Help me, I moved 1000 miles away!

[bethben]

So, I recently moved from a small town with around 30-40 homeschool families to a city/metro area with I don't even know how many hundreds of homeschool families.  I don't know how to find them.  Here's my brief background - I am used to doing homeschool without any supplementary classes.  If there is a PE class or art class, you jump on it because that's really all there is.  The most thing that is ever organized is "cottage schools" - basically a few friends getting together to do a speech/science/writing class.  Cost - free to cheap.  I had a  monthly support group that I loved going to.  Mostly 20 people or so came each month and we had a lot of fun discussions.  

 

We now live in a metro area with co-op classes organized to the max!  Mostly all I want is PE and art classes for my kids and a way for them to get to know other homeschool kids.  I figured for just two classes for 3 of my kids each semester will run us around $1000.  Not to mention that if they don't get into the limited classes I really want them to take, they will wind up with classes like knitting or crafts you can make with household materials...which I will not sign up for.  So, we again don't have the opportunity to know other homeschoolers.  Also, the only group I can find has mom meetings during the class periods - so basically, no classes, no mom support group.

 

So, what do I do?  I'm trying - even to the point of seeing kids out during the day on the sidewalk behind our home and visually following them home to see where they live.  Homeschoolers!  Either that or they had some communicable disease and were home from school for the day.  I've even considered joining Classical Conversations again just for fellowship to meet other homeschool moms and kids and there are definitely some aspects of CC I don't like.  Any suggestions on how to get this introverted mom into some fellowship for me and some friends for my kids?

 

 

 

 

[Catwoman]

Maybe if you post your general location, someone here will be able to give you some specific ideas and advice.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Our YMCA has homeschool PE classes offered.  

[bethben]

Colorado Springs

 

[fraidycat]

Check meetup.com. That is where I found my group. There were also several other options - too many, actually. If I went to all socializing and field trip opportunities, we'd be out and about 7days/week.

[Tess in the Burbs]

YMCA has PE(in VA it was free, but in WA it costs money and ages out at 12).  

 

I am with you...I would love to find the other people not doing the large co-ops.  I admit we go through times we are busy, but I would love to have a monthly get together for my tweens to have a group to bond with.  We do a lot, but friends aren't coming out of these activities.  And I don't want to spend $$ just to be somewhere with people you know?  

 

Yahoo groups, google groups, meetup.  Ask on a local email list about groups?  

 

 

[JudoMom]

PMed you.

[Chris in VA]

We used to be part of a very informal group that hiked the same trail once a month in a local park (it had a lovely boardwalk that wound thru a wetlands, and it changed every month--so beautiful!).

 

Maybe there's a park group that meets up. Usually they are free. That might lead to other things.

 

Or check and see if there's a group meeting at the library. Even if you don't want to join, many hsing fams that join those sorts of groups hang at the library either just before or just after (2 birds, 1 stone, y'know?). So you could maybe chat with someone who could give you insight as to what's around.