I am going to my first coop meeting today. There are 3 hs groups in my area -one has 10 families, another 20 and a third has over 70. I figure I'll try them all out and see what they're like and see where we 'fit' best. I'm kinda nervous. My kids have been out of ps for 2 weeks. We live in the country so I would like to provide them with opportunities to make new friends....this sounded good. Are any of you members of more than 1 coop? I hope this is a positive experience for my dd's!
We have only joined one homeschool group because that is the only one we have found in our area that was open to new members. It is okay. The kids like it and they look forward to going. I will keep taking them because they enjoy the other kids but I do wish we could find more. I hope you enjoy the meeting today. Beth
We have a couple here but have not joined any yet. We do get together with a homeschool group at the park every Weds weather permitting. And I also signed up for PE classes through a local rec center. We will probably be joining one of the co-ops in the fall though. I think we may sign our daughter up for an art class there and maybe another. It's pretty reasonable- she can have a full day of classes for 65 a month and they meet every Friday. I'm not sure what we'll do yet.
We belong to one. My dd's don't care for it. We were judge to much because we lived in a RV and was the wrong reglion. But, when I signed up they said any reglion were welcome. After we were there awhile that wasn't true. That's ok we are busy with other things, we don't miss it.
I have been a member of several and I really like smaller ones better. The bigger ones offer more but people tend to stay with the friends they already have so that is hard on the new kids. Smaller ones tend to recognize new people and be more accepting. Good luck, Lorna
We tried a group one time. There were no kids the same age as my kids, so my kids didn't enjoy it. We are not a big hsing city and there is not much available here for us. I wish there were.
My problem is there is nothing in our county really. There are two groups, but we are christian and it is an eclectic group and the leader even said they started their own group because they were really put off by the christian group. The other group doesn't do much. I've posted to the group several times trying to plan things and nobody every replies. Neither are co-ops though. They are just homeschool groups. This area is HUGE for homeschooling. I think it's due to all the military and lack of academic challenge in the public schools here. I have to drive a good half hour to meet with people which is fine. My daughter prefers kids who are older and I like the mix of ages. Our group on Weds have kids from 4 to 16 and they all play together. The older kids usually start games that everyone can play. I just try to find whatever I can for her because she is sooooo social and has been in a classroom type setting since she was 3. She's used to having other children around her on a regular basis so this has been quite the adjustment for her. You could always start your own group too!
We are part of a homeschool group. This is going to be our last year, though. I was going to drop in January but decided to hold off until the end of the school year since my fees are already paid and I already paid for the test as well. We have not been using their services since Ems is already involved in other things. It might be difficult to be part of more then one group because each group requires different things. My group requires attendance records, list of curriculum, an objective form, completion of 180 days, testing, and quarterly report cards to be submitted. I am under option #3. Other groups do not require this. Some groups are just umbrella programs and you can school as you please and do as you please. Some programs charge a monthly fee. I couldn't afford to pay for more then one group. I think a lot will depend on what options you have for your state. Good luck. I hope you find a group that works for you and your family. Even if you don't care for a group, you can always drop. That is a good thing. We enjoyed being part of our group in the beginning but it is time for us to move on. Patty
We aren't a part of a group yet but we will be in the fall. This one is a bit different I think - some classes are coop type classes and some are taught by certified teachers. Out tuition will depend on which classes we sign up for. Dd4 will be taking a preschool coop class and dd10 will be taking spanish (non coop). There are a lot of groups around here that meet for park days and things like that but we haven't joined any. I'm too busy the way it is.
That sounds a lot like here Tiffany. There is one co-op that has PE at the rec center and apart from that they only meet for field trips, parties, mom's night out, ect. The other one is strictly academic with game days. I believe it's 50 a year and then so much a month depending on how many classes you sign up for. I wish I could get something like that started here in our county. The gas adds up having to drive everywhere lol. We make due though. Right now we just go to the park day on Weds. But starting next month she'll have ballet during the week and an art class starting in April
Maybe you can start something that is simple then if things work out you can gradually grow, if this is what you wanted. Our group is under a private school. It started off small since the private school could not fund us in any way. Now we are a very large group and parents all take turns teaching games and crafts at activity day, which is once a week. We do not go but I have heard great things about it. The only part that stinks is that because of the option we are under, other parents can't teach Ems anything academic because I am listed as her only teacher.:roll: It is alright if somebody helps her on the side of school but on a regular basis it is not allowed unless she is enrolled in the private schools classes and taught by a certified teacher. This information also has to be listed on her paper work. Patty
We belong to a co-op and a hs group. The co-op offers classes, ie. writing, drawing, science lab, gym, cooking, sewing, reading. It is $10.00 per family, per quarter. The other has special speaker come in and they also do spelling bee, science or history fair. They meet the 2nd Thurs of the month and then on Friday, of that same week is a field trip. It is $10.00 per family, per year. We meet at churches. We have to sign a statement of faith and it is limited to 30 families. My dgc love it and look forward to going. They have met a lot of friends there.
Things went ok yesterday. Dd's had a good time. There were at least 50 other kids there. A few moms were friendly and went out of their way to welcome me. It's good to know other families in our area who are hsing. We're going to check out the other 2 groups before making a decision on joining. The main question I was asked is 'what curriculum do you use?' I answered a little bit of everything. I'm going to start checking out places to take a field trip soon.....I'll be searching this forum for any information or tips on this. Thanks for your response everyone. You're very helpful.
We are looking into field trips too. It is hard to find places that interest both a third and eighth grader. I have found several teacher in our church who have some good ideas on field trips and some even have phone numbers or websites I can look at first. If you know any teachers or scout leaders, they might have ideas for you. Beth
