Iowa Homeschooling

More and more parents in Iowa are joining the millions of homeschooling families in the United States who have chosen to provide a home education for their children. Here you'll find everything you need to successfully home educate your children at home, including information on homeschooling methods, support groups, local and state events, online resources, and much, much more.

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Plan of Instruction Form-Unlined
This "Plan of Instruction" form has been designed by HSLDA and NICHE. Plan of Instruction forms -- lined or unlined -- may be used to comply with the requirement on the Competent Private Instruction Form (Form A) for an attached outline of course of study. Please keep in mind that the Iowa law & rules are silent as to what subjects must be included on the Plan of Instruction. NICHE "Plan of Instruction" forms have been used and submitted by home educators all across Iowa, and have been accepted...
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
Led by Brigham Young, roughly 70,000 Mormons traveled along the Mormon Pioneer Trail from 1846 to 1869 in order to escape religious persecution. The general route is from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah, covering about 1,300 miles. The Mormon Pioneer Trail travels through five states over both public and private land.
Iowa Single Homeschool
This is for single homeschooling parents in Iowa.
299.1 Attendance requirements.
Except as provided in section 299.2, the parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian of a child who is of compulsory attendance age, shall cause the child to attend some public school, an accredited nonpublic school, or competent private instruction in accordance with the provisions of chapter 299A, during a school year, as defined under section 279.10. The board of directors of a public school district or the governing body of an accredited nonpublic school shall set the number of days of re...
Organize and Prepare
Home education is a lifestyle! This lifestyle is life-changing in many positive ways. Read over the ingredients for a successful home school, and organization, logistics, and discipline for your home school.
Old MacDonald's Farm, Bever Park
Old MacDonald’s Farm, Bever Park’s Children’s Zoo, is operated by Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation. Located on the SE side of Cedar Rapids, it is a free public zoo and features farm animals and North American waterfowl. This city landmark is over 100 years old and is enjoyed by people of all ages. Open Daily from late April to early October.
Iowa Inclusive Homeschoolers
This is a friendly, casual email loop for all who homeschool, or are interested in homeschooling, in the state of Iowa.
Unschooling in the Midwest
This group is for unschoolers in the midwest to offer support to other life learning families and to organize activities.
Licensing & State Laws in Iowa
Iowa’s multi-stage licensing process allows teens to gradually gain exposure to complex driving situations, easing them into driving over an extended period of time. The instruction permit and intermediate stages are key steps.
299A.5 Reporting of evaluation results.
The results of evaluations administered to children of compulsory attendance age who are under competent private instruction shall be reported by the evaluation administrator to the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian, the school district of residence of the child, and the department of education. Personally identifiable information relating to or contained in the evaluation scores is confidential and shall not be released without the prior consent of the child's parent, guardian, or cu...
Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators
The Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE) is a Christian organization promoting home education in the state of Iowa. Their mission is to provide Christ-centered events, communication, and resources to better equip, inform, and encourage Iowa home educators to the glory of God.
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark began a voyage of discovery with 45 men, a keelboat, two pirogues,and a dog. They departed from Camp Wood located in what was to become Illinois. They traveled over a three-year period through lands that later became 11 states. Most of the trail follows the Missouri & Columbia Rivers. Much has changed in 200 years but trail portions remain intact. At 3700 miles, Lewis & Clark NHT is the second longest of the 23 National Scenic & National Historic Trails....
Privacy Form for Dual-Enrolled or HSAP-Enrolled Student
These option forms are recommended to protect your family's privacy. They inform school officials that you want protections afforded by federal and state laws. The form for dual-enrolled or HSAP-enrolled Students notifies school officials that you are claiming federally mandated privacy protections, and that you do not want any information concerning your enrolled child -- including directory information -- to be released to anyone without your prior consent.
Iowa Licensed Teachers Serving Home Educators and Homeschooling Parents Utilizing Iowa Licensed Teacher Services
NICHE has a variety of resources to assist Iowa licensed teachers serving as supervisors or portfolio evaluators and to assist Iowa families seeking the services of an Iowa licensed teacher. Supervision of an Iowa licensed teacher and portfolio evaluation by an Iowa licensed teacher are two of the methods that the Iowa law offers to homeschooling parents to ensure that home educated children are making educational progress.
Iowa Wildlife Center
The Iowa Wildlife Center is a wildlife sanctuary and education center that rehabilitates furred, feathered and scaled animals, restores habitats and educates the public about its animals and its work.
Featured Resources

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In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Multiple Intelligences
Children learn in differing ways. Thomas Armstrong specializes in helping parents identify the unique areas in each of our children that enhance their special way of learning and expressing creativity. This work on multiple intelligences talks about ...
TruthQuest History
The TruthQuest History series consists of ten volumes that serve as guides for parent wishing to use real books in their approach to history education. They are full of book recommendations, along with information on the topics of study. There are al...
Morning by Morning : How We Home-Schooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League
Home schooling has long been regarded as a last resort, particularly by African-American families. But in this inspirational and practical memoir, Paula Penn-Nabrit shares her intimate experiences of home-schooling her three sons, Charles, Damon, and...
Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book Of Homeschooling
The classic work on teaching children at home, updated for today's new laws, new lifestyles, and a new generation of homeschooling parents. Today more than one and a half million children are being taught at home by their own parents. In this expand...
Different Brains, Different Learners: How to Reach the Hard to Reach
Nearly 40% of all students have some kind of learning challenges, yet many go undetected. This practical comprehensive guide has been written that links the latest brain research with teaching strategies to reach you most frustrating, hard-to-reach l...
Quote of the Day

The first idea that the child must acquire, in order to be actively disciplined, is that of the difference between good and evil; and the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity.

Maria Montessori