I've been wanting to join a homeschool co-op for about four years now. The one I really wanted to participate in is about forty five minutes away and for reasons financial I could not commit the fuel to the weekly excursion.
All last year I reviewed other co-ops in our area and found that one meets across the road from our neighborhood. When I had nearly decided on which one to try, I was happily contacted by friends of the first group and discovered that they were opening a chapter in my area and meeting just ten minutes down the road.
I excitedly signed up and helped plan the fall schedule with the other moms and before we knew it, the group numbered close to forty families. Thanks to the incredibly talented and organized leadership of the two moms who broke off from the main group to start this one, we have a wonderful homeschool co-op schedule. Every mom helps somewhere for three of the four hours and then she gets an hour to meet and pray with other moms. All the children get a gym class and then three other extra curricular choices.
We're offering art, music, cooking, ballet, book study (the Hobbit and Little Women), nature, creative writing, Spanish and American Sign Language. I feel like I may have forgotten a class or two. Hmmm.
Anyway, I'm helping with the pre-school class for the first hour and teaching a nature class for kindergarten and first graders second hour. The third hour is my sweetly appointed time to pray with some of the moms and then back to teaching second to fifth graders' creative writing.
Today was the first day of 12 weeks. We'll meet every Wednesday morning from nine to twelve thirty. I'm very excited and not a little nervous! My littles are very excited. Many of their old friends will be there and many new ones yet to be made.
I'm looking forward to making new friendships and strengthening old ones.
Here's to a new adventure!