On another post someone mentioned this and I wanted to find out more about it. Does anyone know any resources for this? thanks.

I am just curious, what do others pay for coop? Is it one straight fee or per class? Ours seems pretty high, but I know it is to cover the rental of the space,which is nice with a great outdoor area too. So, just wondering what others pay. Oh yes, ours is now $125 per child for one session (lasting about 10 weeks). And for some classes there is an additional fee.

Also, I was thinking, do you really have to homeschool through the summer? How far behind do think you are? Maybe you could take at least part of the summer off. Say, a month or so? That might be good for all of you and you could regroup.

I think it was do-able until you added the chicken and goats. But maybe that's just me. I can barely handle what I've got on my plate. And you're going back to school? That's awesome. (Forget the chicken and goats until you've finished school. My 2 cents.)

One of the main things I do is this! Sometimes I watch a movie and then I always listen to a book on tape. And oh yes, spend a little time with dh. Thats about it. How about you guys?

Ashleen, What resources did you use for Whole Language? I am interested in learning more about it. Thanks.

Thanks for the ideas. Would love to hear any more any might add. I did want to say that we had a period over the winter where we did more formal school stuff; mostly history and some WP Animal Worlds. Older ds (almost 8 now) REALLY hated any kind of reading/phonics instruction. It came to the point that whenever I mentioned school,he thought I meant reading lessons and he balked about school in general after awhile. I think they both liked the Animal Worlds and older ds the history. But I slowly backed off and now we are doing practically nothing. It's frustrating and they often don't want to do any reading or "projects" when I suggest it, so we definitely need to get back to a regular schedule. Ds,the older one, is not reading yet. I know this may take more time, as different kids learn at different ages, but I also think it was the different approaches i tried. He liked the games I made up, but I got tired of having to keep creating those or treasure hunts. I just ordered Phonics Museum, so I am hoping he will like that.Okay, I started to ramble here, but I just wanted to give more information.

I was just reading The World of Little House and the Ingalles moved more times than are represented in her stories. It seems to me they moved A LOT. Was this considered normal at that time or were they unusual in this respect?

I'm writing all these down, since I haven't seen most of them. And, ooooh, Braveheart!!

And how did you handle that change with dc? It seems a bit tough when they are not used to doing "schoolwork" to try to get them with the program. I don't want it to be like "You have to do this, or else blah blah blah." I want them to enjoy this and see the fun part first. On the other hand, I did say to ds this morning, "Either we start doing school here or I put you on the school bus in Sept.!" So that's not exactly how I want this to go. ANy suggestions for a smoother transition? :001_smile:

I wouldn't quash it or maybe I'd speak privately to the person running the group first and ask her. It didn't sound like it was interrupting. He raised his hand, was called on. It sounds fine and like he was actually interested in the story. It may be, if he didn't wait until the end of the story, that I would suggest that. Otherwise, let him go for it. (Maybe the other kids need more oomph!)

Woo hoo! I win a prize for something. Go figure it's about underwear! The reason I thought of that is I have been reading Outlander. It's a wonderful time travel book (series actually) if you've never heard of it.

Okay, I'm totally not remembering the terminology here,but maybe it's because a ways back(a few hundred years maybe??) men wore something on their legs and then a thing they tied around their crotch area. Maybe it was the pair of things on their legs? That doesn't quite make sense now that I've written it. Lol.

Wow. A homeschool store. I'm so jealous. I think I'll do a search online to see if there is anything around I didn't know about.

My five year old is just starting to like chapter books too. Magic tree house saved us on the end of a long car trip. It should've been three hours,but we hit a traffic jam towards the end and it became 4 1/2 hours. I can't think of any others just now.

Thank you both. Erika, he doesn't like "all the rules" and he said he got bored of doing the same classes for 10 weeks in a row. So I need to give this some more thought.

Please don't argue with me because my son has been doing that all day! So perhaps I am not entirely lucid either. But what about exposure to positive things? Being around mature people--grandparents, friends, good neighbors, chuch groups. Can't one become more mature and strong by developing their own internal strengths and then being able to better deal with the world? Just my tired thoughts..... Anyone else?

Anyone?? Any help??

"How will the kids learn to deal with all kinds of different people if they are kept isolated at home??" I said to her,"They are not isolated. And I don't think being in a difficult situation with difficult people teaches you to deal with them. Wisdom and maturity do. Nuff said.

I have two questions on this. First of all, we were in a coop last year. Both dc loved it at first. Then, as the year wore on one ds liked it less and less. By the end, he didn't even want to go. Well, now it is time to sign up for the fall. One ds wants to go. The other does not. I am on the fence on this one, both for me personally and for the dc. There are some good things about it (social time, for one). However, it is not necessary either academically or socially, though it does help us to be less isolated in the dead of winter. I really don't want to take one unwillingly,but I think sometimes he just likes to be negative and then gets stuck in the "no". So I am not entirely sure what is up here, though since he didn't like it toward the end, I am assuming he really does not want to go back. Any thoughts?? Would you push it ? Back out? Take one and not the other? Okay, and my second question is on coop classes. I am just interested in hearing what classes some of you have done at your coops. I am looking for some new ideas. Thanks, everyone.

I think it is easy to second guess yourself sometimes with any parenting decisions. We can always think,"What if I did it this way, what would be...." But we can't know what it would all be like. Someone above said to be clear about your reasons for homeschooling. I do think that will help you to stand by that choice. Also, you can flip this around and look at it this way(or tell your mom): Maybe she is so playful with grandpa and happy and enjoying being around people BECAUSE she is homeschooled right now. She gets to be in an environment where she can grow safely and securely. Maybe if she were at school 5 days a week she would be different. Particularly past grade one, where the day becomes long and has less time for play and socializing. Keep in mind, even in kindergarten there is not so much time for socializing. Most of the time is structured. A lot of time is spent in line, being shuffled from one activity to the next, being quiet, sitting in your chair, etc. It sounds like you are doing what is best (but obviously this is coming from another hser :D) Listen to your heart and your daughter's--not your Mom's. And remember, you can always come back here for support. Hang in there.

For vcr and tv, what about tag sales, goodwill, or freecycle? I don't know if any of that is available near you, but it's a good way to go. I can't believe what is available free or cheap. Ds wanted a computer and between goodwill and free stuff we got a monitor,keyboard, mouse, tower, and cables for $15! And it's up and running and in good shape! We use our vcr alot too. Kim

I guess I need to think this over some more,but listening to all of you I am thinking of doing basic skills daily and the other subjects perhaps once a week. What I've been finding is that since I love history and my older ds does too, we do a lot more of that. By the time we're done no one has much patience left for science,art, or any of the other subjects. I know my younger ds would really like more science and it seems to keep getting short changed. Perhaps with more focus on a single day (and pushing history to the back burner for at least a day) we'll be able to do a more satisfying job with it. Thanks again,it really helped reading everyone else's thoughts. Kim

Also check out Yesterday's Classics. They have some nice selections. Kim

I've been mulling over the idea of switching to doing just one subject per day (and adding in other stuff when interest/patience--mine/etc. seem to be there. I'm thinking about maybe one day for science, one for history, one for arts, one for math and reading pretty much every day. Does anyone else do this? What are anyone's thoughts? Thanks.