***Today's topic is "How do you homeschool?". There will be many topics to read about today since this topic is so broad. Simply scroll to the bottom of this post to find links to the blogs of other participants or to post your own blog post URL.
Tomorrow's topic will be Getting out there... Please feel free to join in!
Co-ops
From the time we began homeschooling, we have been involved in some sort of co-op. Co-ops are a perfect way to teach difficult subjects, let your kids learn from other adults, and they provide a nice time of fellowship on a regular basis.
Our first co-op was The Happy Hearts Preschool Co-op when my oldest was four. We painted matching t-shirts for all of the kids, taught ABC's and 123's, and we took field trips to the grocery store and fire station. (Hold on a minute while I sniffle because I just realized how very sweet that time was!) This was a perfect way to begin those days of homeschooling when I lacked confidence and spent too much time questioning our decision.
Over the years we have co-op'ed simply by meeting with a few other families to teach a particular subject such as history. Meeting once a week and sharing the teaching load allows for a fun learning experience and the kids enjoy being taught by someone new. With kids older than 4th grade, you can let them do at least some of the research and sharing of information, and projects are a great way for kids to share what they have learned. You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want to be with the kid's assignments. Some co-ops make homemade costumes and recreate historical scenes, while some rely on poster board reports and short essays by the kids. Either way is valuable.
Right now we are involved in a large, highly structured co-op. Thirty-five families meet twice a month and the kids can choose from approximately twenty classes each semester. Being able to work with people is crucial in a setting like this since there are so many ideas and opinions being shared, and with all things that involve parents and children, the "opinionating" can get a little heated! ;)
If you are interested in starting a co-op of some sort, just start talking to other homeschoolers. It won't be long before you find one or two (or maybe ten!) families that are interested too!
***This morning the auto-links didn't work so I posted these links below:
Sara, Rhonda, Tammy, Rebecca, Heather, Elaine, Mama Squirrel, Paulanne, Sheri, Trish, Tiany, Heather, Tricia, Becky, Amy, Amy, Barb, Cricket, Lori, Flo, Heidi, DebD, Lesley,Christy,...
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