What does your co-op day look like?
I get this question sometimes, so I thought I would share..
Two Moms and I started a small classical/Charlotte-Mason cooperative 3 years ago, really 4 if you factor in the prior planning. We spend hours designing what the schedule of classes will look like, who teaches what, where each child goes, etc. The children wear uniforms. We probably look like a private school in some ways. There is a small fee to join, and the moms or Dads help teach the classes. We meet once a week for the months of September through the following April.
Here’s an example of what our fourth-sixth grade class is learning for the fall semester:
Assembly-prayer/pledge/Bible recitation of Psalm 100
Memory work: the Gettysburg Address, states/capitals, history timeline cards from VP
Visual Latin
History-Story of the World IV, biographies
Science-chemistry (scientific method, atoms, molecules, famous scientists, polymers, mixtures, acids/bases, reactions, chromotography, periodic table, etc)
Art History-Picasso
Music History-Gershwin
Language Arts-“My Side of the Mountain” book with an emphasis on various writing elements, 5-paragraph essay
Our younger age classes look similar minus the Latin, and the history books are “Story of the USA”. They sing geography songs and are memorizing poetry by Stevenson. Literature consists of either “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” or the “Beatrix Potter tales”.
I use the co-op to fill in gaps that I see in our home studies. The kids enjoy spending time with friends, but that’s not my motive for participating. It’s (I hope) academically rigorous. We keep slightly changing the curricula every year to up our own standards and to adjust to the needs of the families attending. Lots of benefits to doing so-downside, it’s a lot of work! 🙂
First day of Excelsior co-op
Today we began fall semester classes at our local homeschool cooperative, Excelsior. We meet weekly and offer a variety of subjects. Many hours go into planning the co-op. I was up until 2 a.m. getting my chemistry class together. Two teachers and I taught on the scientific method and performed the egg-drop experiment. It’s nice to be relearning things as an adult. Doing so makes you really appreciate the acquisition of knowledge and knowledge itself. How do you like my mad scientist look?
Deconstructing penguins
Sitting around the pool. Kids swimming with friends while I attempt to read “Deconstructing Penguins” by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. This book provides ideas and a system of sorts on leading a successful book discussion with children. I’m part of a language arts team at our local HS cooperative in the fall, so I’m looking at various resources out there. Interesting book..
Ivy League Homeschooling 