Take Two

After starting this blog a couple of years ago, our group took a hiatus from regularly scheduled group activities for a time.  Well, that time ended at the beginning of this school year, but it didn't occur to me until recently that I needed to get back to this blog!  So, here we are, about 1/2 through the 2009/2010 school year and so much has happened.  Here are some of the things we have done this school year:

* Field trip to St. Augustine
* Field trip to Canine Companions
* Field trip to Publix
* Sang Christmas Carols at a nursing home
* Park Days
* Holiday Parties

Our biggest accomplishment this year has been the start of our Homeschool Group Co-op.  After many meetings and much planning, those of us who decided to give it a go came up with the following classes:

For the older children (middle school and up) - Writing (taught by Tammy), Art (taught by Helen) and Yearbook/Newsletter (taught by Melissa).

For the younger children - Art (taught by Helen), Literature (taught by Dawn) and Lapbook/crafts in conjunction with Literature (taught by Tracy).

We have class every other week on Friday.  Classes start at 9:30 and we are done by about 12:30, with each class lasting about 50 minutes to an hour.  I can honestly say that I was a little nervous going into such a big commitment, but I have been very pleasantly surprised at the blessing that this brings to our lives. 

The older children have produced 2 newsletters with a third one about to come out.  All of the children, even the littles, contribute to the newsletter - whether it is a picture, a story, a recipe, a contest, a report on a field trip, etc.  For each one, we have a different editor who gets to decide the types of things that they want in their newsletter.  It has worked out so well and all of the children are so excited to see their articles in print with their name! 

They are also working on our first ever yearbook, to be published at the end of the year.  I can't wait to see how that comes out! 

If you have never participated in a co-op, here are some things to consider. 

First - pray.  It is a big commitment and responsibility - one that should not be taken lightly - and it is not necessarily right for every family at every stage of their homeschool lives.  Make sure that you and your husband agree that this is the best choice at this time for your family.

Second - space.  This was probably our biggest challenge.  Trying to find a location to hold our classes with room for all of us that was also cost effective was discouraging.  Even the library here now charges for use of their rooms.  We ended up having a mom volunteer her home for the classes and this has worked out great. 

Third - classes.  We brainstormed over several meetings about all the classes that we would like to have offered in a co-op before narrowing down to the ones we chose.  Narrowing them down also meant knowing who was interested in teaching what and some people teaching that didn't really know if they had it in them!    We decided to choose things that we would probably not be likely to offer at home and stayed away from the more traditional "core" subjects, since all of our children are on different levels and we all use different curriculum.  That just seemed to make more sense for us. 

Our experience so far has been great, although we have had to work through a few kinks as we have gone.  We use the time immediately after classes, while our children visit and play, to make plans and touch base with other moms.  What a refresher that is!  We have used that time to be there for each other, to plan park days or field trips, to touch base about upcoming events and to brainstorm ideas for things that we would like to do.  One such event that came from one of those times was the idea to have a "Couple's Night" in February (because of Valentine's Day!).  One of the moms and her husband will be hosting a Chinese Themed night in their home this month for the moms of our group and their hubbies.  I am so looking forward to that time of fellowship!  Not to mention how much I love Chinese food and can't wait to taste all of the goodies everyone prepares. 

So, that is our year so far in a nut shell.  I will do better about updating, now that I have started again, about the things that we do as a group.  We have MANY things coming up, so I will be having a lot to say!  Until then, keep learning!