Organizing a co-op for your homeschooled child and their friends can be as complicated or simple as you want it to be. You need just 5 basic things: a topic, supplies, a place to hold the co-op, parental help, and students to attend.

Topic – whatever topic currently interests your child will probably interest another child. If you have a field trip coming up a co-op is a good way to introduce the field trip, as well as a good way to follow-up. Co-ops are excellent ways to study holidays, different cultures, and study different artists or writing techniques. It is very helpful to determine a target age for the co-op, it will help avoid issues later on. You don’t want a family with preteens attending a co-op aimed at six year olds, and vice versa. Ask parents with children of multiple ages to bring an activity to keep their other children busy during the co-op.

Supplies – after your topic is determined you will need to figure out exactly which aspects you want to cover. Lesson plans abound on the internet, take a look and you might find an entire lesson online for free. You can visit teacher stores as well and purchase pre-packaged thematic units quite inexpensively. Determine what supplies will be needed (paper, poster board, art supplies, etc.) and determine the cost. You may wish to divide the cost between the families, ask families to bring their own supplies, or plan on using supplies you already have on hand.

A place to hold the co-op – this is often the trickiest aspect of the co-op. Ask yourself how many children plan to attend is the first place to start. Could you volunteer your home, or will a friend volunteer theirs? What about a table at a local park or library? Many parks and libraries offer rooms at no cost to city residents and members. Personally, holding a co-op at my house is the last option as it opens up a lot of liabilities on your part. The last co-op I held (and will hold) at my house resulted in a broken window, so be aware that property damage can occur even if bodily damage doesn't. Also, if you have pets your home may not be an ideal location.

Parental help – this can range from simply supervising the children, to teaching, to helping with crafts, to clean-up. Whatever help you need, ask for it. It is also fair to ask other families to host co-ops, one person alone cannot be expected to provide the opportunity every time. It is also fair to ask each family to pitch in to clean-up. Regardless of where your co-op is held, you want to leave the facility in better shape than you found it.

Students to attend – you can advertise locally, or just spread the word among close friends. Determining where you will host the activity will determine how many children can realistically attend. A library room may hold fifty children, while your home may only accommodate five.

Problems can occur during co-ops. Children become bored, children misbehave, things get spilled, items are broken, and children argue. Enter into the co-op with a sense of humor and a firm set of rules. Establish a set of ground rules and encourage your students to be on their best behavior. It is advisable to take a quick moment before the activities to review the rules. Let the students know you expect common rules of civility and let them know the consequences of misbehavior. It is also important to review the rules with the parents before they even think about bringing their children. Be very clear as to the age limit of the co-op, what skill are needed, and list exactly what will be happening during the co-op. If the co-op is to be held at your house you may need extra rules (such as not entering the bedrooms and leaving pets alone.)

Preparation and a lot of help is the key to successful and enjoyable co-ops. Co-ops can bring a facet to your children’s education that you cannot provide, they encourage socialization, and they are a lot of fun.

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