What is a homeschool mom to do when she’d like her kids to learn something that is an area of weakness for her? Or if she simply wants some accountability? Form a co-op! A co-op is simply a group of homeschooling families who get together and share the load for teaching their children. Many people think of a co-op as being a huge undertaking with a large group of families, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
What do just two or three families with some common goals have to offer one another?
- Accountability. We all have those things that we’d love to teach our kids, but that always seem to fall by the wayside in the busyness of life and school — art, music, nature study, foreign languages. The accountability of exploring these subjects with another family can make a small co-op a valuable addition to your schedule.
- Knowledge. There is always something that a homeschool mom (or dad) would like to teach her children, but about which she has little knowledge. Co-ops offer a wonderful opportunity to pool the knowledge base of two or three parents.
- Talent. Maybe you’d love to teach your children art, but can’t even draw a stick figure. Is there another area in which you are talented? Network with a mom talented in art who would like help in your area of expertise.
- A group setting. Co-ops can offer homeschooled kids opportunities in public speaking, taking direction from an authority figure other than a parent, taking turns listening and speaking and other skills that may not be as easy to practice in a home setting.
- Resources. Want to study chemistry, but can’t afford a lab set? A co-op allows families the option of pooling their resources, physical and financial, for items or opportunities that might not be feasible for a single family.
Small group co-ops may have to offer than you’d imagine. What have you been able to accomplish by co-oping with another family or two?
photo by carf
You can find Kris writing about her experiences with her own small group co-op at her blog, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
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It’s funny you mention this, Kris! We are about to be involved in a co-op (of about 21 families though). But, I was at a friend’s house yesterday (who homeschools and has five kids — with one on the way), and she said it would be so nice if we lived closer to her. She said it would be so great if we could just have an informal co-op that was tiny. What funny timing!
I started an informal co-op with five families. I only knew one of the families. Between us there were 12 kids. Two families ended up dropping out and so I’ve put it on hold for now until I decide what to do.
We’ve had very successful math games co-ops over the summer and I am starting a small nature study co-op.
For my preschooler we have a co-op that meets for a playdate at the park and each mother takes time also planning a learning center activity or craft. Small co-ops are wonderful and I was glad to see you write an article on just that.
Great post, Kris. You are so right that we often think homeschool co-ops have to be some big, organized affair. Many co-ops are quite small and informal. I think that small co-ops serve families with young children better than some of the large co-ops.
I wrote about three different types of co-ops, small, medium and large, in my book Homeschool Co-ops: How to Start Them, Run Them and Not Burn Out. A lot of the information in the book applies to all co-ops such as dealing with conflict, avoiding burn out, money management and defining a mission. Almost all co-op leaders deal with these issues at one time or another.
Thanks for encouraging homeschool moms that small co-ops can be extremely beneficial to their families.
Carol Topp
http://www.HomeschoolCo-ops.com