Our Co-op

We meet at an outside location in the Harrisburg, NC area.  We host a fall and a spring semester, which both run for 13-14 weeks.  We meet on Mondays, from 11:00-2:30.  We also meet on Thursdays at various parks around the Charlotte area for informal play time and field trips.  

We meet for two semesters each school year.  Our fall semester runs September through December, and our spring semester runs February through May.  We meet on Mondays for formal co-op, and Thursdays for informal co-op and social time. 

Our Monday schedule is as follows:
First Period: 11:00-11:50
Second Period: 12:00-12:50
Lunch Break 12:50-1:40
Social Time/Games: 1:40-2:30

Our class groups are divided by age.  Currently, we have kids grouped in these ages:
4-6
7-8
9-10
11-13
14+

Our classes are taught by our parents.  Before each semester, we collaborate and plan what classes to offer for each group.  We try to keep our classes experience-based and interest led, with lots of exploratory activities.  These kids are not sitting still and listening to lectures.  They are playing games and doing activities and actively learning.   For our high school level students, we are trying to offer high school credit for the classes taught at co-op. This sometimes means our teens need to spend time outside of co-op doing work for classes.Some examples of classes we are doing or have done in the past:
Crazy 8s Math
Environmental Science
Letters from Afar
Health (taught in conjunction with Planned Parenthood educators)
Physics
Art
Natural Science Exploration
Sociology
Mystery Science
Spanish
American Sign Language
Creative Writing
STEM

Our first two class periods are  semester-long classes divided by age as listed above.  Thursday is something we call Third Period Elective, and  it is a class that can be offered once or over a few weeks.  It can be for all ages , a specific age group or specific interest group.  It can be a guest speaker, a presentation, a project or craft to complete, or an activity or game, etc.  Parents (if not teaching a semester long class) are required to offer one third period elective per semester). Some examples of Third Period Electives we have had in the past are:
Yoga
Veteran's Day guest speakers
Creating a Tarot Card
Drag King Story time
BeyBlade tournament
Chess
Checkers
Board Games
Vision Boards
Clay Sculpting
Guided Painting
String Art
Tie Dye

Each family pays $75 per semester.  This covers most supplies for classes and liability insurance for our group.  We are a non-profit 501 (c)3 charity, so this amount can be considered a tax deductible donation if you request a receipt.  

This is not a drop-off co-op.  Parents are expected to volunteer to teach a semester-long class, assist a teacher, or plan third period activities or field trips every semester.  Parents are also encouraged to be involved while at co-op.  If at all possible, please be engaged, helpful, attentive, etc.  We get that things sometimes come up, and maybe you need to take a phone call while we are at co-op, but generally, you cannot leave your kids and sit in the car. 

We are forming an intentional community of families who are searching for active connections with other homeschooling families.  We do not just meet on Mondays.  We often have field trips, park play dates, parent get-togethers, and other activities we encourage participation in.  Our kids often text and chat with each other through the week.  We are building lasting friendships between both parents AND kids.  If you are not interested in deeper, intentional connections, this group might not be for you.  

We are definitely a niche group.  Some things that frequently come up in casual or class discussion (with kids and/or adults) are: LGBTQ+ rights
Yoga
Meditation
Predatory Christianity
Alternative Health Practices
Climate Change
Black Lives Matter
Gentle Parenting
Unschooling
Mental Health and Anxiety
Legalization of marijuana
Free-range parenting
Evolution

Some things are NOT ok in our group.  Some of these are listed below, and will follow a documented disciplinary procedure if occurring at co-op. 
Bullying (physical or verbal)
Excluding people
Racism
Yelling, Humiliating or Physical Punishment as methods of discipline
Theft
Willful destruction of Property
Weapons

If you have read all the FAQs here, and you are interested in joining our group, please be sure you have filled out this form for our wait pool.  You must have at least one child age 5 or older to be eligible to join us.  Please know that we are very full, and also have an active wait pool.  But it does not move linearly.  Before every semester starts, we evaluate how many kids we have in each age group.  Some age groups are almost always full (9-10 and 11-13 are often very full), and some age groups almost always have openings.  We fill the age groups we need to fill, which is why the wait list does not move linearly.  We require any family invited to join to meet our group first, at an event such as a park play day, or other gathering to be sure all questions can be addressed, and our energies align.