When is enrollment? Enrollment is open all year long so you can jump in at any time! (The calendar year for The Social Homeschooler begins on July 1st.) How long does the co-op year run? The Social Homeschooler Co-op runs year round! Flexible participation requirements allow you to balance time for school, travel, and rest while offering activities that help maintain the connections being made within the community. What curriculum do you use? We at The Social Homeschooler believe that curriculum choices are personal to the student and teacher. Tailored education is one of the advantages of homeschooling and we want you to embrace that, which is why our learning opportunities do not require the use of curriculum. Where do you meet? Some events take place at local libraries, others at local businesses or even member’s homes. We strive to utilize the great amenities in the Leavenworth County area (and sometimes beyond!) to get our families connected to the community we are learning and growing in, embracing the notion that learning does not require any special facility, but is all around us. When do you meet? Unlike traditional co-ops, The Social Homeschooler does not have a set meeting date. Our desire to offer flexible participation, maintaining the free nature of homeschooling, means that hosts pick a date that fits in their schedule and attendees select events to attend that work for them. What kind of events have been hosted in the past? The events that have been hosted have been greatly varied, as they are often interest based and short term. Examples include: show & tell, book clubs, art projects, speech club, cooking, field trips, nature journaling, hiking, foraging, D & D club, STEM activities, board games, holiday parties, intro to Spanish, library classes, life skills, curriculum chats, mom’s book club, and many more. Do I need to teach a class? While we do require you to host an event, this does not mean you have to teach! We believe that we all have something worth sharing with the community. For some this might be skill sharing or teaching a class, for others it might be facilitating a field trip or hosting a casual play date or club. There is flexibility in the way you get to show up for the community and it is our hope that you find and develop your strengths in a safe and welcoming environment with friends cheering you on! We also encourage partnering with other members to co-host an activity, it's a great way to break the ice if hosting feels out of your comfort zone! What is the purpose of full family events and who does that include? Homeschooling is a full-family affair and we want to embrace that and welcome spouses, younger siblings, and the other family members who invest in your homeschool in on the fun! By including the full family we believe that there will be more opportunities opened for learning and fun, more support shared on the homeschooling journey and more sense of connection to the broader community; a necessity for our children to launch into the world from a safe space. What is Recess and how are you affiliated? Recess refers to our sister group Homeschool Recess Leavenworth County, found on Facebook. This group serves the local community free of charge and free of commitment. It provides an online space to resource share, have homeschool related conversation, as well as sell/gift homeschool items. Its primary focus is in-person park dates, hosted weekly, to get our local homeschool community together in a meaningful way and allow space for connections to be made. Can I check it out before I join? While events are only open to members enrolled in The Social Homeschooler, we do invite you to join us for a Recess date to meet some of the families who participate in the co-op and who can answer any questions you may have. You can also keep your eye out for the occasional informational meetings and crossover events hosted by The Social Homeschooler in the Recess group, both great ways to meet members and ask questions.