I have had quite a few emails lately with questions about the management side of running the Preschool ABC class and the American Girl Club. Below I have combined the questions and will do my best to answer them.
Are either of the classes drop off classes?
No way! Honestly, I have no desire to teach anyone's children but my own. However, I LOVE getting together with other homeschool families and learning together! Coordinating classes like this through the years has allowed my family to build some wonderful friendships, for both the kids and ME! This alone is worth the effort of putting the classes together. But, I have other reasons too. As much as I love homeschooling I also know that my kids can learn a lot by being in a classroom setting occasionally. By offering the classes myself I don't have to send them off to someone else for them to get the classroom experience.
Another benefit of offering "mom and me" type classes is it gives me a way to give back to the homeschool community. I have been blessed with the gift off "craftiness" and I have learned through the years that not everyone has the same gift. So for me it is easy to set up crafts and lead parents and kids on how do assemble them. There have been so many homeschool mom's through the years who have offered classes for my kids on things that I couldn't teach, so I feel blessed to be able to offer classes that I can teach.
How do you cover the cost?
I charge a class fee. However, I keep it very reasonable and it only covers my expenses. For example right now I am charging $1.00 a week for the Preschool class and $2.00 per week for the American Girl Club. Now bad, huh? Am I breaking even? It depends on how you look at it. The preschool class for example, I have been teaching it for years and collecting material for it for years. So I consider all the felt board stories and other things I have pulled together over the years as part of my kids education. We use them at home a lot too. Does the dollar a week cover the craft? Pretty much. I try to keep the crafts to $1.00 per week. Although there are weeks I go over and weeks I am under. I think it balances out.
For the American Girl Club I have struggled to do it for $2.00 a week. We are doing crafts that use higher quality materials and it hasn't always been easy to find what I need for the projects for $2.00 per week. I may boost it up a bit when we do the next set of books.
How do you handle the food for the group?
I have a sign up sheet and the mom's bring the food. I give a list of suggested snacks and the recipes for the snacks for the American Girl Club.
Do you pay for a place to meet?
Nope. We find a free place. Sometimes this means we meet in peoples homes. Sometimes we have met at churches. Right now we are meeting at the public library for the preschool class because they happen to offer a room for free if you have a library card.
Do you delegate activities to be guided by other mom's?
Not much. I tend to like to do the organinzing myself because then I know it's done. As far as during the class I may occasionally ask a mom to lead an activity, like when we built the gingerbread houses at American Girl Club. But, for the most part when I am teaching a class the mom's are working with their own children and I am working with mine. I am just also giving driections and answering questions as we go along. I usually take a sample of what we are making along too. That is very helpful.
How is it working doing a lapbook as a group?
Well, the American Girl Club is the first time I have tried to incorporate a lapbook. We tried to work on it together the first night and the girls were too wound up. It was decided that everyone would do the booklets at home. Then we thought we would assemble the lapbook together the last night. Honestly, I don't know if anyone is doing it. LOL
How do you handle the organization of the project?
I try to work a few weeks at a time. They ABC class is pretty easy for me because I have done it so many times. Plus as I am out and about I keep an eye open for things that fit the upcoming letters. The American Girl Class I have been trying to shop 3 weeks at a time. I made a list of all the crafts we will do for the whole 12 weeks before we started and I assigned dates we would do them. So I am just working through the list. There have been weeks that I have made a run to the craft store on American Girl Club day! LOL
How do you keep it all organized?
I have 3 crates I use for the 2 classes I am currently teaching. One is filled with all the supplies that go with both classes. Scissors, glue, glue sticks, tape, color pencils, markers, newspaper, baby wipes, etc. Then I have one crate that is dedicated for each class. In those I have a notebook with all the details for the class including the sign up sheet for snack, and an envelope for everyone to make their weekly payment. Then in these crates I put all the supplies for the class for the week. So basically the crate with all the supplies can stay in my van all the time. (Except since it's gotten cold my glue keeps getting solid! LOL) Then I just pack everything I need each week for the other 2 classes in the correct crates and pop that one in the van on the way out the door to class each week.
How do you find time to "do it all?"
I don't! I do a lot, but I never get it all done. My housework takes the brunt of the toll. I could use a housekeeper! LOL I don't cook a lot of fancy meals and honestly I have zero ME time. But, I am okay with that. My kids will grow up all too fast and I can have a neat and tidy house then. When that day comes I will have more than enough time for ME. And I still won't cook a bunch of fancy meals! LOL But, I know for sure I will miss these busy crazy days and most of all I will be very glad I invested this season of my life in my kiddos. They are already growing up much too fast!
I hope that answers all the questions. All I can say is if you are considering teaching a class like this for your kids I say "go for it!" It is completely worth the time and effort.
We have homeschooled our children from the start and we love every minute of it! This is my place to share my thoughts on homeschooling, my kids and living for the Lord. All the while being a little outside the box!!
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