Write minutes (or hours) in each box. Core hours this week: ________ All hours this week: ________ Year to date: ________
When you need an hours log
Some states count instruction in hours rather than days. Missouri is the best-known example: 1,000 hours in the school year, at least 600 of them in the core subjects (reading, language arts, math, social studies and science), and 400 of those 600 at the regular homeschool location. Pennsylvania lets families count 900 hours at the elementary level, or 990 at the secondary level, instead of 180 days. Even where no hours are required, an hours log shows how the year was spent, subject by subject.
What counts toward hours
Lessons and practice at home, including reading aloud and independent work.
Co-op and outside classes, lessons with a tutor, and educational field trips.
Time in the subject itself: a nature walk for science, a museum for history.
Your state's law decides what counts, so check its current wording if hours are required where you live.
Keeping it easy
Log as you go; reconstructing a week from memory is where hours get lost.
Round to five minutes. Precision matters less than a steady record.
Check the running total monthly: 1,000 hours over 40 weeks is 25 hours a week.
Hours that add themselves up
Hornbook times each lesson, totals hours by subject, marks the core subjects and shows the pace against your target. Free, no account.