Community Blog

Join us for our second session!  Details below.

Steps to Participating in the Co-op

• Read this website.
  • FAQ, schedule (in reg. packet), and class descriptions
• Read the handbook.
• Contact us at info@homeschoolcommunitycoop.org:
  • if you have questions.
  • if your child has special circumstances we need to discuss
  • to check on availability of openings.
• Please contact us by mail or phone if you are unable to reach us by email for any reason. See registration packet for co-op address and registrar’s phone number.
• If you would like a tour, please contact us to schedule a time.
  • Tours are available by appointment only. Because we are a co-op, we are engaged in classes and not available to give on the spot tours.
• Consider what your role as a parent might be in the co-op.
  • While not everyone has to lead classes, please consider becoming a small group leader or a co-leader.
• Print and complete the registration packet.
  • Please print at your local library or contact us to request a copy of the forms if you are unable to print at home.
• Mail your registration packet and full payment check by the registration deadline.
  • As a courtesy to our volunteer registrar and schedule coordinator, please honor this deadline.
• Participate in the orientation.

Registration: Jan. 23-Feb. 2 (11 days)
New Family Orientation: Sat., Feb. 6, 2:30-4:30, location TBD (Oak Park)
Session Dates:  Feb. 11- May 20 (See calendar in reg. packet for details.)

Price:  Full members $195, Junior members (mostly babies) $35 

See registration packet for fee chart and payment options.

Note: Many questions can be answered on various pages of our website. The registration packet will be available on our “Current Program” page Jan. 23.  Please contact us if you have any questions.

We’d love to have you join us!

We loved the program KidPix, the old version that no longer works for our computer. So I was intrigued to see this software, Art Rage, starting at only $20.00. Apparently it’s easy to use, though best with a tablet and pen.

Read the review at Wired: http://www.wired.com/geekdad

For a simple web based fun to play art site, check out the games and activities at the National Gallery of Art website: http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/paintbox.htm

When the founders of co-op got together and got serious about starting this not for profit organization, we asked ourselves, “How can parents lead quality, consistent classes?”

After all, it’s one thing to homeschool your own children, quite another to plan an entire semester, and lead a class of 12 or more children!

Some of us had prior teaching experience in some form or another, one teaching in a school, another teaching adults in continuing education — but most parents coming in as volunteers wouldn’t have that.

Lori had the idea of Team Teaching. The idea is that two parents are the Leads of the class and lead as, well, a team. The two leads plan the class together and teach together. If one person is having a hard time with a project, or an explanation, the other team member is there to step in and help out.

Another part of the team work is ongoing debriefing, checking in, how’s it going? How did I do today? Was that clear? Did the class flow well today? Do we have the right number of stations set up?

Initially, I was hesitant about this team teaching thing. Bit of a Lone Ranger type. In our first year of co-op, I didn’t have a co-lead, it just worked out that way, there didn’t happen to be someone available.

This year, I do, and it’s great! No more Lone Ranger for me. My co-leader and I got together to plan our class, Studio Art. She had a wonderful idea that I never would have had — why not have as our organizing theme, the history of art? You know, the entire history of art, starting with the cave paintings?

One semester in to the plan, it’s going great. The class this year is larger than last year, but since we have this teaching team in place, class actually feels easier.

After the Winter Break, we’ll start in on the Middle Ages!

The Learning Treasures website has this handy list of tips:

10 tips to home schooling with toddlers

In this series of reviews, you’re learning about all the books we’re using this year!

Here’s how we’re using this marvelous, engrossing series: everyday, I read aloud about 3 chapters in The History of US. We want to finish the series this school year, so we figured out that’s about what we need to read per day.

Sometimes, I check in at the end of a chapter, should I keep going? And my audience of one usually says, “keep going, this is interesting!”

I’m finding once again, that one of the hidden benefits of homeschooling is the life-long learning that it awakens in the parent.

Again and again as we read, I say, “I didn’t know that!” And I swear I graduated from college, and took history all through school.

Oh! If only it had been this interesting!

I’m lucky enough to own the entire series plus the index and teachers manuals, though I haven’t used the teacher’s manuals yet.

We’re using the History Pockets books (previously reviewed, see below) along with The History of US, plus maps and a geography book.

In addition, we’ll be getting DVDs from Netflix as we go along through the books and the years. For example, we might get The Civil War by Ken Burns when we get to it in the book.

Right now, we’ve got map reading DVDs from the library.

This is another example of a history “spine” that I talked about in a previous post. See, The History of US is our history spine, but I’ll be adding other books as we go along, those books are great, but they’re supplemental, the spine book is the main thing, the organizing force.

It’s a great series, the author makes it interesting, a story, and doesn’t talk down or hold back. The back of the book says it’s for ages 9-100 or something like that. My friend who passed it down to me said it’s junior high level. My ’student’ is 5th grade and the level is perfect for us.

In the introduction the author writes that the book can be used at many levels, and that not everyone is expected to read every sidebar.

If you’re going to study American history in depth, I don’t think you could find a more comprehensive and interesting resource/spine/book than these.

I think a friend gave me this book. Thank you to her, because that’s vastly improved our homeschooling lives. No more complaining during spelling time. Our old spelling list was a list of random words.

The AVKO spelling book has lists of words that are related to each other and build on each other. So the first word on the list is a short word, and the later words on the list (some of them) contain the same ending. Themes within lists go on for days.

Here’s another cool thing: the instructions are that you correct the student right away when they make an error. How cool! They’re not going to write in incorrectly for weeks, only to find out on a quiz that they had it wrong.

It’s also nice and simple. There are word lists, do one a day. That’s it!

I really, really love this spelling book and highly recommend it to all homeschoolers, and also to kids in school who maybe need a different way to learn spelling.

One of the great things about homeschooling is that sometimes you’re learning, but you don’t feel like you’re learning.

And why shouldn’t learning be fun?

This is one of those areas where the parents have to overcoming their own schooling experience, and math seems to be the hardest to de-school yourself in.

Homeschool mom and speaker Kathy Wentz says that math doesn’t have to be a negative experience, she says that if you had a bad experience, why do you want to pass that bad experience on to your kids?

Here are some resources to help you make learning math less serious and more fun.

The board game Smath:

There’s a great new program that just started this month and goes for one year — you can check out passes for lots of cool museums, including a zoo, children’s museums, Graue Mill, the arboretum, Oriental Institute and much more.

See the whole list and check if your library is participating here:
http://www.museumadventure.org

Many of the libraries where co-op families live are participating!

Members of the Schola Choir on Tour

Looking for an affordable way to incorporate music into your family’s life? Not everyone wants to play an instrument. Schola Choir is a high quality, affordable choir that’s also a music program.

The program administrator tells it better than I do, she writes:

The choir is a wonderful community, and the children make music with a lot of joy, while also receiving significant musical education. Rehearsals are lively and challenging — substantive but never staid. The choir sings in a variety of venues for community events and church services. In the spring, the more experienced choristers go on a 3-day tour, which is always tons of fun. The repertoire includes mostly sacred classical music, but also some music from a variety of world traditions. The children sing in many languages, and they learn theory and sight-singing. Church membership is not required and not pushed.

I am the administrator, and the conductor is Dr. Dennis Northway. Dennis (or Den-Den, as the kids call him) has an extensive background in conducting choirs for all ages, in addition to being a noted organist, composer, singer, and teacher. He loves the kids, and they love him. No audition is required, just a love of singing. The atmosphere is warm and accepting of all children.

We are committed to keeping the choir affordable for all families. If your child wants to sing, we will find a way! We depend on the church’s sponsorship, donations from Schola families who are able, and volunteer work by choir parents. We do charge a moderate administrative fee, and tour expenses are additional, but tuition is free, and scholarships are always available.

The choir rehearses on Wednesday afternoons during the school year at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake Street, Oak Park. Younger and less experienced choristers rehearse from 3:30 to 5:00, and older or more experienced choristers rehearse from 4:00 to 5:30. (For the hour of overlap, they are all rehearsing together.)

I hope very much that you and your children will consider giving it a try. We would love to have you join us!

Questions? Contact the administrator, Randi: randi (symbol) woodworths.net

There are many things that I love about homeschooling — the flexibility, being able to customize an education, the strengthened sibling relationships — but I think the greatest gift of all is TIME.

Time to live in an unhurried way. Time to be a family together. Time to volunteer together. Time for my children to take on increased, real responsibility, unhampered by loads and loads of homework. (Were you ever excused from chores because of school work as a kid? I know I was.)

My dear friends whose kids are in school tell me about the homework infringing on family time, about time spent volunteering at school, fighting the school… It all takes time: using school or choosing to homeschool. But how are you spending your time?

For me, the right choice is not to fight with the school, but to spend time with my children, time as a family, and set up experiences for them to learn, and keep their excitement about learning alive.

What about you? What’s the greatest gift of time for your family?

The views expressed in this post belong to the blogger, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Community Co-op. This blogger respects the right to choose school, and doesn’t mean to give anyone a hard time for choosing school.