OT: Co-ops

[rni'smommy]

Ladies, I know this is off topic but I really need some advice. I am homeschooling my 5yr old and my 3yr old (mostly just listening in). About a month and a half ago I was talking to another mom and found out that she was doing a co-op with another mom. I thought it sounded like fun and my kids really need a social outlet since we don’t currently have a church or family nearby. We have been going for about 3 weeks and while my kids enjoy the recess time the school activities are not what we are used to and are not really a good fit for my sons learning style. One of the main things is that the schedule includes watching a video (something we do plenty of at home), and several worksheets. I love that my shy son is opening up and talking to more people outside our family (even adults which he almost never did before), but at the same time I am not sure whether it is the best investment of 6 hours a week (9 every other week).

[HappyMama]

Wow, 6 hours a week is a lot! I would not be able handle that, lol. Anyway, your kids are so young and any kind of co-op they do should be fun and they should enjoy going. If they don't like it, there's no reason to keep going, especially with such a big time committment. The questions I would be asking myself if I were in your shoes are does the good outweigh the bad? Are there more benefits than negatives? I would weigh the pros and cons and go from there. Sorry I'm not much help. My kids are also young and we don't have a lot of experience with co-ops yet.

[rni'smommy]

Thats what makes it so hard. I ask the kids and they say yes they want to go even though I can see they are bored during alot of it. I guess for them the playtime makes it worth going.

[crlacey]

I would think that 6 hours a week at that age would be a lot. With that much time invested, I would hope the kids are having fun or enjoying the work. If not, than I'd say it seems like a big waste of time. Could you get social interaction at a library or Barnes and Noble story time instead?

[rni'smommy]

The thing with storytime at the library is that the kids usually just go listen to the story, do the craft, and go home they really don't get a chance to play together. 6 hours is a lot to me it is two days a week for 3 hours I would really rather just have something maybe one morning a week or possibly even everyother week but I just don't know since the kids say they like going.

[psreit]

I have been involved in co-ops for more than 10 years. In the fall, I started my dd, age 6 in a co-op. These are some of the classes they had for the young children: Music, Lapbooking, Cooking, and I guess you could call it Phys. Ed. The music was a fun time to learn rhythm and using instruments ( One day, the kids made their own instruments, such as a shaker, which was a plastic egg with rice in it). The lapbook class was on nursery rhymes, but you can pick any topic. The cooking was just simple recipes to teach the children about measuring and letting them stir things together. The Phys. Ed. was exercise, playing ball, etc. outside, and on a rainy day they used a children's fitness video to follow inside. Those are just some ideas to make better use of your time if the others would be willing. 6 hours is a long time. We have a big homeschool group and our co-ops don't go more than 3 hours. In the past, some have taught classes on animals, done science experiments, or some other topic. If you really want to keep involved, try suggesting some hands-on activities. You can probably get a lot of ideas from HOD that would be fun to do as a group. I don't think I would go if it was just watching a movie and doing some worksheets Like you said, they get enough TV watching at home. That's what I am trying to get away from with dd. Hope it works out.

[jenntracy]

We were in a co-op this past fall for 8 weeks. it did get a little long at times for my kids. they were 5 , 4 and 21 months (in the nursery). it was about 4 hours. They actually loved giving their little reports, but we had such a large group that it got too long many times while waiting for everyone to go. Next co-op we do, I prefer to be only a few families. They loved the snack/break, science and crafts/art.(i did the science part). Afterwards, we went to park and ate and played.We did not have videos or lots of worksheets at our co-op. Much of it was hands-on.

Personally, if i see my kids are bored at something or not really getting anything out of it , i feel it is a waste of our time. It wold be more fun, I think to just meet with a playgroup at the park once in awhile. I do want my kids to make lasting friendships as well as myself in the homeschooling community. We enjoy getting together with others. Provides us with more opportunities and learning experiences.

Jenn D.

[shaffer96]

Next Fall we will start our first year of homeschooling. My kids are young too and we are looking at going to a co-op also. This one just meets twice a month though, which I think iwill be just enough for us! 6 hours a week does sound like a lot! Do you know of any other co-ops or homeschooling playgroups in your area that you could try out? We have a homeschool meetup group here where I live that is just playdates. Maybe you have something like that in your area too.

[christyg]

Hi! Wow, 6 hours a week is a lot! I have some friends who are in a co-op every Thursday from about 9-5. They love it. But, that is just not our family's thing. I feel like HOD has all of our academic bases covered, but I do want the kiddos to have some friends. We moved to Texas a year and a half ago and all of our family, kids' cousins, and friends live about 12 hours away. So, that was definitely a concern of mine. We decided to join a local homeschool group. So far, we LOVE it! My kiddos have made a lot of friends and it is just enough. We do a park day the first and third Tuesday each month, and we do Sports Day (where the kiddos get to try out different activities like tennis, gymnastics, golf, bowling, skating, basketball, field days, etc.) on the second and fourth Tuesday each month. And, it only last 2 hours. We also do field trips and parties. One of the best things about our group is that you only attend the events that you want to. If there aren't any groups in your area, you might think about starting one on your own. Other than that, they do see other kids at church. So, I feel like we have a good balance of school time and social time. If we were still living in Alabama we would probably not have been in a group since my kiddos have so many cousins and friends at church to play with. But, we just do what we have to do to make it work.

Hope this helps!
Christy

[holyhart]

Our co-op is 5 hours long on Mondays ( with an hour lunch in the middle) and 3 hours long on Wednesdays, Next year it will be changing to only Mondays and be 6 hours. However, you are not required or expected to be their all day unless you specifically sign up for that many classes (each class is 55 min.). Last year was our first year and we stayed for 2 hours the first symester and just 1 hour the second symester as one of my dd's classes wasn't offered second symester. She was only 5yrs old and my others were 3yrs and infant (the baby was 3 weeks when classes started) and that was plenty long enough of a day for all of them! And me too!

Do you have to stay for the whole day? Perhaps if you stayed for a couple hours that would be plenty to get your littles out and about, have fun and not overwhelm them or you?

[rni'smommy]

We do have a homeschool group here but they really don't have younger kids and the main activity this year was a co op ancient history class that was for 1st grade up. I feel the same way about HOD though. I feel like we already do enough school with our LHTH/ LHFHG mix and that my dc really don't need more school just some play time with other kids. This is the only time when I wish we lived in a bigger city where we would have more than one homeschool group to choose from.

[my3sons]

I wonder if you could lead a playgroup only time at the beginning or end of it? You could offer it for just the younger dc, about your dc's ages, for just an hour or so. Then, you could go home after that. With your little ones, I think the time you'd mentioned is quite long. Otherwise, could you drop the co-op and just invite a few little ones over, maybe once a week for a few hours? We play with the cousins every Friday afternoon for a few hours. Lately with sick dc though, we've missed a few Fridays. The kids look forward to it, and we take turns doing it. So, one Friday I have the dc over to my house, and the next Friday my sister/brother-in-law have them at their house. When my kids are going to their house, I drop them off, and they bring them back to my home when they want to. When their kids are coming to my house, they drop off their kids, and I bring them back to their house when I want to. It works well. Could you possibly find just one family you trust that has dc about your kiddos' ages to do this with? Co-ops just don't work for us, but I know other families love them. I hope something here can help!

In Christ,
Julie

[ncmomof5]

We do a similar thing to what Julie has mentioned. Although we have no family here, we have a homeschooling family in our neighborhood who has 2 children who are the same age as my oldest two. Every Monday afternoon they play together for a few hours - one week at our house, the next week at their house. It has really been a blessing as there is only one other family at our church who has children, and we are not a part of a co op or homeschool group.

We also do 4-H once a month, and the lady in charge of that plans some neat activities/field trips. We have been to Krispy Kreme, the local newspaper, the local airport (and then the kids did reports the next month on airplanes, hot air balloons, anything that flies , and had master gardners come and teach the kids how to decorate garden stones.

I am thinking of trying to organize a PE class at our neighborhood community area for next year. I have found that sometimes when you can't find what you're looking for where you're at, you have to make it happen yourself. I hope you can find what works for you all.

In His love,
RuthAnn