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A Homeschooling Co-op Convert

Homeschool Co-op: The 5 BIG Questions You Need to Ask (before you join)

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Homeschool Co-op The 5 BIG Questions You Need to Ask @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

When you find a match for a homeschool co-op that seems like a perfect match, the years fly back quickly and you never want the time spent with other homeschoolers to stop. Believe me, looking back now, our homeschool co-ops are some of our most cherished moments.

However, if you make a decision to join a homeschool co-op with pausing to ask these five questions, you can go from cherished to anguished.

And because there is no on set of rules in how any co-op is suppose to function, confusion can exist.

When Homeschool Co-ops Go from Delight to Drudgery

I encourage homeschoolers to ask these top 5 questions before they commit to a co-op or set one up because they are vital to keeping a homeschool co-op that is, a delight and not drudgery, to attend.

1. What is the purpose of the co-op?

Just because a group of families homeschool, that doesn’t mean they are like-minded when it comes to the reason why you meet together.

And unless you are absolutely clear as to your purpose for a co-op, you may actually bring more stress than satisfaction on your family.

2. What are the types of classes and who teaches? Are they for enrichment, socialization focused, field trip oriented or academic?

I very much honed my vision for our field trip and because my vision was clear,the activities I did to lead it were in line with the purpose. When leaders have knee-jerk reactions and change the direction of an established co-op, it can be disastrous.

You too should be able to articulate with detail as to what you want from it. I knew we were a field trip and socialization co-op and that took front and center.

In other words, for example, we didn’t attract people wanting us to teach their kids Latin. I felt like academic should be taught at home by the parents and our co-op’s focused stayed that way.

Oh sure, we did academics in our co-ops, but the emphasis was on learning with a group.

3. What is the age range and are siblings allowed?

There are many more co-ops doing things for young children like going to the zoo than they are opportunities for middle and high school.

However, they are groups that exist for middle and high school though you may have to drive a bit farther.

Stay flexible and especially if a co-op meets once a week or every other week, the added enrichment to your family can be a great resource.

4.  What is the cost?

This is an even bigger question now then it was when I started because “co-ops” have popped up where they are looking to make money off of homeschoolers.

I am all for entrepreneurship, but co-ops have been about support systems instead of a money making system.

Recently, when I was a speaker at the homeschool workshop in Atlanta, GA, I had 4 families walk out on me before I started my workshop about co-ops. They were there to only learn about how to make money.

I was glad and sad at the same time to see them go.

Glad because I will not bend when it comes to explaining how co-ops can add much enrichment to your homeschool journey,  but I was sad too because many homeschoolers feel that co-ops are mini private schools and outsiders have ascended as if vultures to rack up on our money.

So when asking about the cost, ask specifically questions like where does my money go and who gets paid.

5. Is the group inclusive?

Just because a group is inclusive doesn’t mean you want to attend.

You need to understand what a group means by inclusive. You may want to be part of a group that limits its members to a certain faith, view or not.

You decide, but it’s good to know before you jump in and find the group doesn’t meet your expectations.

Look at these other tips to help you. Homeschool Co-ops Turned Private Schools, Homeschool Co-ops, Support Groups and Regional Groups. How Does It All Fit and Rules for Homeschool Co-ops. Essential or Excessive.

What questions do you ask before you join a homeschool co-op?

Hugs and love ya,

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10 Homeschool Co-op Subjects That Are Better Learned With a Group

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10 Homeschool Co-op Subjects That Are Better Learned With a Group @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Homeschool co-ops may not be a good fit for some homeschoolers. And though I feel co-ops can be an ill fit when they are ran more like private schools than a homeschool meet up, there are 10 homeschool co-ops subjects that are better learned with a group.

Look at these 10 things, which are more fun to learn with other homeschoolers.

One| History Projects.

When we did our history lapbooks in our co-op, the kids couldn’t wait to get together and work on their lapbooks.

Some of the work they did at home, but a lot of it they did together. This helped my boys who were interested in the history topic, may not particularly like putting a lapbook together.

Two| Learning to Dance.

One of our co-ops to learn about Texas we kicked off the school year by hiring a professional square dance caller. Not only did the kids enjoy it, but grandparents and parents could get involved.

It was a fun activity for all ages, from K to gray, and it set the tone for learning about Texas.

Three| Art project.

Art is another activity which is fun by doing it with a group. Whether it was drawing or making a collage, my boys were inspired when they got together with other homeschoolers.

Four| Book Challenge.

A book challenge is one where I wished we would have done. It was on our list to do but we had so many ideas that it was hard to fit it all in.

But presenting the characters of a book, the plot and telling about the author would make for a great group project.

Not only would reluctant readers benefit, but advanced readers would be challenged to find a new genre to get hooked on.

Five| Around the World Geography Project.

Whether you decide to do a dish from around the world geography project or have each family take a country and present facts about it like we did, this was so much more fun when we did it as a group.

Six| Learning a Foreign Language.

When the kids were little I wasn’t sure if a group sitting was the best way to get an introduction to Spanish. I was proved wrong.

Not only was the homeschool teacher exceptional that taught the class, but she made learning come alive as the kids worked together on presenting a simple play as they learned new words and phrases.

Learning a foreign language was not only natural, but exciting to learn in a group setting.

Seven| Host a Critter Show and Tell.

Just like anything in homeschooling, some of the best things I learned were stumbled upon.

For example, we started off one co-op learning about reptiles and amphibians and realized that having a bring your critter to show and tell about it was the perfect ending to the co-op.

Exciting or Exhausting When Meeting with a Homeschool Co-op?

Looking back now and because the kids were young, it would have been the perfect topic for the whole co-op. Make learning relevant by tying it to a child’s pet. Learning about critters is the perfect activity in a group.

Too, the other kids got to experience a variety of pets from different families.

Eight| Writing Classes.

If your child loathes writing, then a class with other students can sometimes be the best way to inspire him. This is especially advantageous for a kid that is in high school and struggles with writing.

A group setting can be the perfect prod a child needs to bring his writing up to par.

Nine| Photography Classes.

When the boys were little we would go to another homeschool mom’s house to learn basic photography. I can’t imagine my boys learning this by sitting in a class.

Showing up at different hours each time we went, the boys learned about lighting tips during the day and evening and techniques for taking pictures. Of course taking pictures of each other was a big hit.

Ten| Learning to Cook.

Many homeschoolers in one of the groups we were in got together frequently to teach their kids how to cook. My boys were real young then.

At the time I remember being impressed because one of the high school boys was the one that was leading the co-op.

He had a natural talent for cooking and many years later, I learned he went on to be a professional chef.

From humble homeschool co-ops, kids can find a life time profession or just be propelled outside of their comfort zone for learning.

What co-op topics do you find learned best in a homeschool co-op setting?

If you are looking on tips for starting a co-op, then check out my series on Homeschool Co-ops.

Hugs and love ya,

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Homeschool Co-ops Turned Private Schools

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Homeschool Co-ops Turned Private School @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Newer homeschool families seem to now outnumber those of us that have homeschooled for 10 years or more. That is a good trend.

What is the Offspring of Two Types of School?

However, there is another shift or trend that has gained momentum and that is hybrid homeschool co-ops, which are popping up and growing in popularity. Have homeschool co-ops turned private schools?

Using the term hybrid homeschool co-op reminds me of the fact that homeschool co-ops (if you can call them that now) are taking what has worked for homeschooling for years and morphing them into mini private schools.

Back 10 or more years ago, the line between a homeschool co-op and a mini private school was clearly defined.

Too, it is important that new homeschool families don’t bring with them their ideas of what they think homeschool co-ops should be.

Embracing homeschooling is about valuing the principles of education that have not just worked for years for homeschoolers, but that breeds creative and independent learners. That sets us apart from a public school robot like mentality.

Look at my article, The Great Homeschool Hoax – Public School At Home, which helps to separate the two very different educational approaches.


Are homeschool co-ops really changing because of the times or because more and more families do not understand the roots of homeschool co-ops? Are homeschool co-ops really not for some families because they have only experienced a hybrid homeschool co-op? I don’t know.

What I do know is that there are foundational pegs that are inextricably linked to homeschool co-ops and the successful co-ops may have a bit more guidelines because they can grow quicker, but co-ops never took the place of home.

There are fundamental facts, which are the live blood of any healthy co-op and they are important to understand as the homeschool movement should always improve without compromising the most sacred and essential elements.

Look at these 5 points that are worth taking note of when measuring your homeschool co-op.

1.Enrichment is Essential.

Homeschool co-ops have always been about enrichment, making friends and otherwise learning subjects that may not be easy to learn at home or that may have gotten monotonous. Enrichment looks different for each family.

For example, families that cover the basics or 3 r’s may look for ways to expand how they learn science, art, geography and history with others.

Other families have children that struggle with writing or math and a homeschool co-op class can shore up the weakness of a child.

2.Multi-level vs. Split level classes.

Another negative feature that has cropped up in the last ten years is only offering split level classes.

Not only do split level classes stress a family with multiple children who may want to attend co-op classes, which may be on different days, but it separates siblings.

Homeschool co-ops are flexible enough that as their core group of kids grow older, leaders adjust to suit the needs of teens like preparing them for adulthood, but it has never been the only criteria.

Are the ways of the one room school house to be abandoned now because homeschool co-ops want to group kids by grade level?

3.Model curriculum (or is that one size fits all).

Isn’t a model curriculum used by a homeschool co-op from year to year with the same age group the very reason most of us left a pubic or private school setting?

Why trade what we left behind for a smaller group setting?

Curriculum is suppose to help each child grow at their unique pace and not in sync with a one size fits all mentality.

4.High Cost.

Homeschool co-ops have been an extension of parenting and a community spirit has existed in homeschool co-ops.

They were not a way to add extra income or substitute for a one family income.

However, a lot of homeschool families are a one income family and keeping costs down, but the fun factor high has always been the standard for price setting.

While it can cost for a place to hold the co-op and materials fee exist, and members should rightly pay to cover those expenses, leaders of the past have tried to keep the classes affordable.

5.Small Group Can Equal More Wow.

The other way to measure a co-op is by how large it is. Homeschool co-ops normally grow fast if they are successful and the members’ needs are being met. Word spreads fast among eager homeschoolers.

However, in the beginning, homeschoolers of the past have also joined homeschool co-ops so that their children have friends. Keeping a homeschool co-op small allows kids to have time to make friends.

Parents wanted like-minded friends as well. So big does not necessarily mean better.

Is a co-op trying to grow “chain stores”, uhmmm I meant co-ops, or have parents united together to use their collective experiences to enrich their children?

What is the Purpose of Homeschooling?

When a homeschool co-op steps over to invade the time spent at home, and every class is taught by somebody else, then why are you homeschooling?

Though a small private school can be a fit for some families, a majority of the teaching is taken out of your hands and placed in the hands of a “professional”. That is very opposite of what is homeschooling

Homeschool co-ops should enhance and improve your homeschool journey, but when a homeschool co-op meets 3 and 4 times a week, time at home learning together is diminished.

And lastly, a homeschool co-op should fill a need you have and each co-op should be weighed against that.

If you want to get a bird’s eye view of the differences in how terms are used in the homeschool world look at Homeschool Co-ops, Support Groups and Regional Groups. How Does It All Fit?

Do you find that your homeschool co-op is taking over your homeschool journey and life or enhancing it?

Hugs and love ya,

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3 Homeschool Co-op History Resources Worth Exploring

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As the homeschool co-op group leaders, we would go to the park each year to begin planning our co-op for next year.

Sharing 3 homeschool co-op history resources worth exploring, I hope to pass on a few tips to ease planning and to help you think outside of the box.

It is easier in the beginning of your homeschool co-op to have ideas and many hands do make the work light. However, life marches on, kids grow up and seasons of change hit all homeschool families. That normally meant that on more than one occasion, we were caught short-handed if some families had to plan graduations, had illnesses, added another baby to their family and well you get the idea.

3 Homeschool Co-op History Resources

Having a few tricks up your sleeve helps your history co-op through a few rough patches, but it can also add a welcomed change when needed.

History Brought To Your Classroom Co-op

contents of Mountain Men traveling trunk: beaver pelt, trading beads and ribbons, playing cards, tobacco twist, powder horn, moccasins, tin cup, bait bottle, leather flask

{Mountain Men Trunk Pic Attribution: National Park Service}

Traveling Trunks.

Traveling trunks have been a life saver on more than one occasion for us.

They are just what they say they are, which are trunks or mini-museums as I call them that come to your group. Chock-full of fun hands-on things like toys, books and magazines and objects from a time period or topic like beads or household items, our kids flipped over them. One trunk had an apron a pioneer girl would wear, a beaver pelt and things that a mountain man would use every day.

They can be the highlight of your history co-op or you can use them like we did, which was as a table display or station for the kids to visit and learn about.

Too, when you want a fun round up of things from a certain time period and not have to spend tons of money buying each item to only have to get rid of it later, they have been worth the cost.

I got our trunks from the National Park Service. They list what comes in each trunk at that website.  Too, some sites have a free .pdf for you to use to teach and the trunks I got had teaching notes.  Look at some of the choices of traveling trunks:

  • Frontier Classroom
  • Gold Miners
  • Heritage of the Southwest
  • Overlanders
  • Plains Indians
  • Steamboats A’ Comin’

These certainly are not all the topics available. A simple google search will also yield some wonderful results from other places for various themed trunks.

My first tip for arranging for a trunk to come to your home is to call the park or institution.  I know, it sounds like a bit of trouble, but a friendly voice that explains who you are and what you do means more than an email that might otherwise leave out some details.  People like to deal with real people that they can hear and have a friendly conversation with and ask questions to know that you will take care of what they will ship.

The most important tip is to reserve them way ahead.  Public and private school teachers reserve these trunks months ahead of time. So NOW is the time to reserve it for next year.  If your co-op meets during the summer you may not have much competition from public schools.

Traveling Trunk Fun{Our kids playing with the toys that came in our Overlanders (Oregon Trail) Trunk.}

Second, be prepared to use your credit card.  It never bothered me because I knew our group would reimburse me and it was an expense our group paid for.

Third, be sure somebody is in charge of it the whole time at the co-op because if something is broke, per the contract, you will probably have to reimburse them.

Finally,  be sure you have arranged shipment back to them.

Even with all that, I would rent a traveling trunk in a heartbeat anytime for my group. Also, there are some resources that we’ve used through the years that have made teaching history to a group so much fun.

We love the products by Home School in the Woods.

Like-Minded Folks From Your local community.

The next resource is pretty nifty and that is local people from your community who are history buffs.  Where do you find them?

I found so many resources through our local chapter of the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution and here in the south we have Daughters of the Confederacy.

Veterans of war and retired history teachers many times are involved in doing reenactments and spend their spare time doing things they love.

Again, a little time on the phone calling a few people and I had more people calling me interested in what I was doing and wanting to offer their help. Sharing a love of history, some of these people have gone to great lengths to have accurate time period dress and to buff up their knowledge about a time period in history or about a person.

George Washington Mother 2 George Washington Mother

When we had our Early American co-op, I finally connected with this lady above, which was “George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington”. A retired public school history teacher, she had spent many years dedicated to learning about Mary Ball Washington. She brought her fishing pole and even baked the favorite cookies of George Washington to bring and share with our kids. Mary Ball Washington was not a person that we had made time to learn about in our history co-op and it was an unexpected treat. Through her story telling and love of this time period, she had brought this time period to life when she talked about “her son”.

Most folks who are educators are priceless and giving of their time.  They share a common interest, which is the love of teaching children. Most have gone out of their way to help me when I explained what I was doing.

Even though “Mary Ball Washington” did not ask for any compensation, we presented her a thank you bag from our group, which had a gift certificate for gas and some nice smelling perfume and body lotion.

In addition, we also offered to feed her lunch. She was very pleased with how well-behaved our children were and not distracted by the little ones underfoot. But we all know, that is nothing new for our kids.

Take the co-op elsewhere.

Most of us visit museums for field trips and science classes, but sometimes we don’t know about all the educational programs they offer educators for history. Also, don’t assume that you have to be a public school or private school to take advantage of the educational programs they offer.

Educational Program in Museum 2 Educational Program in Museum 3

{Part of our class was inside as our kids learned about the chores of pioneer children.  Then, we had another wonderful instructor outside as our children explored the “comforts” (chamber pot) of pioneer life.}

Some museums are very organized as far as instructions for the group and programs and very aware of homeschoolers in their area.  Others, are still trying to understand how we don’t learn by segregating grade levels.

If you do delve into the programs, again, I encourage you to take time to make a phone call.  There is just no substitute for the amount of information you get because most personnel enjoy talking about the programs offere for educators.

Another insider tip, if you have never been to this museum or do not know other homeschoolers who have listened to the program you are looking into, is to try to mix up the activities.  Part of the time the kids can sit down and listen to the program and part of the time they need to move around or go outside.  This works best for a mixed group.

A long-winded educator that is boring and doesn’t know it can be a huge turn off to co-op classes.  And believe me they exist, and I have done my best to avoid them in our co-op classes.

Whether you are a small group and need help with adding some entertainment to your history co-op or you are a larger group and need a change, I hope your group can benefit from an idea or two here.

Look at these other tips:

Hugs and love ya,

 

5 days of a homeschooling co-op convert-day 5: cherished co-ops

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{Warning: Picture Overload Again. This got long because I have many pictures & memories we have created so far that I want to share with you. So I am scattering them throughout this post.}

 

day 5 A Cherished Co-op

Nobody wants to be part of a co-op that does not flourish. It flourishes not because of the work of other people but because each leader and all the members work at creating an atmosphere for learning and lasting memories.

Co-ops can go from cherished to a flop if you don’t have communication, a clear purpose on the existence of the group, a few clear cut ground rules, realistic ways to solve the costs and expenses of the group, and leadership with joy.

I got ask to share some of the ground rules we have. Giving you some of my thinking and experience behind the rules, I hope helps you to make the right rules for your co-op.

 

Don’t overwhelm new members with rules but a few well chosen rules keeps expectations clear.  It should take you longer to read this post than it should a new member to read the list. Be precise and clear so that your group attracts the members that you want in your co-op.

 

About Rule 1.  Our group is private and you have to know somebody before you join. We feel this keeps drama down to a minimum. Normally a friend that is already having fun in the co-op can be your best advocate if things go awry or if the guidelines are not understood by a new member.

You think it’s a given that participation is required, but you’d be surprised. There are a number of people who join a group and like reading the group’s email behind the computer, but shows up rarely because of one excuse or another. If the very purpose of your co-op is to socialize, like ours is, then you want active families. Our co-op is private because we would rather grow with few active participants than many who are not. It didn’t’ take long for word to get out and our group grew fast in a few years.

About Rules 2, 3 & 9.  We didn’t want a group that was drop off and go. The purpose of a our co-op is so that families participate together. We have the rule that a guardian or parent has to be present. We don’t care if families agree between themselves that another mom can bring a child, they have to contact us first to approve this. Things happen like sickness and pregnancy so we try to be kind and make exceptions to our rule where we can.  They are few and far between.

This rule may sound rigid but when you are responsible for what goes on at a co-op, we take it seriously. Children grow into teens with natural feelings for the opposite sex, a child may have unknown allergies or behavioral problems and if anything goes wrong at a co-op, it is wise for a parent to always be there.

Also, we make it clear that extra children couldn’t come that were not approved. Again, this keeps drama in your co-op down to a minimum because some mom decided it was good to bring an extra 5  kids because she felt they needed to come. This doesn’t mean they can’t, just address it whether you want that or not. We feel it is rude to do this when one homeschool mom has worked hard on preparing lessons and crafts and then doesn’t have enough because extra children showed up.  Like I have mentioned before, communication is the vital life blood of a thriving co-op.

We have a real simple rule about participation and that is you have to come at least to 1 event. Of course our members came to many normally after they attended one, but this shows we are serious about participation.

About Rules 4 & 5.  Having one pay period per year works better for us because it makes for less time managing and more time for us to plan and have fun. Keep the collecting money process down to the shortest time possible.

Too, though it may be convenient for members to pay by pay pal, we don’t accept it because pay pal charges a fee. Even a small fee is too much when every penny counts. It may be more hassle to send it snail mail, but you get every penny.  Make it easy on members to pay, but not at the expense of having less money when you probably don’t charge much to begin with.

Dress can be a sensitive subject. Some of our members live in more fashion conscious areas and others do not.  We don’t allow members to impose their views on others.  Too, we didn’t make a laundry list of what is right and wrong because we don’t want to impose our views either.

I happen to love clothes, makeup, especially bright red lipstick and all the accessories, but if another person’s view made them dress differently, that is fine too.

Our leaders are not narrow minded, but try to be open to many styles while still being modest. We only have a few rules like no real short shorts , low cut blouses and no T-shirts for boys or girls that had suggestive language. When something like this came up and we saw something we didn’t agree with, we handled it privately with the member and tried to be kind and loving. It did happen quite a bit because everybody thinks differently, but we always seem to resolve it when we are kind.

About Rules, 6, 7 & 8.  We have to know something about our members before they received an invitation to join. Answering serious questions first before they got on the group kept us from having to dismiss  members after they were on the group. In other words, joining a co-op should be a 2 way interview process. They should be asking what you offer and how you run things and you should be “interviewing” them.

Besides the general questions about the basics of address and kids, we wanted to know how many children they were schooling. Also we wanted to know what their views are on homeschooling. We ask this not to be nosey, but if they have kids that were in trouble in public school and it’s because they have been lax in parenting, we don’t really want that trouble to follow them to our co-op.  Their reply privately to you as group leaders reveals their heart and what kind of member they will be.

One really important question on our questionnaire is “Have you or any of your family members been accused of being a pedophile?”  In our co-op, we don’t care if they have been cleared innocent or not, our group is private and we can make rules like nobody accused, whether presumed innocent or guilty can be part of our group.

Sure they can reply how they want to but two things happen here: 1) The family knows your serious about watching your group 2) You have an answer to the group if the horrible thing ever happens where a pedophile enters your co-op.  Having this questionnaire shows you have tried to do your job well in protecting the group and have background information on everybody in the group.

There are many ways to communicate to members. When a group is new and not many members, it is easier to communicate through phone. The larger the group grows the more you need to stay balanced and not forget your own children’s education. A better way of communication is needed. Sure, it is  easy to text but it can be rude when your group is larger and because you may be in the middle of school too.

Our main method of communicating to members is using a yahoo group. If I talked to all of our members or texted them,  I would not get anything done in my home. Yahoo groups are good for planning and answering and setting up polls to see who is coming.

One feature we have that is a *must* is that emails are set to *individual* emails. We are not going to email important notices and then be read or seen days later. If your group gets too many “chatty” emails, then moderate the group. This has been our time tested method and it is still great today.

We also have geographical limits for our members.  We live in a big city and near Houston so we want to be sure our members can make it to field trips and events.  Again, this lets the group know you are serious about participation and your group is not just for online chatting.

About Rule 10. You think it goes without saying in a homeschool group you don’t allow bullies and cussing but you’d be surprised. Some parents make excuses for their children’s behavior. Again, handling it privately as each occurrence comes up kept drama out of the co-op.  Sometimes we wouldn’t have to dismiss members because after we talked to them about their children’s behavior, they got defensive and they never came back. This happened just a few times. The other parents appreciated being told because they may have been busy talking and visiting. Understanding that children can be children goes a long way too in not judging others so harshly because I recognize that my kids are subject to misbehaving too.

We happen to like toddlers and preschoolers moving around and don’t expect them to sit and be quiet like older children. They are suppose to move. Older children learn that a co-op though should be fun is still school.

Spend time thinking about guidelines and your group will have many lasting memories because each member cherishes it. My sons have made life-long friends. Too, the value of seeing each other year after year gives them a sense of classmates and some as close as family.

All the work myself, Kelley and Cynthia have put into our co-op has been worth every stressing detail though we didn’t think that at the moment.

Meeting with the group is something we ALL look forward to each month and it one of the highlights of our journey.  We have more loved homeschooling friends that I ever could have imagined.

Throughout the years we have made many cherished memories of which I have shared only a few today and we plan on making more.

Are you a homeschooling co-op convert?

 

If you missed the other days, here is your Homeschooling Co-op 101 guide:

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 1:Who needs one anyway?

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 2:What are the basics?

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 3: Coordinating the Co-op

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 4: Co-op Core Leaders Matter

 

Hugs and love ya,

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