Who doesn’t love a break from the day and a chance to head out to play? Whether you are a swing person, up for a game of kickball, looking to run the court with the basketball, or just taking a stroll, chances are you can conjure up memories of things you used to do out in the fresh air on the playground. And just like the days when you would head out to play, your children also need space to move their bodies and a handful of friends to get the games going-that’s where Homeschool Recess comes into play!

Homeschool Recess Leavenworth County is a community of families who gather in person to create a space for free play for homeschool families. Homeschool Recess began serving the Leavenworth County Kansas area in August of 2020 and was the first organized homeschool free play group that was open to the full homeschool community. Since its start it has provided a space for connection for homeschool families in the cities of Leavenworth, Lansing, Basehor, Tonganoxie, and Bonner Springs.

Highlighting the amenities of local parks and trails, Recess is hosted every Friday, free of charge and free of commitment. Locations move throughout the county, making it easy to join in and foster connections to neighbors and the physical spaces we are living and learning in. Recess hosts are present to greet families and make people feel welcome, ensuring you will always meet someone at the park.
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Are you ready to join in on the fun? We have easy options to suit your needs! You can join in on the conversation and find a full list of events on Facebook at Homeschool Recess Leavenworth County or you can participate off of social media by heading over to our Recess page and signing up for the email list. We can’t wait to see you at the park!

Homeschooling can feel scary when you're just starting out! 
Below is a list of resources that will help you get your footing if you are a Kansas homeschooler!
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• Online registration for your Homeschool (or NAPS:Non-Accredited Private School) https://apps.ksde.org/naps_form/default.aspx
  
• Homeschool Law Compliances https://hslda.org/post/how-to-comply-with-kansas-homeschool-law
  
• Basic At a Glance Fact Sheet  https://www.ksde.org/portals/0/ecsets/factsheets/factsheet-homeschool.pdf
  
• Kansas Department of Education website page for NAPS https://www.ksde.org/agency/division-of-learning-services/special-education-and-title-services/title-services/non-accredited-private-schools
  
• Curricular Standards by grade level in Kansas (not mandated for NAPS, but good reference if desired) https://www.ksde.org/Agency/Division-of-Learning-Services/Career-Standards-and-Assessment-Services/CSAS-Home/Curricular-Standards
  
• Public school access https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-kansas
  

• How to choose a style of homeschool https://www.homeschool.com/homeschooling-methods/ Quiz https://eclectic-homeschool.com/homeschool-philosophies-quiz/
  

• How to track grade/progress (Helpful article by MPE) https://midwesthomeschoolers.org/record-keeping-grades/
  
• Local co-op finder https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschooling-in-kansas/homeschool-co-ops-academic-enrichment-classes/

My name is Stephanie. I put down roots in my husband's hometown of Leavenworth in 2005 and together we are raising our two girls on our two acre homestead; complete with a garden, orchard, chickens, ducks, and cats. I joke that this undertaking is what spurred our homeschool, as it was all new to me and something that has been a long learning process full of rich rewards. 
 
The reality was that as a product of the public school system it never occurred to me that I might one day be a home educator. If I look back at the path it was clear that it was already forged for me. My role as mother and nurturer was one that was clearly defined for me at an early age so it was natural that I would continue to want an active role in my children’s day to day lives and later that translated into taking an active role in their education. 

I have always had clearly defined goals for my girls’ education experience and they revolved around two things: 1) helping them figure out how they personally learn; knowing how you take in and apply information will always put you in the driver's seat and keep all opportunities open to you, and 2) raising and teaching them as a part of day to day life in the world around them so that they understand that they are a whole person at every age, that the things they say and do matter, and that the way they engage holds weight; there is no coming of age that readies them, no one granting permission, and no restriction to the ways in which they can engage in their community. If people know their worth and have the ability to learn and grow then they will be unstoppable in achieving their goals!

Our lifestyle lends itself well to learning new skills and much of our learning is a shared experience. I love that my husband and I are able to model what it looks like to be lifelong learners and we get to have a front row seat to watching our girls blossom and grow. The gift of community within The Social Homeschooler and Homeschool Recess has been pivotal in allowing my girls to learn and grow as individuals; growing their skills in interacting in new spaces and with new people. Over the years it has been a safe space to learn the important skills of navigating friendships, conflict resolution, working with multi-age peers, interacting in meaningful relationships with adults, participating in shared learning, and learning to share their own skills. 

The learning, skill building, and connections aren’t just something that my children benefit from, but something that has helped push me to continue to actively pursue my own learning and growth. The friendships and connections I have made within the community have been formative in my own journey as a home educator, mother, and friend. The gift of community is truly invaluable. 

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Hey there! My name is Jessica (Jesse) Schnellbacher. I’ve been homeschooling since my boys started 1st grade. I was one of those moms who heard about homeschooling, but I had enjoyed an amazing public school experience.  That experience left me very prepared for pursuing the Bachelors in Biology I eventually obtained from Truman State University. When my children came to be, not only did I not want to deprive my kids of a similar experience, I also just didn’t think I was cut out to homeschool, so I thought to myself- nope, never, not going to be me, I just can’t. 
    Spoiler Alert- I did (and still am.)
    My mother in law had operated her own Montessori school for over two decades by the time I had my boys, and when the Army moved us to Washington state, there were many Montessori schools to choose from in the Tacoma area. We found one we loved, and my boys each went there for 2-3 years. That experience served them so well, and they learned so much, that by the time they were old enough to enroll in the public school, I realized it wasn’t going to work for them. 
    I had now lived in enough places (Washington was our third duty station) to understand that not all public schools were created equal. The school my kids would have attended was struggling.  I realized that if I enrolled them in the school we were zoned for, they would be bored to tears, repeating so much of what they’d already learned, and having to completely shift how they approached a school day, since Montessori learning is heavily child-directed. 
    In addition, it was becoming more and more clear just how many moves our family had in our future, and how unstable their school experience might be if we had to enroll in a new district every couple of years. So I did what I was *never* going to do and took the homeschooling plunge. 
    I’ve learned a lot, and my kids have learned even more. We’ve gone through our growing pains, our de-schooling and mental-block removal phases. I laugh now remembering how I chose to homeschool to give them a different experience, yet still tried to emulate ‘circle time’ with my single first grader and his stuffed animals. Cute, but yikes. 
    Now I’m homeschooling a high schooler, another thing I was *never* going to do, and there are new growing pains, new mental-blocks to remove, but thankfully, we have no regrets. I’m able to allow my children to seek out the knowledge they want, while tailoring their learning experience to ensure they obtain the lessons they need to grow into healthy, mature, responsible adults, keeping what works and grows them, and letting go of what doesn’t. 
    As a part of The Social Homeschooler, I’ve been so thankful to see my kiddos develop connections and relationships, and experience things I’d struggle to provide them on my own. In addition, I’ve been blessed to make my own connections, and to have the opportunity to serve the co-op and its members so they can have the same opportunities. 

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Hi! My name is Arlee Kilbourn and I serve on the board for The Social Homeschooler. I’ve enjoyed being a part of Recess and The Social Homeschooler for the last year as it really helped my family feel connected after moving to Tonganoxie, Kansas from the seacoast of New Hampshire where we had lived for the previous ten years. Although I will be the first to admit that homeschooling was never part of my plan - we’ve been at it for 3 years now and I can’t imagine ever giving it up. I love the freedom homeschooling affords us to work, travel, school and balance the other pieces of life in whatever schedule works best for our family. All three of my children have dietary allergies or an autoimmune condition that we manage primarily through a specific diet - so I’m in my kitchen for a good amount of time every day and as you can imagine, it can be very isolating. Knowing we can go to Recess on any Friday has been so great for my kids to make friends and widen their social circle, but it’s been essential for me to make connections and build friendships with other moms that I wouldn’t otherwise have because we don’t have the food and lifestyle flexibility that other families enjoy. 
My eldest started his school journey in a local Waldorf school and in the last few years as we moved across the country and the world changed dramatically, we decided keeping our kids at home was the best path for our family. I learned that I’m passionate about Waldorf education, which includes a lot of art, literature and a love for nature - so that is something that still inspires our homeschool because it breathes life and beauty into our daily work, both for myself and my children. We’re also participating in the 1000 Hours Outside challenge this year, so if you love to be outdoors we’d love to make plans to play - if there’s water involved, even better - my kids will be entertained by a creek for hours! Recess and any other park dates are such great opportunities for our kids to work out what they are learning at home and figure out their personalities and how to build real friendships - we are so grateful for this group!  

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​By Stephanie Wharton-Lynch
Founder and Director of The Social Homeschooler
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My natural curiosity and desire to learn were the driving force in pursuing something different for my own children’s education. I was the product of the public school system and gave no thought to doing anything differently for my children. But when we stepped onto the scene as my daughter entered kindergarten I realized just how different from our day to day life her world would be, how much of our time would be spent apart, and how little say she got in it all. I watched as her excitement and enthusiasm for learning was tucked away as she acquired the skills of fitting in and following rules. This was occurring simultaneously with my own revelation of love for learning in its pure form; stripped of its legalities with curiosity leading the pursuit of knowledge. And so, after two years in the public school system, we stepped away to embark on a more natural path of interest-lead learning. 

I knew my goal was to foster a love of learning that comes from easy pursuit of ideas and that I wanted my children to lead their own way. We created a family dynamic that allowed space to explore, lots of books at our fingertips, and we rekindled the relationship that our time apart had changed as we sat in conversation over anything and everything that was on our minds. We were making learning a part of our everyday life. 

As time went on we found ourselves in need of new inspiration and we would find it in the connections we made with friends and family. But these connections weren’t as easy to foster as we thought they would be. It became clear fairly quickly that there was a lack of space in our local area to gather intentionally; a safe space to learn and grow while pursuing friendships and connection. I knew that if we were going to thrive and if my children were to truly seek out the wealth of knowledge the world has to offer we need connection to people, both for our physical health and to spark curiosity. 

If there is one lesson I have learned from jumping into homeschooling it is that we cannot play a passive role in our children’s education. When we came up short of finding the community that fit our needs I set to work to create such a space. In the following years my family hosted nearly a hundred park dates, invited families into our home, counseled new homeschoolers jumping in on the journey, created space for families to serve the community, shared our love of reading through book clubs, and hosted holiday parties. 

Even though we were making connections and actively engaging in endeavors we valued, there was still something missing. The time put in wasn’t being shared amongst the participants, but was being shouldered by my family. The result was burnout. I knew something had to change and I knew I was surrounded by a group of families that could make it happen. 

I sat and shared my heart with a dozen homeschool mothers, ladies on the same path as me seeking a different kind of learning community for their families, and together we embarked on creating such a space. Starting with the value of connection as key to learning and growth, we created The Social Homeschooler to be a connection focused group that allows families to invite others alongside them in their passion pursuits: sharing skills, building friendships, embarking on adventures, and everyone joining in on learning and teaching; reciprocity bringing the balance we had lacked. 

The result of these efforts is the social co-op you are finding here today! Our hope is that you will find this to be a warm and welcoming space for your whole family to expand their opportunities to learn, a community to offer support on the journey, and a place where you are inspired to learn and pursue new goals. Facilitated by a board of volunteers, this space is for anyone looking to expand their homeschool opportunities and build relationships. We have laid out a flexible participation plan that ensures reciprocity in the efforts expended and the ability to enrich your homeschool without sacrificing the natural flow of learning within your home. Whether for a season or for the duration of your homeschool experience, we want to grow in community with you and support you in creating the exact homeschool experience that you and your children need to thrive!