Community Blog

A fun running around game at the Halloween party at co-op!

Making bugs!

The Homeschooling Option: How to Decide When It’s Right for Your Family
by Lisa Rivero

Are you at the point of making a decision? This book by veteran homeschooler Lisa Rivero will help you.

Some of the little ones in Tot Art having a great time with fingerpaints. Just after I snapped this picture, the little boy in the center said, “It’s PURPLE!” in an amazed way. He had just mixed the colors together and made that discovery!

The Science bus came to visit co-op and both science classes got to have their science class that day on the bus, which was pretty excited.

The county extension office provided all materials, and the instructor. Our regular science teaching team requested a class from the extension office that fit exactly in with what they’re studying.

Here’s a picture from inside the bus:

The manual typewriters proved so popular in our co-op Writer’s Workshop class, that we now have three available for the kids!

So this article and video on typwriter repair caught my eye: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com.

We’ve just had co-op set up day and things are coming together! We have an amazing selection of toys, games, art supplies, and shelves and such to put on them. Each room is set up and ready to go.

Here’s a look at just one room, the nursery room.

Play store, or play in the kitchen. Baby dolls are in the back there.

Build with blocks.

Go down the slide or play with cars and trucks.

As we gear up to opening day, and start thinking about packing lunches, I wanted to put out a quick reminder to everyone that we are a peanut free co-op. This is in the handbook also.

FAAN, the Food Allergy and Anaphalaxis Network has a great program for kids, the Be a P.A.L. Program.

Read about it here.

www.ulrichsfossilgallery.com

A guest post today from Leslie Contos:

Just put together a few resources together for geology for kids, and
thought I’d post here as well, in case someone else has an interest.

Have you taken him to the Field Museum to look at their collection of
gemstones and other geology related exhibits?
www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits

We’ve used the Field Museum’s Harris Loans, fossil field trips, and
National Geographic Lectures with good success.
www.fieldmuseum.org/CalendarSystem

My son still loves Dave’s Down to Earth Rock Shop in Evanston. Make
sure to check out the basement too!
www.davesdowntoearthrockshop.com

The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Elmhurst has some cool
stuff: www.lizzadromuseum.org/exhibits

Other Illinois Geology Museums
www.amfed.org

My son always loved the NASA education site links: here.

And interactive java applets are also high on the list of fun:
www.educypedia.be/education

If your child is a hands on kid, he or she will probably like to focus on labs:
www.sciencecourseware.org

Illinois Geological Survey
www.isgs.uiuc.edu

Geology Field trip sources:
http://geology.about.com/od/geology_il/Illinois_Geology.htm

I really loved participating in an archeological dig when I was in
high school and now the same place offers them for families with kids:
www.caa-archeology.org

Homeschool Buyers co-op has deals on Cyber Ed Earth & Space science.
Might be other geology type stuff as well:
www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org

Maybe your child would enjoy a geology club?
www.amfed.org

My daughter went to school for two years, K and 1, before we began to homeschool. She misses a couple of things — picture day and a school supply list for school supply shopping!

Now the co-op is taking care of one thing for her — she gets a school supply list!

If you’re on our yahoo list, you’ll get a the list on the there. Some of the items are for your child personally, and some are to share with everyone, like crayons and markers.

On the list you’ll also find some things you probably already have, such as shoes for gym and a waterbottle.