How important is a homeschool group if you have support?

[Bridie's Mama]

I am very blessed to have 3 of my best friends homeschooling their kids who are the same ages as mine.  I also know 3 other families with kids the same age as well who we see periodically.  If we have this 'base' of people do you see any reason to find a co-op for the kids to join?  We're early on in the journey-my oldest is only Kindergarten age, so we don't NEED any supplemental classes such as science or math as older kids may.  And we get together at least once a week and are probably going to be starting a gym-type of activity class which is being taught by someone else.  I'm just not sure if a group is necessary at this point.  Thoughts?  

[bass chick]

Well, I'm no expert, but I am homeschooling without any support other than this forum. My oldest is 6. I am trying to trust in myself and my boys to figure out how to go about this alone. The reason why we haven't joined a hs group is because I take care of 7 other neighborhood kids for 10 hours every day and they are toddlers / preschool except 2 of them (I have a dayhome). I can't go out in the day because how can I transport 9 kids?! And I can't legally have any more kids in my house even if I am not responsible for them, so I can't open my home to any other hs'ers either.

So I will not say it has been easy. It has been like finding my way in the dark, but I trust that I know my sons and know what is best for them. In a few years I hope to close my dayhome and join a group. I have a friend who lives in the next city (1 hour from us) and they homeschool. She said she wouldn't tell me how fantastic being part of a hs group was if I didn't have the option to join one.

I actually believe that I can give my boys everything they need.

[deditus]

If you and your child are happy with it then I don't think you need a group at all. I personally DO need a group because my dd is an extrovert, we have no family here, and pretty much all of the kids her age at our AP playgroups have gone off to prek. She is lonely and loves to spend time with other kids, but she's shy and takes a while to warm up so a group that meets consistently is great for her. I hear so many other people that say your children don't need to play with other kids; family, community and home life is enough.That just doesn't work for us. My ideal would be a small group of maybe 5 families so if you have 4, that still fits with my ideal of a group. I am happy to live in an area where there are many organized activities for homeschoolers, classes and field trips - be it dance, gymnastics, science, music, art, acting, rock-climbing, ice-skating, whatever, you can find it here. Many of these are organized by a small group of committed homeschool parents and offered to the community at large, mainly through a yahoo group, so I find that is a wonderful resource for lining up activities that may have a larger minimum to run a class or hold an educational field trip.

[Lisa1970]

Home school groups can be a nice bonus when they offer something you like. But they are not neccesary.

[Daffodil]

As far as I'm concerned, the main reason to join a group is to give your kids a chance to meet other kids and spend time with them.  It sounds like you already have a group that serves that purpose.  I can envision classes or group activities that might be really cool, but I suspect that in reality most of them wouldn't offer anything better than what we could do on our own at home.  If I were you, I probably wouldn't be too interested in looking for a co-op.

[Greenmama2]

Originally Posted by deditus 

If you and your child are happy with it then I don't think you need a group at all. I personally DO need a group because my dd is an extrovert, we have no family here, and pretty much all of the kids her age at our AP playgroups have gone off to prek. She is lonely and loves to spend time with other kids, but she's shy and takes a while to warm up so a group that meets consistently is great for her. I hear so many other people that say your children don't need to play with other kids; family, community and home life is enough.That just doesn't work for us. My ideal would be a small group of maybe 5 families so if you have 4, that still fits with my ideal of a group. I am happy to live in an area where there are many organized activities for homeschoolers, classes and field trips - be it dance, gymnastics, science, music, art, acting, rock-climbing, ice-skating, whatever, you can find it here. Many of these are organized by a small group of committed homeschool parents and offered to the community at large, mainly through a yahoo group, so I find that is a wonderful resource for lining up activities that may have a larger minimum to run a class or hold an educational field trip.

I have two children but our experience is similar. It sounds like you already have what you need.

[ameliabedelia]

Another reason to join a group is to have the opportunity to go on field trips.  Sure, you could go places on your own or with your friends, but sometimes larger groups can get better discounts and special presentations, etc.   Also, I find groups are helpful for keeping informed about community classes or activities geared towards homeschoolers.  I've seen all sorts of classes and activities (ballet, ice skating, swimming, art, science, physical ed, gymnastics, nature etc.)  Oftentimes, many of these classes are much cheaper than if you were to get them at a regular "after school" time.   Many places seem to offer really good discounts to homeschoolers since they are able to offer class at a time when their facility would otherwise be empty.