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…
Are homeschoolers cheap? Hopefully, we are frugal, not cheapskates! There’s a difference between being a good financial steward and avoiding paying a fair share of costs or expenses. As homeschoolers, I think we should strive to be frugal, but not at the expense of supporting those businesses that make our lives…
Welcome to our October “31 Days” series at NextGen Homeschool: 31 Days of Homeschool How-To Tips! As NextGen Homeschoolers, we remember what it was like to be homeschooled ourselves, and our experiences as students have helped shape many of our best systems and strategies today. In the next 31 days, we’ll be…
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting 20-year homeschooling veteran Lori Lane, founder of Artios Academies and The End in Mind, a Christian homeschooling encouragement blog. As the guest speaker for my local homeschool support group, Lori shared her personal homeschooling journey and its connection to the foundation of…
Today we’re finally celebrating my eldest daughter’s thirteenth birthday with her friends (two weeks late!), and as we prepare to welcome her guests, I’m reminded about how blessed we are to have made such wonderful friendships with other families of “tweens” in our local homeschool support group. This year we…
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…
This week we are participating in Teach Them Diligently’s homeschool blog link-up, “How to Stay Encouraged While Homeschooling.” Finding support and encouragement for your homeschooling journey is vital. No matter how prepared or qualified you are, or how “on board” your spouse and children are, you will find yourself in…
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…
The concept of homeschool “co-ops” is to “cooperate” with one or more families to share any part of the homeschool educational process. They can be as simple as two families meeting together, or large and organized — and even publicly funded. When I was homeschooled in the late 1980s, there…
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…
Last night my local homeschool group dedicated a portion of our monthly meeting to a “resources swap.” Similar to a curriculum/book swap or clothing swap, the idea was for moms to bring one or more favorite resources to share with the rest of the group — from local contacts and…
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…