PagesandFields Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I'm considering trying to start an informal group in my area... There's really very little and most people go far away for HS groups... I went to a Homeschool storytime at a town an hour away and it was so lovely and fun and informal... now I really want to start something similar nearby. Is this a horrible idea? I mostly just want a fun group once a week, and maybe if people hit it off a group to do some field trips with.... I'm willing to plan a story and craft or something every week... because I really want to grow more local HS connections... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Ours is just called "homeschool group." ;) We meet once a month for a couple of hrs. It's really just for socializing. The kids play, (or "hang out" given our disproprtionate number of teens!) and we moms chat. We have group today, as a matter of fact. One of the highlights of my month. Start by gathering up any other HSers you already know, then start a FB page so others can find you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PagesandFields Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Oh, that sounds lovely! Did you start it? I'm curious how hard it is to get a group going... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 That sounds like a great idea! Maybe you could find just one other family to commit to your dates and then publicize it. If no one else shows, you still have a play day with friends. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I'm considering trying to start an informal group in my area... There's really very little and most people go far away for HS groups... I went to a Homeschool storytime at a town an hour away and it was so lovely and fun and informal... now I really want to start something similar nearby. Is this a horrible idea? I mostly just want a fun group once a week, and maybe if people hit it off a group to do some field trips with.... I'm willing to plan a story and craft or something every week... because I really want to grow more local HS connections... So, what you want is a support group. It is what we called ourselves before co-ops became so popular. :-) We began in 1983 in San Diego with park days. Of course, it's San Diego, where you can meet at the park year-round because the weather is so lovely. :-) It was just once a month; we developed friendships within the group, and some of us would get together informally with each other during the month. Once a month was perfect, because it didn't suck time away from our own efforts at home. If someone wanted to plan a field trip, she did. If not, park day was enough. I moved to San Jose, California, in 1987. The support group I found that met near me was doing weekly park days, plus a monthly Moms' Night Out. Eventually, we moved to a monthly park day; not everyone could make it weekly, and there were some members who really were regular but not on the same park days as some others who were also regular. A monthly park day gave everyone that one day a month when they could commit and we could have more interaction with the whole group. We had a field trip-planning committee, the committee being whoever showed up at the planning meetings twice a year. :-) We planned two field trips a month, always on the second and fourth Fridays (park day was the first Friday), and no one planned more than two field trips. If only two people showed up, that would be only four field trips for the next six months. That never happened. :-) Moms' Night Out was at different homes each month; the hostess decided on the agenda, which was never announced ahead of time. We had a craft night, a devotional, a what-was-your-biggest-challenge-last-month night, and so on. Our organization allowed for people to get involved who wanted to (or were able to, because of the ages of their children or personality types or whatever) without pressuring anyone; and our minimal activities (monthly park day instead of weekly, field trips always on second and fourth Fridays) kept support group activities from taking time away from the time families were able to spend at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonia Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I did this with a few friends. We got together once a week and did history (Story of the World) and occasionally some art or science. It was fun and nice to add a bit of socializing to our week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 When you are just starting out, I'd recommend you write down some ideas or a "vision" of what you are looking for the group to be/become. Make sure all who participate understand your goals & vision up front. Here are some questions & challenges we ran into when we began our homeschool group 6 years ago (we started with 4 families, meeting in homes, and have grown to 27 families, a formally incorporated non-profit corporation, meeting in a church, beginning the process of becoming 501©(3) tax exempt...): Where will meetings be held? If at a home, are you willing to host every week/month/biweekly, or do you expect others to offer their homes as well? Do parents drop off their children, or do you expect parents to stay and help? What do parents do with younger siblings (babies, toddlers) of participating children if you need them to help? If you meet outside (like at a park), what is your "rainy day" plan? If you do crafts or activities that require supplies, who pays for supplies? Who coordinates collecting money to fund those supplies? Who keeps the leftovers? If you plan field trips or outings together, who will coordinate and collect money for admission to the places you visit? Who will plan field trips/outings/events? One person, or anyone can jump in and help? Is there a limit to the number of children you can have at your activities? Are there specific age ranges you are looking for? Can families who participate invite others, or do you prefer to limit it to a close-knit group? How do you plan to communicate? Email, facebook, twitter, word of mouth? Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dramorellis Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Have you tried Meetup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Oh, that sounds lovely! Did you start it? I'm curious how hard it is to get a group going...Not I, but a friend of mine. It was really easy. She and another friend just started getting together. Then we just kept adding friends/people who found us on Facebook. We're up to 15 kids on any given meetup. Its really nothing more than an organized playdate and Mom support group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Mt friend started a "homeschool Playgroup". We simply started a Facebook group and added who we knew, they added who they knew, ect and so on. We meet once a week at a park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I think it is a great idea for the ages of kids that you have. I started a play group when my oldest was 5yo. We just meet at the park every week. It works very well at that age, because there are people who are thinking about homeschooling whose children are not old enough yet to homeschool and who are looking to connect with others. Some things to consider. Do you really want to restrict it to homeschoolers? Most parents of children your kids' ages have not decided yet. Some of the people in our group started out wanting to homeschool but then changed their minds. And others who weren't planning on homeschooling ended up homeschooling. IME, most people with preschoolers do not want to commit to a weekly event. There are about a dozen families in our little group, and we usually have only a couple of families show up. The turn-out improves when we plan a structured activity or field trip. But I think that is because we don't do them all the time, so they are viewed as more special. I created a Yahoo Group so that I can set up automatic reminders, and the group can easily communicate with each other. I also tried a FB page, but not everyone was willing to be on FB, so that didn't work out so well. You really need to be prepared to do all of the work. There are a couple of moms in our group who like to plan an occasional event, but I decided to just make it a play group, because I knew I couldn't handle being responsible for more than that all on my own. If you are willing to do all the work, you might want to figure out a way to give yourself a break now and then. Take off for the holidays, have seasons where you only meet every other week, etc. Homeschoolers are notoriously fickle about activities. I have seen my friends go elsewhere to co-ops or other structured activities and worried that I wasn't doing enough, and my laid-back play group would fall apart. But what happened instead was that those families couldn't keep up the pace that those activities required, and they have all gotten off that bandwagon and come back to the play group. Know that you may see some transience in your group, but don't let that discourage you. What homeschooling kids need is time for free play with friends, and what homeschooling moms need is time to connect with other moms. If you give them that, they will generally come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Flower Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I successfully started a small group in my area. I was more interested in informal playdates and field trips. Our first meeting was at our local library and we met another homeschool family there. We started with two families and grew to six by the end of the year. We meet once a week for playdates and try to do 1-2 field trips a month. Our kids are young (8 and under) so we keep the field trips simple. Grocery store tour, planetarium, recycle center, etc. We also do parties for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines Day. We really like having a small group and have all become great friends. I've had to do all the leg work, but it has been worth it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PagesandFields Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Thank you all! I have run into so many people in my area who know people that homeschool... but I literally don't have a single other family to get together with yet. I know of a few small groups but they're specifically for their church. There are 3-4 big cities within an hour or more and I think people all travel to groups or activities. So far we've had a great schedule, lots of friend time... but all that's been based around my son's age of kids. They're all going to school next year and for the first time he's shown a real need for social activities and friends. I know there are local HSers... but I can't find them! It kinda makes me feel like a dork! :) So I'm hoping basically for a play/support group... Maybe once a week is too much. I've thought about trying at the library (they have a big community room) because it's a very popular library and is a very welcoming space. Plus if nobody ever showed up we could just do our own thing and read/play... I already drive really far away at least 1-2 times a week and I want to build some local HS connections. I had seriously considered (I had a thread on here a while back) doing the new CC program just to find out who these families are that I can't find! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PagesandFields Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Rereading my own response maybe I should just put a "desperately seeking fellow homeschoolers" ad in the paper! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 So far we've had a great schedule, lots of friend time... but all that's been based around my son's age of kids. They're all going to school next year and for the first time he's shown a real need for social activities and friends. I know there are local HSers... but I can't find them! It kinda makes me feel like a dork! :) It can be very hard to find them. I signed my kids up for activities hoping to find other similarly-situated moms, but no one ever stuck around long enough for me to get to know them. I met the majority of my homeschooling friends by signing my K-age children up for reading time at the library during the day. Pretty much only homeschoolers can attend those. I also know people who have met other homeschooling moms by attending MOPS. I took me a full year to meet enough people to form a group. I just kept a notepad in my purse and got their e-mail addresses as I met them. Then when summer came, I invited everyone to the park. Now that I know most of the homeschooling families in my area, I have learned that there is a certain portion of them that doesn't want to belong to any group. They are either very introverted, or they have a lot of children and just don't have the time for it. In retrospect, I am glad that I didn't restrict the group to homeschoolers, because I have made some friends who send their kids to school and still join us sometimes. And if I had restricted the group to homeschoolers, I would have excluded people who eventually did become homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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