How A Homeschool Group Works

Check out The Christian Unschool

A good homeschool group is one that is able to change to meet the needs of the group, as these needs will continuously change as well. While some groups will find that it is best to meet once a month during the day to do activities with the children, which are centered around a specific theme, are great. There are also times when parents need to get together to talk about what is going on in their lives so that they can gain support as well. Another thing that many homeschool groups do is take fieldtrips during the day when those children who are not homeschooled are in school.

While most homeschool groups would prefer that all parents participate in the activities, there are some groups that will allow you to pay a small fee each month if you are unable to help with the group. Of course, there may also be a class fee that children in that specific class would need to pay for the materials that they are using. These fees should be nonrefundable but if the child cannot attend the class they should be able to have the materials to use at home. All of this can be easily handled via an email newsletter that you can set up on Yahoo. However, the parents should be required to call you to sign their child up for a class so that you do not overlook anyone accidentally.

Some great ideas for classes include:

1.Chemistry labs

2.A hands-on physics classes

3.Earth science

4.Algebra

5.Creative writing

6.Biology

7.Arts and crafts

8.Cake decorating

9.History

10.Drama

If you are looking for a way in which to encourage the children in your homeschool group to participate, then you may wish to create a point system. Here the children can get points for attending class, cooperating in class, bringing their work to class, being kind to a classmate, etc. Then, at the end of the semester the child can use their points to purchase small items, such as snacks or small toys, in the group's "store."

Some other helpful tips include:

1.Make sure that you have someone who is a good record-keeper take care of calling members who have forgotten to pay their monthly fees, or are not keeping up with what they promised to contribute. Otherwise things are going to fall apart quickly for you.

2.Keep things simple.

3.Start out small with only 2 or 3 classes and a few children. You can grow from there.

4. Make sure that you have regular meetings for planning and evaluating your co-op

5.Write down who is contributing what so there is no question about it

6.Payment should be required at the time of registration so that the teachers have the money to purchase the items that they need before classes even begin.

7.Be sure to keep everyone up to date on a regular basis