Heather Idoni of HomeschoolingBOYS.com

Nov. 12, 2006 - A Charlotte Mason Co-op!

A few weeks ago I invited readers of my newsletter (The Homeschooler's Notebook) to write in about their local homeschool co-ops. One reader shared about her Charlotte Mason style co-op and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it! I thought you would be as inspired as I was, so here it is for YOUR enjoyment, as well. Grab a cup of tea and listen in!

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A Charlotte Mason Co-op
by Janey Phillips, (a reader in Texas)

"I am part of a co-op this year that was formed to implement the Charlotte Mason style of learning. The moms all wanted to have the co-op provide opportunities for some of the things that seemed to get 'skipped' at home. We have eighteen kids who participate and the age range is from 9 to 16, with the 11 to 13 age being the predominate group. Moms share the teaching responsibilities. We meet one day a week, for 3 hours. Almost all of the participants are also involved in a homeschool string orchestra that is taught by one of our co-op moms; they meet the same day, from 10:00 to about 11:15. After orchestra, some of the co-op moms gather at the meeting location and eat picnic lunches with our families. Lately we've had such pleasant weather, we've eaten outside the building under shade trees. This gives moms a chance to visit before classes begin, and the kids eat, then run off to play together.

Our class time begins at 12. We have an introductory Latin class, using Latina Christiana; four of the eighteen students had already passed this point in Latin, so during the Latin class they work on individual studies brought from home in another room, or a couple of them might play a game of chess.

Then we have a class that rotates weekly between art skills, picture study (art appreciation), and nature study. The mom who teaches the art classes is an art major & a Charlotte Mason adherent, so she is great for the job. A different mom leads nature study, and she varies the style of class each time. Sometimes she brings in nature for them to learn from; one week it was poison ivy plants and look-alikes, which was important before nature walks. One week we did a nature walk for just 10 or 15 minutes outside the building, with everyone picking something to write about in nature journals. The nature mom has also set up a monthly field trip with a local state Forest Service employee. The first one was a pond study, and the kids got to do water sampling, look for insects and other critters that live in the water, and learn about the conditions necessary for various species to live. Other nature field trips in the offing include a visit to the national forest to see the red-cockaded woodpecker habitat, a nature walk for the purpose of tree identification, and a night at the nearby college's observatory to see the stars. We asked for and received a private viewing due to the size of our group, which will give the kids more time at the telescopes than they would otherwise have had.

After art/nature time we have a short 15 minute break with snacks. The kids are encouraged to go outside and run around. Sword play and soccer ball-kicking are popular during this time. We meet on a church campus, so there is a small playground available also.

Our next class of the day is Shakespeare, and this one is age-divided. One mom takes the younger group on an enjoyable and fun read of a slightly abridged version, still in play form. They are having a blast and have had sword fights, recitations, and scene enactments. The older group is reading the original work of the same play, Romeo and Juliet, and has a Shakespeare project to complete for the term. Options for the project were wide-ranging in style and the students have already jumped into work on their projects. One is rewriting the play for a children's illustrated book; one is making a Romeo and Juliet board game; one is writing a song for Romeo and Juliet, and a couple of the boys are working on websites.

Our final class is a science lab. One of our moms is a biology lover, and she is leading the kids through dissection of four animals this semester. They have a class to discuss the creature and its internal workings one week, then actually dissect the next. They are doing an earthworm, grasshopper, frog, etc.

We also have one mom who serves as our events coordinator. She does the calling and setting up of special field trips, collects funds for the tickets, etc. She also coordinates the weekly snack time, which we rotate between moms. Our group will attend a theater performance of Romeo and Juliet this month, and she arranged this for us, making sure we got tickets early enough to get good seating. Again, the size of our group lets us get tickets at half-price and we all voted to spring for the top price range for the event. Later, during the spring semester, we plan to visit an art museum in Houston that will have an exhibit of French painters from the 1800s. These art works are on tour from the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and include Degas, Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Millet, and others that the students will be familiar with. It is an opportunity we don't want them to miss.

One of the best things about our co-op is the richness of the experiences we are being able to provide the students. I love walking into the room where the kids are engaged in drawing or dissection and hearing the hum from them. It says they are really involved in the present activity. When the minds are engaged that way, learning is happening.

Some things just work better in a group setting (drama for one), and a small co-op is the best of the good things about a 'classroom' situation while still retaining the style and benefits of home education. The eight moms involved were not all a closely knit group of friends to begin with, but were brought together for their mutual interest in Charlotte Mason education and the ages of their children. We are working together well, and though it's only about six weeks into our first semester, the general consensus is that we all want to continue. At the end of each semester we are having a 'performance' night, with the kids doing scenes from Shakespeare, showing off their Latin chants and recitation, and displaying nature journals, art work, and Shakespeare projects from the older class. We'll invite dads, grandparents, friends, and have finger foods. The kids are really looking forward to this as well."

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About Me

Heather Idoni of Beloved Books, editor of "The Homeschooler's Notebook" ezine and founder of HomeschoolingBOYS.com, mom to 5 boys (and a new baby due in February '08!), married 20.5 years to the love of her life in the wilds of Michigan.