Sunny had 4 classes - an art class focused on working with polymer clay, household chemistry, outdoor PE games, and a Harry Potter club. The PE games was kind of a bomb for her because she didn't want to play the games (except the day they played Quidditch), and she just wanted to hang out on the playground equipment with a couple of other girls. I went out one day to try to get her to participate better, but she did make the point that she wanted to just talk with her friends and isn't that why we go to co-ops? To meet people and make friends? Sigh. Hoisted on my own petard.
Posy had just one class - Planet Earth, taught by one of the museum teachers. There are no words for how much she loved her Planet Earth class. Her class covered rain forests, mountains, cold places, grasslands, trees and flowers, and a couple of other things. She asked to keep going to Planet Earth, so I put in a word to the co-op director. There will be a continuation of Planet Earth next spring.
Birdie and Magnolia are 4 1/2 and 3 right now, so they participated in 2 preschool classes. I was the teacher of "Alphabet Stories" for their age group - we would read a couple of stories with the plot or character focused on a particular letter, and then do a coloring page and handwriting sheet focused on that letter. A is for apple and alligator, etc. We got through the letter H. They also had an art class with fun little art projects, as well as more stories and circle time with songs. Azalea is only a year and a half, so she just did her own thing while everyone was in their classes. She did like to participate with the art class - she'd sit in the little chairs and draw on her paper like everyone else. It was really cute.
Magnolia and Azalea painting their pictures.
A rousing game of Zingo with the preschool group. I'm in the purple shirt - one of the other moms snuck this picture and sent it to me.
All the girls made friends but Birdie has a best friend now - a little boy I'll call Scout here. (Just because.) They're both 4 and had the BEST time playing together all over the museum, outside at the playground, and having their classes together. Magnolia was their little third following along with them. Scout's mom and I would laugh and laugh every week at them - they are so hilarious playing together. The best one was they were in the playhouse one day, and Birdie made Scout get into the oven. Apparently, they were pretending that he was her dog and that was his cage.
My experience with the co-op was really great as well. I was kind of frustrated last spring that the session seemed so short - just when I was getting to the point of saying hello to anyone, it was over. That was partially because I was taking care of Azalea all the time, who was still a baby, and also because it was a new group for me. I didn't see anyone again until September, but that was apparently enough to break the ice because this fall was much more social for me. Scout's mom, JJ, and I are the preschool teachers (mainly because we want the classes for our own preschool kids) - I had about a dozen kids in my story group and was asked by all of the mothers if I was going to continue the class in the spring. So I expect the group will be about the same, and it's been nice to visit with all of them every week. We're even having a Christmas party for the preschool group at my house in December, just for fun. JJ and I are also going to work together in the spring on a geography activity class for 4th-8th graders to study for the National Geography Bee. I'm excited - it should be fun! And I'm glad we're finding a community of other homeschooling families.
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