tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post6695010415407238676..comments2024-01-19T05:29:16.776+00:00Comments on The Tiger Chronicle: Our Co-op ExperienceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-40067080636268480732013-05-21T07:29:38.063+01:002013-05-21T07:29:38.063+01:00Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts...Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts, Jamie! Indeed it sounds like an enrichment type of class is a better fit for most families, since that gives children time to learn something together without feeling the pressure to keep up with a strict pace. It seems increasingly clear to me that for academic endeavers, it is best to do it alone or with a few others.<br />Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-27806122223907509022013-05-21T02:11:50.959+01:002013-05-21T02:11:50.959+01:00Well said. We have done a few homeschool classes h...Well said. We have done a few homeschool classes here and there, but not in a true co-op, as all parents don't participate in teaching, etc. But we've stuck to "light" classes like a fun American Girl (history) class, an interior design class (for my high schooler), LEGO classes, etc. I really have no desire to do any other sort of classes, and thankfully, I figured that out pretty early on, as it sounds like you have!Jamie {See Jamie blog}https://www.blogger.com/profile/18212749055211487304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-69588212008839384862013-05-19T21:29:33.628+01:002013-05-19T21:29:33.628+01:00You're right, Erin. Some co-ops are more form...You're right, Erin. Some co-ops are more formal than others, and very much depends on the families involved.Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-2928489504501344092013-05-19T00:25:36.237+01:002013-05-19T00:25:36.237+01:00That has always been my understanding of a formal ...That has always been my understanding of a formal co-op, more like a parent version of a private school. I'm assuming much of co-oping has to do with the people involved and their vision.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448595911801738792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-67420067536545593492013-05-18T16:57:20.126+01:002013-05-18T16:57:20.126+01:00Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thought...Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Mary! :-) As you've rightly pointed out, certain things are suitable for a season, then we have to move on to other things. This is especially true in finding a good match for our children's changing needs as they grow.<br />Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-46623098021706360792013-05-18T13:00:09.842+01:002013-05-18T13:00:09.842+01:00I really appreciate your thoughts about co-ops. W...I really appreciate your thoughts about co-ops. We were in the same co-op for three years and have just stopped. I found, that as my children grew older (and this co-op was purely enrichment - not academic) our educational goals didn't match with those of the majority of families in the co-op. The older my kids got, the less they had in common with the children there, so it was time to make a change.<br /><br />Sometimes I think things are good for a season, and I appreciate what you say about evaluating and learning from the experience.<br /><br />Great post, with so many good links -- thank you!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11533429092234412589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-44326146220153035582013-05-14T18:53:24.258+01:002013-05-14T18:53:24.258+01:00Yes, Claire. Our own experience with co-op tells ...Yes, Claire. Our own experience with co-op tells us that we are doing fine with the way things are. However, for some families co-op can be very useful. It really depends on individual family's situations and needs. :-)<br />Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-76511918661400279222013-05-14T16:58:09.076+01:002013-05-14T16:58:09.076+01:00It's interesting reading about these sorts of ...It's interesting reading about these sorts of things. We don't go to anything, apart from activities in our village, and none of those have anything to do with home schoolers. Good to know my children aren't missing out on too much!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-21148457600149083962013-05-14T15:50:01.116+01:002013-05-14T15:50:01.116+01:00Lucinda - thanks for dropping by! Yes, I'd lik...Lucinda - thanks for dropping by! Yes, I'd like to see as many options as possible being accessible to homeschooling families, as our needs are so very different. A wide variety of choices can only be a good thing, since that will support as many families as possible. :-) Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-66972799575871386402013-05-14T14:56:29.981+01:002013-05-14T14:56:29.981+01:00Very interesting to read your experiences, Hwee. Y...Very interesting to read your experiences, Hwee. You've raised so many interesting points. I know what you mean about some co-ops seeming like private schools. Which is fine - I'm all for having as many different options as possible available to families, since we all have such different needs. But like you a co-op isn't for us right now. I'd forgotten about the option of online classes, they are also a good way of meeting homeschool needs.Lucindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06165136384071830629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-12360179127501905712013-05-14T13:39:04.218+01:002013-05-14T13:39:04.218+01:00Chareen and Julie - thank you both for stopping by...Chareen and Julie - thank you both for stopping by and for sharing your experiences. It seems to me that a semi-formal, small-group arrangement works better than a large class that resembles too much of a public/private school setting. It's a wonderful experience to meet up and learn with others who share the same approach, but finding such families locally is quite a difficult task to start with. :-)<br />Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-89741255578515773402013-05-14T13:25:22.873+01:002013-05-14T13:25:22.873+01:00This was very well said. I found the first co-op w...This was very well said. I found the first co-op we participated in fun, but too much of a time commitment to be valued over our time at home. Some of the lessons were excellent and my kids still talk of them, but many were over their head or too brief a time period spent on the topic to be of much good.<br /><br />The co-op we currently participate in only involves two other families and it is focused. Each week we have a lesson and do an activity on the same history subject. Each of the families continues to learn about the subject during the week at home. It makes for interesting discussions between the kids as they typically use different resources to learn the same things.jmommymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18038986572848163326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-59652523562470596772013-05-14T13:08:30.437+01:002013-05-14T13:08:30.437+01:00True. The co-ops we've been involved in have ...True. The co-ops we've been involved in have been very informal and therefore enjoyable experiences. One was for art and was weekly and the other was once a month as a home school mom's support meeting. Both were positive. I think if it had required huge chunks of preparation time we would have quite too. Good insight thanks for sharing.Chareenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794637667607696242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-59793414912733642642013-05-14T11:33:43.170+01:002013-05-14T11:33:43.170+01:00I totally agree with you, Sarah Elisabeth. Your e...I totally agree with you, Sarah Elisabeth. Your experience is very similar to mine, in terms of extended preparation time to teach the co-op as opposed to teaching my own child at home, and having to really consider whether the effort to attend a co-op is really worth it. Next week I'll address the social aspect of group interaction (via a post relating to the more informal setting of groups).<br />Hweehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895959128588945675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2847571046883368877.post-68083544513363468292013-05-14T11:23:54.149+01:002013-05-14T11:23:54.149+01:00Co-ops are such a difficult question. We don't...Co-ops are such a difficult question. We don't go to formal US style co-ops but do go to two groups both monthly. I teach science at one and have found that the best way to co-ordinate this is for everyone to read about the same topic and then I teach and do practicals with the children. In terms of time taken, this takes so much more preparation time than teaching my own children although it means that we keep going at a steady speed.<br />The other group has a vague theme for the year. I don't think that my children really benefit from this as it is usually unrelated to their other learning but they have friends in the group and enjoy seeing them. DeliveringGracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08320150355352857841noreply@blogger.com