Today is a busy day in our little world. Homeschool co-op, library, group violin lesson, dentist appointment. Listing all of this reminds me that I need to stop for gas in our van. But . . . anyhow . . . the kids love days like this, especially because it is a "co-op day." Our little co-op has been a great thing in our lives since moving here and beginning homeschooling. It meets right down the street (we could walk if I was inspired to walk through the sort-of-spring-melting-slush). Jack goes to a preschool class, and Corrie goes to art, PE, and science classes. They have a great time hanging out with the other kids and they get to learn all kinds of fascinating things that I would never cover at home. For example, Jack gets to use a lot of glitter, glue, and other mess-making craft stuff that I avoid like the plague. A highlight (or was it a lowlight?) for Corrie recently was learning about the anatomy of a fish in science class, by watching the teacher gut a fish right before her concerned eyes.
I am currently the "room mom" helper in Corrie's PE class. Though here in the frozen north they call it Phy Ed. Weird. They also call duck-duck-goose, "duck-duck-grey duck." Double weird. But the mild mannered Scandinavians will fight you to the death if you tell them that these names are wrong. Just a warning. What was I saying? Oh, yes, I am working in Corrie's Phy Ed class and am having a great time watching her learn the important things of which she is deprived while homeschooling, like how to play kickball and dodge ball.
Meanwhile, when I'm not helping out in some way or another, I get some time to sit and talk with the other moms. This has been a great resource for me, as a non-native to the area, because I hear about all kinds of fun ideas for family outings, lessons, activities, etc.
Now, we'll work on being just as thankful for the dentist.
4 comments:
I am so glad you're in a co-op! I have friends who are in a co-op here and they love it. Maybe someday in the near future we will get to do that, too. I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment, as I avoid messiness in our house (isn't it hard enough just to keep the laundry folded and put away?) and it's pretty hard to have a good game of kickball with 2 kids. :):)
I've been trying to get a co-op type thing going with other homeschoolers at church. I've been teaching music (note: 5-yrs-old is too young for recorder).
PE, or whatever you want to call it, sounds like a great idea. Maybe I'll try to work that in...
you guys cover any other subjects?
Stephanie, thanks for sharing about co-op day!~ I am so glad that it was this week, since you will be with us next week (hooray!), and I would hate for them to miss their fun co-op day!
Sharon -- They just do science, art, and PE. There is a doctor's family involved in the co-op, and they bring him in to teach science. He does a lot of experiments and messy things like gutting fish, so the kids get to see things we don't do at home. They also have an "assembly" time, in which a special speaker might come in. Or, they use that time to emphasize report-type projects so the kids get practice talking in front of groups. One week, there's a poem recital, another could be "show and tell", and other weeks are "expert days", where the kids become an expert on something or someone and give a presentation to kids in their grade level. It's a good, low key way of getting practice on those things.
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