and help by sharing from their
own experiences. You must be an MPE member at the Family tier or higher
to meet with a mentoring mom.
• Women's Encouragement Day. This event takes place in the winter when
most homeschoolers need some encouragement! Homeschool moms relax,
enjoy worship, listen to speakers, and have a beautiful lunch together.
• Annual homeschool conference.

3) Curriculum.

Many homeschool veterans recommend that if your child is struggling with a

certain concept, especially in the early years, switching curriculum isn’t always
the answer. Maybe your child just needs a rest. Come back in about 6 months.

If your child still doesn't get it after 6 months, it may be time to seek outside
help, like a tutor or therapist. And (maybe) switch curriculum.

Yes, it is a pain, but here’s an open secret – many homeschool families have
switched curriculum or their teaching approaches midway through the school
year. Whatever isn’t working just isn’t worth your valuable time (or your
child’s).
 CHANGE AS NEEDED:
Portrait of a Homeschool Family

Shawna Ketter (center), on the MPE board with her husband,

Craig, and their family. Shawna started Wild + Free KC, a
homeschool nature group that sparks wonder and speaks life
into hearts. Read her story about delight in the “winter days” of
homeschooling: https://midwesthomeschoolers.org/winter-delight-
encouragement-day/
 Chapter Five

Keep Records
TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER
SHALL GO HERE
 KEEP RECORDS
Or, Making Memories For A Lifetime

As a general guideline, in grades 1-8, you want to keep at least two years'
worth of homeschool records to be safe.

Scott Woodruff, an attorney at the HSLDA: "Colleges don’t care what your child
learned in the fourth grade, whether it was fractions, or decimals, or
timekeeping, or expanded notation. But you will need those records if you are
hauled into court. May it not be so, but it could happen."

During high school, Scott recommends that you keep all the records. And by
that, this includes:

• Attendance records
• Information on the textbooks and workbooks your student used
• Samples of your student’s schoolwork
• Correspondence with school officials
• Portfolios and test results
• Any other documents showing that your child is receiving an appropriate
education in compliance with the law

These records should be in hard copy, not just soft copy, in case anything goes
wrong with technology.
 KEEP RECORDS

Why is this so important?

The short answer is that the records you maintain at this point could be
important to help in getting your child into college, get a job, or into the
military.

Other ideas/steps to consider

• Explore apprenticeships for your child to gain real-world experience.

MPE recently helped promote the Associated Builders and Contractors
Heart of America chapter, as it hosted its first Introduction to Construction
Careers program just for homeschoolers! See the Facebook Live here.
• Enroll in dual credit courses at a local community college or university.
If college is in their future, have them practice for and sit standardized
tests such as the ACT, PSAT and SAT.

Homeschool ACT & SAT Test Prep: 10 Recommendations (MPE Blog Post)

• Get your students involved! Let them help create their own resumes,
portfolios, cover letters, and scholarship applications.
• Prepare for graduation. Every May MPE hosts a graduation ceremony for
homeschool seniors, which is at the College Church of the Nazarene in
Olathe, Kansas.

This encouraging ceremony is student led with a class feel, yet also
personalized as parents pronounce a special blessing over their graduate.

If your student is still a junior, they and their parents can minister to the
senior class by serving in various roles at rehearsal and the ceremony. This is
an opportunity to bless others while also forming the next graduating class.
Sign-ups to participate begin shortly after the first of each year.
 MORE RESOURCES

Here are more book resources that our homeschool community has found
helpful over the years. NOTE: The MPE Board of Directors does not necessarily
endorse any of these resources, but encourages families to use their discretion
in researching.

BONUS: If you buy these books via Amazon Smile, please select Midwest
Parent Educators as your nonprofit of choice, and we’ll receive a portion of the
proceeds!

• One Hundred and One Devotions for Homeschool Moms by Jackie

Wellwood

• If I’m Diapering the Watermelon, Where’d I Put the Baby? by Carol Barnier

• Eight Great Smarts by Kathy Koch

• So You’re Thinking About Homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel

• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

 READY FOR THE NEXT STEP?
As you start (or continue) your homeschool journey,
we’re here to help. We created an “MPE Sisterhood
Group” on Facebook that you can join anytime for
encouragement, community, and spiritual growth.

JOIN FOR FREE