Sunday, October 7, 2012

Co-op is Integral to our Homeschooling Experience

Our homeschool co-op is a huge part of our lives. I am on the leadership team and was one of the founders of the co-op seven years ago (or is it eight?). The kids adore being part of the group and the community that co-op provides for us is such a blessing.

How is our co-op structured? Each child chooses 4 classes from the several choices for each age group. We break for lunch partway through the day. This provides some downtime for the kids to interact (and the moms too!). We meet every other Friday 14 times between September and April and finish up with a program at the end of the year to show what we've been learning all year. You can check out our website at www.sofhomeschool.com.

We had our third co-op session of the year on Friday and I realized I haven't shared here about the kids' classes. Note: the teacher's name is in parentheses and after that is the age range of the class.

David (age 17, senior) is taking the following classes:

Build It Break It Shoot It - a "backyard ballistics" type class
Computer Careers  - discussing various career options
American Literature
Play! Improv Theatre

Emily (age 15, sophomore) is taking the following classes:
Shutter Bugs Photography  - digital photography
Hang Loose  - a relationship-building class
American Literature  14-18
Cooking Techniques  12-18

James (age 12, 7th grade) is taking the following classes:
Backyard Ballistics - building cool things that shoot or blow up!
Hang Loose - relationship building and fun!
Duct Tape - making things out of duct tape
Sports - running around and getting sweaty (good thing it's last hour!)

Suzy (age 10, 5th grade) is taking the following classes:
PE - Gym class
Shutter Bugs Photography - digital photography
Upcycling 101 - making crafts out of stuff people might throw away
It's Not Magic It's Science

Usually I teach at co-op, but this year I am taking a break from teaching. I am still the assistant coordinator so there's plenty to do!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a fantastic program, so proud of you!

Jamie said...

We LOVE co-op! Thanks for all you do!