The foundational idea of a homeschool co-op is to “cooperate” with one or more families to share any part of the home education process. Co-ops can be as simple as two families meeting regularly to cover one subject or as complex as a large, organized, fee-based program covering a myriad…
Today we wrapped up a semester of Botany with our informal homeschool co-op by taking a scavenger hunt hike with three families who have children close in age to ours. This concept of sharing educational experiences with a few friends is the essential definition of an educational “co-op” — or at least it should be. However, as homeschooling…
Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Top Homeschooling Posts of 2013 Series! This week we’ll be sharing the top homeschooling topics — and most viewed posts — of last year based on the number of reader views and pins at NextGen Homeschool. Pin this page so you can refer back to each…
In our homeschool this year… This year we at Guardian Academy (the little homeschool co-op I’m doing with my sister Elizabeth and her girls) are studying the Middle Ages using Diana Waring Presents: Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries. The plan is to study each unit for four weeks as suggested. At…
Last month I shared five steps to start a homeschool co-op at So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler. This month, I’m sharing how to start a simple book club as a homeschool co-op based on my experience this past school year launching and running a girls book club with a handful…
Last month I shared five reasons to consider starting or joining a homeschool co-op. This month, I’m sharing five steps to start a homeschool co-op based on my experience this past school year launching and managing a girls’ book club with a handful of moms and daughters from our local…
In my life this week… it was non-stop action at the Gotcher household! A week ago today, I was driving down to Colorado Springs for a last-minute trip to see some dear friends from Durango who were in town for their daughters’ dance competition. We turned around and went back…
My theme for this week is… Surprise! In my life this week… My husband had to take a last-minute trip to Dallas for work, leaving Sunday afternoon. I found out about it while he was at the airport coming home last Friday. Surprise! While in Dallas, he also had to…
I recently wrote about how the girls book club co-op I host has chosen to read The Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder this semester. Another change we made was to incorporate a project/craft/cooking day into our rotation of meetings throughout the semester. With a series like The Little House…
Back when my mom began homeschooling, I was the eldest child and a junior in high school with lots of prior experience in public speaking. I was in the drama club in middle school, in the student government in high school, and even a part of the cheerleading squad for…
I have written in the past about how I started my own homeschool co-op last fall — a tween and young readers girls book club — and I feel very blessed that it was not only a successful endeavor, but we had plenty of momentum to continue this semester. We…
This week was an exhausting rollercoaster ride for my family, complete with exhilarating highs, unexpected turns, and stomach-dropping lows. I debated whether I was still motivated to write today, but I think it’s important that we share the highs and lows of homeschooling in the face of all sorts of…