Homeschooling in Wyoming
The best homeschooling and unschooling information for Wyoming: legal requirements, the law in a nutshell, conferences, regional events, field trips, standardized testing, special needs, blogs, mailing lists, and support groups. Happy reading!
Conferences and Regional Events
Annual Homeschool Track Meet 2010
The Meet will be held on May 29th, at the Kelly Walsh High School track in Casper. Some of the scheduled events are: running races, long jump, standing jump, soccer kick, frisbee toss, softball/football throw, jump rope, and shot put (older kids). During lunch there will also be open three-legged races and family tug-of-wars.
Homeschoolers of Wyoming 2010 Convention
This is a Christian homeschool conference that was held May 7th & 8th, 2010 at the Wyoming State Fairgrounds in Douglas. Keep checking back for 2011's announcement!
RECESS
Recreation and Enrichment for Christian Educated Super Students (RECESS) offers a multitude of planned activies: Skating, swimming, bowling, monthly field trips, homeschool book sales, reading clubs, chess club, holiday parties and an annual field day in the park. Serves Cheyenne, Burns, Hillsdale, Carpenter, Pine Bluffs and the surrounding Laramie County areas.
Wyoming FIRST LEGO League
5th Annual Wyoming FLL Robotics Championship, Friday and Saturday, December 3rd and 4th, 2010. 9 to 14 year olds will explore the cutting-edge world of Biomedical Engineering to discover innovative ways to repair injuries, overcome genetic predispositions, and maximize the body's potential, with the intended purpose of leading happier and healthier lives.
Inexpensive Field Trips
A list of common and not-so-common places to take the kids. Some you've probably thought of. Others .... I bet not.
Knowledge Master Open
An academic competition for 5th-12th graders, covering
14 different subjects, and done in your own
home! A team can consist of of just one student, 15 or 35. Windows and Mac compatible. Try free practice
questions on their website.
Odyssey of the Mind
Calling all budding artists, writers, or mathematicians and engineer types! Here's an international problem-solving competition that requires students to design and build mechanical contraptions, or write a short play, or compose music, build props or try out their acting skills -- in front of regional and (maybe even) state and international judges. The more imaginative kids are, the better off they'll do. I coached and coordinated both public school
and homeschool OM teams for 6 years. It's more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys!
Legal Requirements
RMEC: The Wyoming Homeschool Law in a Nutshell
Okay, so what does all that mumbo jumbo mean?
RMEC: The Wyoming Homeschool Statute
The full text of Wyoming Title 21, Chapter 4, Sections 1-5. Read, print, save.
Wyoming
Department of Education
The official state web site.
Wyoming Education Statutes
Portions of Title 21, which outline compulsory school age, immunizations, suspension and expulsion rules.
Homeschooling in the Military
If you're a Wyoming resident, and in the armed forces, whose laws apply to your family?
Legal Resources
National Home Education Legal Defense
A national organization open to all who wish to join, that seeks to protect and defend the rights of families who wish to educate in freedom.
The Rutherford Institute
Defending the rights of all homeschool families.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
-- Margaret Mead
Scholarships
The Shannon C Honaker Scholarship for Home-Educated Students
A scholarship awarded annually to a Wyoming resident enrolled at the University of Wyoming. This is for students who have been primarily educated at home in K-12.
Special Needs
NATHHAN
The National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network. Encouragment and resources for homeschooling families with special needs children, in ways that glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and equip parents to confidently homeschool their children with
special needs or disabilities.
Special Needs at VegSource.com
A message board for parents who are homeschooling special needs children.
Special Needs - LD Online
LD Online has examples of accommodations/modifications that can be utilized by the home educator.
Shining Children With Radical Unschooling
A mailing list for radical unschoolers, or those are are leaning in that direction, to discuss our "shining" children (Highly Sensitive, Out of Sync, Asperger’s traits, Explosive).
Testing
Standardized Achievement Tests
Where to get the tests, who can give them, what they mean and why you should stop and consider carefully before testing at all.
Articles
Abnormality, Thy Name is Homeschool
For most Americans, homeschooling seems rather odd. Why bother with it? We have had public and private schools with us all of our lives, as have our parents before us and their parents before them from time immemorial. Why not stick with what works? The thought would be touching, if it were historically accurate. It isn’t.
By Steve Kellmeyer
Dave Mankins on the HSLDA
The question was recently circulated about why people would complain about the Home School Legal Defense Association? By Dave Mankins, founder of the Home-Ed mailing list.
HSDLA Consumer Information
Read the HSLDA application or mission statement -- the word 'insurance' is NEVER used. Isn't that interesting? By Mary McCarthy
The Top Ten Homeschooling Mistakes
# 10: Procrastination.
If homeschooling wasn't high on your priority list, and seems daunting to say the least, you might be tempted to put off your research and planning in favor of say ... having your toenails removed with pliers. This is a common beginner mistake, but one that will lead you to purchasing homeschool curricula you don't like, hanging out with support groups that don't fit you, and asking the wrong people for advice. By Topsy-Techie.
More articles can be found here.
Online: Blogs, Chats and Mailing Lists
Blogs
Catholic Homeschool Blog
A day-in-the-life blog by a Catholic ranch wife and homeschooling mom of 5. Married 23 years to a real Wyoming cowboy.
Homeschool Nations - Wyoming
A place where you can improve in your homeschooling walk, especially for Wyomingites but also for anyone else.
Chats
Homeschool Chat
Every Friday at 8:00am Mountain Time. Converse in real-time with homeschoolers from across the U.S. Your host(ess) is veteran homeschooler Karen Gibson. And it's always open topic!
Mailing Lists
Explore History: Herinoes of the Past
A combination e-zine and fascinating history site created by homeschool gradute Amy Peutz of Wright, Wyoming.
Wyoming Homeschool
A mailing list to find what events and
activities home educating families are planning across
the state.
The Home-Ed List
Founded in 1989 as an online gathering place for homeschoolers of all types: academic, structured, relaxed, unschoolers, religious, eclectic, you name it. You'll find many years of practical homeschooling experience here.
Western Region Unschoolers
A forum for unschoolers who live in the Western U.S. covering: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California to announce and organize conferences, travel, camping, and other places to get together.
Support Groups
RMEC: Wyoming Homeschool Support Groups
My comprehensive list. Updated June, 2010.
Contact Cindy
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