Homeschool Outside the Country?

by Sara Khwara
(Fremont, CA U.S.A.)

Hi,

Can I homeschool outside the country?

Currently we are living in California, but my husband has to move back to our native country to take care of his close family members. He is thinking of going back for two years, it could be less or more....we are not sure at the moment. My daughter is almost four years old and we are planning to go when she is almost five. Can we take materials and homeschool back home? When she is back, can she take a test? Also, I want her to do three grades in two years or as much as she can? Is that possible? Thanks in advance.

Reply from Diane for Homeschool Outside the Country:

Hi Sara,

In answer to your first question, yes, you can homeschool outside the country. I am not sure what your native country is that you'll be going back to, but many countries allow homeschooling. You might Google your native country + homeschool and see if it is legal to homeschool there. I checked in the Sonlight catalog for you and found an extensive list of countries that they ship to. As I dug a little deeper, I learned that Sonlight's very first concern was to make a curriculum useable for Americans living overseas. (I found it interesting that they actually began with a concern for low-income American expatriates living in difficult situations.) We used it successfully for many years.

That said, I might suggest that you not push too much schooling on your daughter at first. She is only four and the move in itself will be an adjustment. We started our little ones using Ruth Beechick's 3R's, 3 booklets packed with simple suggestions for teaching your children K-3.

Yes, you can have her tested when she comes back to the states. Check with the state of California to see what they have for you. The hslda.org website would be a good place to start.

And yes, you can have her do three grades in two years. But again, don't push it. She may thrive best if you just let her explore and not put high expectations on her. Remember she is only four! Enjoy!

I wish you every happiness as you homeschool outside the country!