Does your child(ren) participate in a co-op?

Question

Why or Why Not?

Answer 1

Co-ops aren't a thing where I live, at least, not among the homeschoolers I know (and I know a lot of homeschoolers!). I've never heard of any co-ops where I live other than a few families a few years back who got together once every month to cover the provincial science topics. Nobody's even expressed a desire to get one going. There is a weekly paid program a couple of people put together, but the parents aren't involved, don't rotate who's showing what, etc.

If there *were* co-ops, would I have my children participate? I suppose it would depend on a number of factors: the topics, how much commitment I would need to put into it, my children's interest in it, etc. I honestly couldn't see us being part of a co-op. Why not? I don't know. Just not my thing, I guess, at least, not in terms of what I understand a co-op to be. Besides, we're busy enough as it is!

Answer 2

Presently, no.

We have done them in the past for a period of 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the class, and the interest it generated.

Most home school families are very independent people, and would rather gear their time to their individual family schedules.

We have found that starting a home school 4H group worked much better because of all the wonderful programs they offer, it is year round, and each child can work on their own project while still meeting with friends, and doing one, or two projects as a group during the year.

4H is not just about farming, or animals; it includes photography, aerospace, wood and leather working, cooking and nutrition, sewing, child development, leadership classes, speech and debate, natural and mechanical sciences, and much more.

This is the reason we no longer organize many classes, there is no need for it.

Answer 3

We used to But We no longer do!

I took up So much time and the kids basically learned very little!

Answer 4

My kids have been in co-ops for most of the 15 years we have been homeschooling. In the begining we did a KONOS Unit Study co-op with about 5 other families. The kids got together each Monday and the moms rotated teaching responsibilities every 6 weeks. It was a lot of fun for the kids and the moms enjoyed a day off each week when it wasn't her turn and enjoyed some bright and mannered kids when it was her turn to teach.

As the kids got older, we moved to a new state and the co-ops changed to being subject specific. Because everyone was pretty spread out though, a lot needed to be packed into one day because of travel time and gas. For instance, the chemistry co-op went all morning on every other Monday so that there would be time for a module's worth of labs, lectures, and the test for the last module.

Now we are in an online homeschool co-op. The kids log in to a live, online classroom with a homeschool mom teaching volunteer. The teacher and students are all there at the same time in the virtual classroom with full duplex audio, text chat system, a great whiteboard capable of visual slide presentations and with moveable manipulatives. There is also webcam capacity for the teacher and kids. My kids love it. I cannot hardly get my 13 year old out of there after classes are done. Many of the kids stick around and visit in the classroom after chemistry, the last class of the day. What I like about it is that instead of once a week, the classes can easily run 3 to 5 days a week so not so much is packed in to one day. I also don't have to drive them anywhere. We can even co-op in our PJs. LOL. We have Literary Analysis, Composition, Algebra, and Chemistry for my 8th grader. My 1st grader has Phonics and Math in the co-op. Feel free to visit the co-op, Virtual Homeschool Group, at http://www.virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/

Answer 5

Yes, mine does.  I teach at one and he attends another.

The one I teach at is set up as a tutorial - we hire in teachers and the kids pick and choose their classes.  It's a great setup, the kids and parents are all very on-task, it just doesn't have any classes this year that my 5th grader needs.  I love teaching at it, though.

The one he attends is about 10-12 families (20 kids or so) getting together to provide classes for our kids.  The kids are broken up into K-1st graders and 3rd-6th graders (the few 3rd graders are pretty advanced in their work and keep up well).  My son loves it, he sees his friends every week, and they all push each other academically.  It adds the fellowship and a little bit of the competitive edge that makes kids push themselves - not enough to actually compete with each other, but to make them compete with their own expectations.

At my son's co op, the older kids take the following:

Biblical History (at their request)

IEW (Writing)

Spanish

Science

PE

World Geography

Art

The K-1st grade kids have:

Biblical History (they all participate in a multi-level class)

Spanish

Science

Reading Activities

P.E.

Unit Studies

We do hire in an art teacher, other than that we teach all the classes.  Some of our moms are former or current certified teachers, and my son's Spanish teacher is a native speaker and college Spanish professor.  The science teacher is a degreed scientist.  Each mom teaches according to her interests, so the kids learn from someone who truly loves what she is teaching.  They are so happy each year when co op starts, and even though they're ready to be "done with school" come May, they're sad that they won't have co op during the summer.  Some have even offered to do summer school in order to keep going!

Answer 6

Yes, mine do.  I teach one class at it, another mom teaches a different class.  It is a low key co-op that focuses mostly on Art and Science.  It gives the kids a chance to interact with other children, work as a team to solve problems, and learn how to receive instruction from other adults than their parents.  Its not necessary for them, but it is beneficial.

Answer 7

Mine go shopping at the Coop is that the same thing?

Answer 8

Yes.  We have a weekly, three-hour, HS co-op with 125 students from preschool age to high school.  My DS takes three classes, my DH (an engineer) teaches robotics, and I'm the co-op registrar.

We do it for supplemental fun, PE time, and to give DS other teachers to be accountable to.  Each semester he participates the classes become more academic.  This is mainly because that's what I enroll him in, and also because the co-op classes themselves become moreso as the age of the children progress.

It's been a *wonderful* experience for us all!

These are the classes offered in our co-op:

PreK-2nd:

Music Exploration

PE Fun

Early Elementary Fun

Beginning Art

[roughly] 3rd-5th:

Intermediate Art

Science Fun

Rube Goldberg

Music Exploration

Beginning Chess

Beginning Spanish

Karate

Strategy Games

PE Fitness (Presidential Award)

Cooking

Sewing

Sign Language

Math Club (Math Olympiad, Contig)

Beginning Guitar

6th-8th:

Karate

BEST Robotics

Strategy Games

Intermediate Chess

Intermediate Spanish

Advanced Math (Art of Problem Solving)

Journalism

Photography

Drama

Intermediate Guitar

High School:

Geometry

Journalism

Photography

Karate

BEST Robotics

Drama

Strategy Games

Intermediate Guitar

Many of our teachers are HS moms with teaching degrees or professional experience in the classes they teach.  We do have some professional teachers from a university and a few retired teachers.  Every family has to participate in three clean up and set up times, and one additional hour of volunteer time - being an aide in a class, working the nursery, being a hall monitor (we meet in a former parish school), etc.

There is a $15/semester (12 weeks of class and one culmination/open house party) family building fee, a $20 teaching fee per class, and supplies fees that vary by the class.  Homework in the classes varies.

Answer 9

My and my 2 children, 2nd and 5th grade participate in a co-op. We love it. The kids take classes like cooking, P.E., quilting, art, spanish, creation science, music, maps and more. It gives them a chance to be among other Christian homeschoolers and I do not have to worry about morals or values because I know all the familes(I don't have to be on guard at evey moment), there are about 30 familes and well over 100 kids. It gives me a chance to be with other homeschooling adults and my kids a time to socialize and have instructional time with someone other than boring old me, LOL! I love it. I think it is definitely something you have to decide if its right for your family or not.

Good luck!!

Answer 10

My four siblings and I did, we belonged to several co-ops in the south suburbs of Chicago.

-Pro's-

Actual interaction with other homeschoolers

Classroom like setting

Various programs involved

-Cons-

Organized sports could only be played amongst your co-op

Have a hard time applying for a job when the employer cannot find any reference of your group.