The Details
Co-op Meeting Time & Place
Where: Annie’s house on the east side of Green Bay
When: Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for 2.5 hours Sep-May
Each Month: Three weeks on, one week off, plus winter and spring break
Plus: Parent planning meeting on the third Thursday of the month
Participation
The activities we will be planning work best with several small groups of multi-age kids. We ask that you commit to attending all sessions of co-op unless you or your child are ill or on a family trip.
Each family is expected to have an adult available to facilitate 1-2 sessions each month. During sessions when you are not facilitating, you will drop off and pick up your child from Annie’s house.
We understand that childcare for younger siblings is often a barrier to participation in homeschool groups. If you would be unable to find childcare for your younger kids on the 1-2 days per month when you facilitate the session, please let us know in your application. We are working on a creative solution.
More specifics
What happens at a session?
12:30-12:45 PM Arrival & outside free play
12:45-1:30 Main activity
1:30-1:40 Movement break
1:40-2:15 Secondary activity
2:15-2:30 Reflection
2:30-3:00 Clean up & outside free play
3:00 Departure
Are there any activities outside of regular co-op time?
Two projects per year will require kids to do research and prepare a presentation or display. The first is a Social Studies Fair (like a science fair but for the humanities). The second is an end-of-year Celebration of Growth where kids share an achievement or point of pride through images or words.
What are the main activities?
There will be a wide variety of activities throughout the year: instant team challenges, collaborative art projects, kid-led workshops, book club, holiday parties, and community service projects.
Adults are present to introduce the activity and facilitate major problems (and of course supervise safety) but they are not there to teach, provide solutions, or judge the results of an activity. Each group will share their work with the other groups so we can enjoy learning how someone else solved the same problem, not to determine a “winner.” See the list below of example activities.
Who chooses the activities?
Parents will collaborate on activity ideas and planning during a monthly parent meeting. If kids have suggestions for challenges that’s great, too!
Who is this group for?
Kids ages 6-12 and their adults. We are hoping to add 4-6 children to join for spring 2025, with an attempt to maintain a balance of ages and genders.
Can I bring my younger child?
We understand childcare for younger siblings is a barrier to participation in many homeschool groups. We are working on a creative solution that accounts for the space available and the safety of the younger siblings. If this is a significant barrier to your participation, please let us know in your application.
What does this all cost?
Supply costs for the main activities will be shared amongst all participants. This may be a big bucket of chalk, a set of bowling pins, a bunch of hot glue sticks, blank books, a bolt of fabric, etc. We may also have optional purchases, such as a yearbook or t-shirt.