On Joining a Homeschool Co-op

The kids and I have joined a homeschool co-op. It was sort of this year's compromise to the homeschool/public school debate. We participate in the co-op one day a week. We attend a worship service together, then the kids go on to four different classes of their choosing. Both kids are taking Mission-Minded Geography. Bub is also taking a Classical Composers class, a class on the human body, and Astronomy. Gracie is taking Spanish and two creative writing classes.

I initially was quite hesitant about participating in a homeschool co-op. Schooling is enough of a time-consumer for us, but we also do lots of things outside the home. With field trips, playgroups, sporting events, Lunch Bunch, church functions, and the business of daily life, we feel like we're always on the go. Adding another thing to do every single week seemed like a stretch for me. But, this was something that really needed to happen for Gracie, and in the end, the experience was far, far better than expected.

My day was spent in the nursery rocking and nursing Brystol (in the peace! and in the quiet!) with brief breaks on the hour for hall monitor duty. Several times while in the hall, I saw Bub and Gracie and they were either beaming from ear to ear or going on about how fun their classes were. I was happy when we made the decision to go this route vs. returning to the public school classroom, and I was even happier at the end of the first day.

I think we're going to have a very fun year!


The Obligatory "First Day" Poses