Homeschool Families and Homeschooling Co-ops
Homeschooling has become more social over the years. What do I mean by that? Well, many homeschool families have found that they either aren’t comfortable teaching all subjects, or they just like to supplement their teaching with outside activities. This is where you might find the homeschool co-op to be an addition to your homeschool curriculum.
Many co-ops have been formed by groups of families, local homeschool support groups, or even commercial enterprises. The great thing about these homeschool co-ops is the opportunity for your your children to learn something that they might not learn at home. Homeschool co-ops sometimes offer specialized classes such as music, art, etc. or they may offer basic classes such as math or science.
You may not feel up to the task of teaching high school biology or algebra and you may be able to find these offered in a co-op near you. You also might just want to let your kids spend some time with other homeschool children. This is another one of the benefits of the homeschool co-op. It is also a great way to get together with other homeschool parents and just find out how they go about their homeschooling day. You might even be able to find a homeschool co-op that offers sports for your children. The opportunities at a co-op are really endless.
So, what if you have decided for whatever reason that you might be looking into a co-op? Where do you start? The first place to start is by contacting your local homeschool support group. They may know of a homeschool co-op in your area or they may even run one themselves. Find your local groups in our state resources area. Click on your state and look for a support group in your area. You might also check with other homeschool families to see if they know of a co-op in your area. Sometimes churches support homeschool co-ops. Lastly, you might just want to organize one yourself.
Contact other local homeschool families and see if there would be an interest in starting a homeschool co-op. You would be amazed at what each family may have to offer in the way of subjects they can teach in a co-op setting. This could be the opportunity for your child to get vocal lessons or learn to sew. The subject material is endless and your children will have a more rounded education at the same time.
In any event, don’t count out the homeschool co-op as an opportunity for your children to learn something that may not be available to them or just to get to know other homeschoolers.