To begin homeschooling in Arkansas, the only thing a parent (or legal guardian) is required to do is to fill out and submit a Notice of Intent (NOI). This can be done online or by printing out the paper form and taking it to the school. Arkansas requires the NOI to be submitted if the student has turned 5 by August 1^st of that school year. If you choose to wait until your child is 6 to start kindergarten, you must fill out a waiver form stating that you are not starting him or her that year.

Homeschooling in Arizona has a long and rich history. It started with the requirement that homeschooling had to be done by a competent teacher. At the beginning a competent teacher was undefined, but later became defined as a certified teacher. This meant that if a family wanted to homeschool, one of the parents had to become a certified teacher. From this definition, the law eventually changed to the requirement that the parent had to pass the Arizona Teacher Proficiency Examination to homeschool. In addition to the parent requirement, the homeschooled student had the requirement of taking a standardized test to prove they were learning. All of this changed between 1995 and 1999. Through the efforts of Arizona Families for Home Education, the law for homeschooling in Arizona is one of the friendliest and best in the nation.

Pop quiz! What's the capital of South Dakota? In what year did the American Civil War start? What's the square root of 625? Are you really qualified to homeschool your children?

I have been homeschooling my children in Colorado since 2009. Amidst the beautiful landscape of mountains, our homeschool experience has become enriched with friendships and opportunities. My children have participated in sports, sharpened their entrepreneurial skills, and even flown airplanes. We have also enjoyed several museums and tours. The beautiful distraction of nature all around has even beckoned us to pack up some study materials and hike to our favorite study spot in the mountains!

California is a very easy state to homeschool in, with few requirements. There is also an abundance of community and field trip opportunities for homeschooled families. Both of these are contributing factors to the popularity of home education in the state of California.

As North Carolina residents, we are privileged to live in a state with beautiful mountains, an amazing coastline, large cities, small towns, access to great medical care, an abundance of churches, and plenty of entertainment options—all within just hours or even minutes from most any area of the state. We also have many reputable colleges and universities peppered throughout the state.

Homeschooling in Louisiana has grown significantly in the past decade. There are numerous reasons that parents make the decision to homeschool their children. Regardless of the reason, Louisiana residents have the legal right to choose how their children will be educated, with very few legalities involved.

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." I Corinthians 16: 13-14
"You have to be a man first before you can be a gentleman." John Wayne, McClintock

If you are a planner like me, then the answer is going to be a definite YES! When I first started homeschooling, I decided to try to plan out our entire day. So, I had a schedule from the time my oldest son woke up to the time he went to bed. I have to admit, but it was a bit much! I have scaled back since then, but I still see the benefits of having a homeschool routine. Here are a few things to consider when setting up a routine.

Megan Hutson is a homeschool graduate from Houston, Texas! She grew up using BJU Press Homeschool materials from the time she was in kindergarten until she graduated high school. During her junior and senior years of high school, Megan also took several dual credit classes at San Jacinto College. The transition from BJU Press Homeschool to college-level classes went smoothly.