shawthorne44 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 So, experienced hive, what is your favorite co-op class that includes 5-year-olds. The class should include DD, there the age requirement. Something that enough parents sign their kid up for that it makes, and something the kids like and is good for them in some way. eta: This is co-op is in a church, and not only did I have to sign a Statement of Faith, they required a religious reference. Although they probably didn't check mine since it was "Ask about me from anyone in the Sunday School administration." Not that I think I will effect the answers, but just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 My kids have enjoyed stories and art type classes. As I'm not a crafty mamma so outsourcing art projects this way has been fun for my girls. They read a book and do an art project associated with it. You could even base it on FIAR if you wanted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 One of my favorites that my oldest dd did at that age was The Little House on the Prairie. We had six classes, so the teacher would read the odd number chapters in class and do a project related to what they read. We had to read the even chapter at home inbetween classes. I know they made butter and maybe bread or biscuits for one of the chapters. For the Chrstimas chapter, they made gifts described in the story. I don't remember the other projects. Another class that I remember is reading a book and doing an art project using the same technique that the illustrator used. For example, with The Snowy Day they used tissue paper and water colors. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I led a FIAR co-op for a few years and it was very successful, and enjoyed by all. We did not set an age limit but geared it towards ages 4-8 like the guide says. We divided up the books among moms and took turns teaching. I have since left that co-op but others took over the FIAR class and it is still going strong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hands on anything: science labs, art, math, geography...anything the parent is more reluctant to do at home with a single child but is a lot of fun with a group. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I led a FIAR co-op for a few years and it was very successful, and enjoyed by all. We did not set an age limit but geared it towards ages 4-8 like the guide says. We divided up the books among moms and took turns teaching. I have since left that co-op but others took over the FIAR class and it is still going strong. I taught FIAR to K-2nd graders at our co-op a couple of years ago. We did one story (with related activities) per week. It was a hit! This year I am teaching a Reading/Art Class that is similar to FIAR. I choose a theme and related books and activities. Depending on how easy it is to go in-depth with each topic, the themes last from a couple to several weeks. If you're interested, I can attach a list of topics I'm teaching this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I'm doing a literature class for first and second graders, and it could easily have included 5's if our co-op's schedule had been set up that way. The first half of the year I am focusing on fairy tales (fractured fairy tales in particular), and teaching really basic literary terminology through those fairy tales (words like character, setting, conflict, point of view...in a very basic way). We're acting things out, drawing pictures, playing games, etc. The second half of the year I'll focus on genres and talk about tall tales, myths, legends, fables, etc. We only meet 2x per month (and only once each in Nov/Dec), so I don't have that many weeks overall to fill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Math Games -- I teach a class for K-2nd graders, although it's mostly 5 and 6 year olds. I do a lot of skip counting, pattern recognition, and basic math facts games. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 American Girl Club. The books could be a read aloud if the child wasn't an independent reader. Each included discussion of the first book for each American Girl (read at home before the co-op), a related craft activity, game and snack. Of course we could read as many of the books in each series as we liked, but only the first was discussed. They were the original American Girls from Kaya (precolonialism) through Molly (WW2.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 In my experience, the easiest things to do with Kers are things that look like library story time. Read a book, do some songs or finger plays, do a craft related to that, done. FIAR works well for that. A friend and I did a 4-5yo co-op class with that basic outline using Dr Suess books. Another friend is doing one this year on "animal habitats" but it's the same idea. For "forest" week, she does a song about forest animals, reads a couple of picture books about forest animals, then does a craft. Straightforward and fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I taught a math circle for 5-7 year olds last year that was a lot of fun. We played a LOT of games - purchased games, printed games from the Internet, games from the Family Math book, games from RightStart, and things from Moebiusnoodles. No outside work assigned, but I did let kids check out games and math books from me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 You guys have so helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 If I had known about this book when mine were little we would've used it. Maybe it would be of use to you or someone else wanting to do a hands on activity related to beautifully illustrated children's books. http://www.amazon.com/Storybook-Art-Hands--Children-Illustrators/dp/093560703X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 (I'm ordering it anyway in case something in it appeals to my crafty 10 yer old. She still enjoys a good picture book sometimes, so it's a last ditch effort.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtolgd Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 The little kids in our co-op this year are enjoying a community heroes class, in which they learn about a job one week and have a guest speaker from that occupation the next week. So far this year they have had a visit from the mounted police, and a nurse. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Art. That's pretty much the only class my kids have ever done. We don't do co-ops, but a couple friends and I found an art teacher last year and facilitated an art class - one for K-4 and one for 5-12. The younger class was AMAZING. The older class focused a lot on drawing so some of the kids - if drawing wasn't something they were super interested in - didn't care for it (Link was one of those). I think an older version of the younger class would have been great. I wish our art teacher had wanted to continue or that we had known of another one. I can't think of anything else *we* would do. But for us to do an outside-of-home class, it needs to be something that either is better served teaching in a group or that we can't do at home. Basic subjects in a co-op setting are useless to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Hands on, active classes: Hands on science, art, PE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thought that I'd update with the final decision. There had been some suggestions that I would have loved to do but couldn't. I'd really been looking forward to the Math games class for DD this fall that someone else taught. The teacher worked really really hard at it. But, it was totally different than what I would have done. I think doing another completely different one might step on some toes. Couldn't really do art because both mommy and daddy are ridiculously bad at art. In fact, DD is taking an outside class this morning at an art studio because we never even taught her how to draw a stick figure or a cat face. I noticed a trend that many of the suggestions involved reading a story and doing a related art/craft project. Or instead of a story doing a chapter from a book. This has been rolling around in the back of my brain. Then last week, DH said that he thinks DD is ready to listen to us read the first Rush Revere book. So I ordered it. Then I was looking around on the website and they have an Education section where they post activities you can download. Coloring pages, mazes, and quizzes on each chapter. Seems to be geared to homeschoolers. So, this Spring there will be a Rush Revere class using the pilgrims book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Sorry to have to post this. You sound excited about the book, but it's not a good choice-especially for a class. Here is my actual review from Amazon.com copied and pasted. (No idea why it formatted this way.) I only reviewed it from the writing angle. There are other reviews detailing the poor historical/theological quality as in the way Limbaugh labels the Pilgrims as Puritans. Rush Dumbs Down America, January 6, 2015 This review is from: Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans (Hardcover) I really wanted to like this book. I'm theperfect demographic for it. No one is more interested in an engaginghistorical fiction book than I am. As a Classical Educationhomeschooler I've read aloud or assigned to my children dozens ofAmerican historical fiction and non-fiction historical narrativesalongside the original historical documents and other first sourcematerials (auto-biographies, journals, letters, and such) written by thefounders and other great writers of Western Civilization as it relatesto American History. (And World History.) I've done it since 2000 andam intimately familiar with the genre. This book is a mix offantasy (the time travel element) and historical fiction. I have noproblem with those things separately or combined. But if you're going todo it, do it well. Rush doesn't. Mary Pope Osbourne does it reallywell. She's much better at it than Limbaugh is because she gets morehistorical content in each of her books per page than Rush. Hishistorical content is thin and shallow. Hers is denser. A child walksaway with far more after reading one of her books than one would readingRush's. Not only is the amount of history to fantasy far littleto make this book worth buying and reading, the fantasy and modern eracontent are poor quality. There's a surprising amount of pointless,tedious descriptions about what people look like, what they're doing(like playing with their hair) describing the deck of a ship, how thewaves are moving in the sea, etc. It's disproportionate. While a fewof those details can add interest, when overdone they're an unnecessarydistraction from the important ideas a book about the pilgrims shouldbe. The endless chatter of the middle school kids at the modern eraparts are not worthy of a reader's time either. There is far too muchof both. Who is the audience for this book? At first I guessed itwas late elementary to middle school aged kids based on the age rangeof the main characters. But the language (sentence structure andvocabulary) are for neurotypical early elementary aged students. Then Ithought maybe it was meant to be read aloud by parents to discuss withtheir children. Those fall into two categories:homeschoolers/afterschoolers who do this all the time and parents whodon't homeschool/afterschool but share Rush's views. This book can't befor the former because we don't respond well to thin content andremedial language in read alouds or assigned reading. We're familiarwith the genre and have scores of other books of much higher quality tochoose from. So, I can only assume this book is being purchasedby and liked by people who share Rush's views and whose children aregetting an institutional school education (public or private) full oftextbooks rather than first source materials and living books (highestquality, engaging and insightful writings by the best minds on the topicfull of depth and breadth.) I suspect most of them aren't aware of thefar superior resources out there for American history. Rush is rightabout competition in educational options having the potential toincrease quality. The sad thing is, his book proves to be the poorquality option compared to many others in the same genre. Rushshould stick to writing about conservative Republican views and leavethe historical fiction and historical narratives about the Pilgrims topeople like Susan Wise Bauer, Margret B. Pumphrey, Mary Pope Osbourne,Clyde Robert Bulla, Kate Waters, Cheryl Harness, Ann McGovern, Virgil M.Hillyer, Charles Coffin and editors of great series like Arthur M.Schlesinger and publications based on the Plymouth Plantation livinghistory museum. Then readers can move on to edited original sourceslike Homes in The Wilderness edited by Margaret Wise Brown. After thatthey'll have a foundation they can build on with complete first sourcematerials. Now to figure out what to say to my dad when he asks me, "How did you like the Rush Revere book I gave you?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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