homeschooler the October 2025 UtahUtah THE UUtahtah HOMESCHOOLER Volume 2, Issue 2 ·· October 2025 Executive Director Editor in Chief Supporting Editor Harold Godfrey Della Hilton Anna Owen PUBLISHED BY The Homeschooler Magazine TheUtahHomeschooler@gmail.com MISSION STATEMENT To provide community, resources, and support for homeschooling parents, and to recognize and inspire excellence, creativity, and exploration in homeschooling students. CELEBRATING AND INSPIRING EXCELLENCE Each student who sent in a submission for this issue was entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. Congratulations to our lucky winners! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue! This magazine wouldn't be possible without you! Stephan M Addie B Juliet G Rhea H Share Your Story! Homeschool Seniors & Recent Graduates You’ve done something amazing—carved your own path through your teen years and into adulthood, with homeschool as your (path, tool). Now it’s your turn to inspire others. The Utah Homeschooler is looking for student voices and recent gradu- ates to share their journeys: the wins, the struggles, the lessons learned, and what’s next. Your story has the power to spark ideas, calm fears, and help other homeschoolers find their way through the ups and downs of high school. Neurodivergent Homeschoolers We are especially looking for stories from families and teens who are homeschooling with learning differences like dyslexia, ADHD, or autism. Your experiences can offer hope, advice, and practical tips for others on a similar path. Ready to Share Your Story? Email TheUtahHomeschooler@gmail.com or learn more. Know someone else with a great story to tell—maybe a sibling, friend, or neighbor? Encourage them to share, or send us their contact info and we’ll reach out! Important Dates Friday, December 5, 2025 Last day to submit Student Spotlights, Big Wins, or Book Nook reviews! submit. Friday, November 21, 2025 Last day to enter the writing contest! the winning entries from the last contest. Find details on the next contest Mid January The next issue comes out! Stock images from DreamsTime, Freepik,Vecteezy, and Unsplash. Features Student Submissions Resource Directory Snowy Mount Fuiju Temple Bamboo Forest in Japan Though the idea was a bit unconventional, travel had always been a passion for their family. So they sat down with each of their kids individually—ages 8, 11, and 14—to talk through the possibility of homeschooling overseas. They discussed what it would look like day to day, what it would mean for each child, and what responsibilities would come with learning while traveling. One by one, the kids decided they were excited to try something new and world school. With the kids’ support, the family listed their home for rent and quickly received multiple offers to rent it. Suddenly, the plan was no longer just an idea. It was happening! Each person in the family stuffed their life into one carry on and one backpack each. For the kids, this luggage space had to also fit their language arts workbooks, all the supplemental items that went with their school work, their science course they would do all together as a family, and two laptops to do math and foreign language online. As for social studies & PE, they’d just live it abroad. When Julie and Kaulin Hinton realized their oldest was about to start 9th grade, a wave of panic hit them. In just FOUR years their oldest would be an adult! They couldn’t believe they got here so fast and started to wonder how they could soak up what little time they had left all together under one roof. That’s when Kaulin came up with a crazy idea. He asked his wife, “What if we rented out our home to cover our expenses and world schooled in Asia for a few months?” 4 | The Utah Homeschooler Cherry Blossoms in TokyoBali, Indonesia Lempuyang Temple Their adventure officially began with a one way flight from Utah to Japan to catch the cherry blossom season. Over the next three months, they would spend one month in Japan traveling around to different areas of the country, five days in Beijing, China, three weeks traveling around Vietnam, and one month in Bali, Indonesia. Homeschooling around the world was far from picture perfect for their family of five. With three kids in tow, it meant juggling schoolwork around flights, sightseeing, and adjusting to everyday life in a new and unfamil- iar country. They established a simple morning routine when they would get to a new area, the kids focused on their learning while the par- ents worked and took turns helping guide them through their school work for the day. This left afternoons open for exploration and spontaneous adventures. Creating a more flexible approach made learning more enjoyable for everyone, allowing their days to flow naturally instead of being dictated by a rigid schedule. As Kaulin liked to say, “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” Snowy Mount Fuiju Temple Worldschooling Through Asia | 5 through Nusa Penida, IndonesiaAnd that’s where the magic truly began for their family. As they spent more time together, navigating new challenges and discovering unfamiliar places, something special started to unfold. They were not only growing closer but also experiencing three key things that made all the stress and uncertainty completely worth it. 1. BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE One of the most rewarding parts of world- schooling was seeing their kids apply what they were learning to real life. Their oldest son had been studying Mandarin the last few years, and during their time in China, he was able to use his education to speak to local children who eagerly approached him to talk. One unforgettable moment was when a group of students on a school field trip giggled and followed that son around, thrilled to hear him speak Mandarin. Another is when their children began estimating currency exchanges in each new country, turning abstract math into practical skills. Before long, even the eight- year-old was better at quick conversions than their mom! 2. PUSHING PHYSICAL LIMITS Travel also challenged the family physically, helping the kids grow in confidence and resilience. Whether it was conquering fears by tobogganing down the Great Wall of China, jumping into the Indian Ocean to hang from a boat and chase wild dolphins, or climbing 500 uneven marble steps to reach a breathtaking viewpoint in Vietnam, the kids continually pushed beyond Hiking the Great Wall Tobogganing the Great Wall Summer Palace, Beijing 6 | The Utah Homeschooler Da Nang, Vietnam what they thought they could do.3. EMBRACING CULTURES AND PEOPLE Experiencing diverse cultures firsthand was another highlight. From trying new local foods to exploring different customs in each country, the family gained a deep appreciation for the world’s variety. A standout experience was attending the World Expo in Osaka, a global celebration of culture and innovation. Looking back, their biggest advice to other homeschooling families is to let go of rigid expectations about what “school” is supposed to look like. When they first began homeschooling years ago, they tried to replicate traditional classrooms. They thought they needed structured hours, strict routines, and a clear separation between school time and family time. But during their world schooling journey, they realized that true learning doesn’t have to follow a set formula or mirror what conventional schooling does. By embracing flexibility and focusing on real life experiences, their kids not only thrived but also began to enjoy learning in a whole new way. Now back in the States, the children have chosen to continue homeschooling, proof that sometimes, letting go of the conventional can lead to something far more meaningful. Vietnam Da Nang, Vietnam Hoi An Coconut Boats Worldschooling Through Asia | 7Letter of Intent Let’s get the official stuff out of the way first. In order to officially homeschool in the state of Utah, you are required to submit a notice of intent to homeschool to your local school district, informing them that you will be educating your child(ren) at home. This is very easy to do. You can mail a letter of intent to your local school district, or many districts have a form you can fill out online. (Be aware that some districts add items to their forms that are not required by law. If this concerns you, you can cross out items you disagree with or use your own letter). Program and Funding Options Many families choose to utilize government funding programs or online charters to educate their children in the home. If enrolling in these programs, you are not required to submit an affidavit. Some programs, such as OpenEd or Harmony, allow you to use your own curriculum and educational plans and offer reimbursements for educational costs, but require you to submit attendance records, portfolios of student work, or other forms of documentation. Other options—some free and some not—function You’ve Got This! Widsom, advice, and encouragement from 20+ years of homeschooling by Sandy Grant As I come to the end of my 20+ years of homeschooling, I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t—at least for my family. It has been a wonderful experience, and I will miss the community and the growth that I received through those many years. In an effort to pass on what I have been blessed with, I would like to share a little for those who are at the beginning of their homeschool adventure. I hope that some of it will help you to love homeschooling as much as I did. Keep in mind that EVERY homeschooling family is different and what works great for me might not work at all for you. Every family has their own style, goals, and personality. That said, I hope that I can share some ideas that will help in establishing your homeschool. 8 | The Utah Homeschoolermore like “school at home,” where all of the education is provided online and there are teachers who create assignments and grade your child’s work. In these cases, the parent acts more as a facilitator than a teacher. Whatever option you choose, being an active participant in your child’s education can be both challenging and rewarding. Homeschooling Philosophies As you begin, take time to research the different homeschool philosophies and methods to see what resonates with you. Do you want a more rigorous path, or does the freedom of unschooling appeal to you? Even if you don’t settle on a specific style, knowing your options can help you get a vision of what you want your homeschool to look like and help connect you with helpful resources, community, and support. Keep in mind that there is not one style that leads to success. Your kids can flourish regardless of how you choose to homeschool. I personally am pretty eclectic, picking elements from a variety of methods to create our own style of homeschool. My mantra is that, “As long as you keep trying, you will not ruin your kids!” Many aspects of the Charlotte Mason method resonated with me. I like the idea of short learning moments and lots of literature. However, my kids do not love it as much. The first day we went out to work on “Nature Journals,” my kids all complained horribly. However, the Charlotte Mason memorization method worked great for our morning routine, and we memorized dozens of delightful poems together. Stick with what works and drop what doesn’t. Scheduling For most of our homeschool years, I have used charts to get things done. When we first started homeschooling, our day was structured by time. We did math from 10:00 to 11:00, spelling from 11:00 to 11:30, etc. I quickly found that wasn’t going to work! Not only could I not help all three kids with math at the same time, we had a really hard time sticking to the schedule. Between having to change diapers, nurse babies, juggle toddlers, or sending the kids out for “recess” and then forgetting to call them back in because someone called on the phone and I chatted for an hour, it just didn’t work. So I switched to checklists. Each year, I make a weekly chart for each of my kids and laminate them. This enables my kids to know what they need to do each day and check tasks off with dry erase markers as they complete their work. They have the independence to decide in which order to do their tasks, and I can see at a glance if they are done or need a little reminder to get moving. With our task chart system, they can play outside for an hour, but they can’t have Hands-on activities are a great time to include the littles in what the older kids are learning. Here we are learning about Christopher Columbus and we floated our own Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria walnut boats. You Got This! | 9Next >