Socialization within Homeschooling: Ideas for Group Interactions by Erika Alicea
Erika can be found online
CharlotteMasonCityLiving.com
IG @cmcityliving
Podcast CharlotteMasonforall.com
"How is Izzy going to socialize?" was the question I got almost every time I told anyone I was going to homeschool my daughter. The truth is, it was a concern I had for her too. However, I had to be obedient to the call of home education that God had placed on our hearts.
In retrospect, if I had known she was going to do SO much socializing, I would've homeschooled from the beginning instead of waiting until 2nd grade!!
Socialization means something different to everyone since we all have diverse family dynamics.
For us, I have an only child at home who THRIVES on socializing with her peers. She and I spend a lot of time together, precious mother/daughter moments, which I'm forever grateful for.
But there are times she just wants to play with peers, just like I need "adult" time with my friends. With no siblings around her age to play with, she joyfully looks forward to any moment with other children. As a result, I am very intentional in providing these moments my girl longs for.
I'm also grateful that one of the many beauties of homeschooling is that I can create AND choose the learning environment I desire for my child.
It is my privilege, my right, and my duty as a parent to be watchful and protect while still letting my child spread her wings. Therefore, I carefully and prayerfully select communities that help my daughter grow in every way possible and where she can be a blessing in return.
If you, too, are wondering how your child can socialize outside of the traditional school setting like I once did, the options are endless. Again, every family is different, but here are some suggestions of ways we've been able to interact with others.
Join Groups
Joining co-ops, extracurricular activities, youth groups or even informal groups that meet up weekly at the park help tremendously. You may not always find co-ops that follow your educational philosophy, but if you come across a co-op with similar values or approach, it might be worth looking into.
Create Your Own Groups
What if there are no groups around or there aren't any groups you're interested in joining? Then start your own!
That was one of my very first lessons in homeschooling. I wanted my daughter to be in specific groups, like an art group or a book club, but there weren't any so in time, I created my own.
It may sound intimidating to start your own groups, but as you pray for wisdom and discernment as a home educator, you also pray for provision and creativity.
God knows the desires of your heart and He loves your child more than you do. He will always provide what they need. I can't tell you how many times God has provided an artist who I could work with for an art club or a facility to meet up without having to pay a fee. Or when He brought me a group of homeschooling friends who wanted to read children's literature together so I could finally have a book club. He even provided Nature Clubs for us to participate in, and when a mom stepped down from managing one of them, I stepped up to that role so my daughter would keep having opportunities to be with other children on a weekly basis exploring nature together.
If it's in your heart to stay true to the educational philosophy you follow, then you can have an informal group with other like-minded moms like I did. I follow Charlotte Mason's educational principles so although the children in our group differed in ages, we chose subjects to study together once a week that weren't as age-specific such as:
· Picture Study
· Composer Study
· Singing
· Dance
· Swedish Drill (fitness)
· Art
· Handicrafts
· Nature Study
· Geography
· Literature (like reading a great read aloud or doing a Shakespeare play together)
These weren't all done in one day. We alternated some subjects by terms.
If you're the only Charlotte Mason mom in your local area, you can still take a similar approach because most homeschooling parents are interested in Nature Study, Literature, or the arts, even if they don't follow Miss Mason's philosophy. You can follow the method informally so it can have a more inclusive atmosphere and provide the fellowship your child needs.
Special Celebrations
Another idea for group gatherings is to do special homeschool celebrations.
As the Event Coordinator for one of the local chapters of a NYS homeschool support group called LEAH (Loving Education at Home), I have been blessed to work alongside fellow LEAH moms in providing such opportunities. Here are some of our events that usually end with tons of play-time afterwards (another plus for any homeschooled child):
· Meet & Greet Park Day
· Apple Picking
· Family Potluck
· Thanksgiving Potluck
· Reading Masquerade (Dress up as book character from a current book read and do a book presentation)
· Night of Recitations
· National Pancake Day @IHOP
· Math Challenge
· Spelling Bee
· Science Fair
· Education Fair
· Cultural Fair
· Field Day
· Recognition Night (Award Ceremony at the end of the school year where parents create their own award and celebrate their children. One year for my daughter, my award was titled the "The Pickwick Club" since my daughter loved the Little Women series and really connected with Jo's character. I gave her a quill pen and ink set as a gift to celebrate her growth as a writer.)
We also do trips together to museums, theaters, nature preserves, etc.
Book Celebrations are another special thing I do with my child at home. After we finish a book for school, we put together a themed "party" and invite friends who have read the same book to participate. Sometimes we dress up as the characters, create activities based on the book, and/or cook foods from the story. In the past, we've done Narnia, Little House, and quite a few other titles/series.
Organize Weekly Park Meet-Ups
Leading your own content-specific groups or events sound too nerve-wracking for you? Then just plan weekly meet-ups. You can choose a park, day, and time that others know will always be in place. Share with other homeschooling friends, local groups, and social media. As the word spreads, more and more people will come with their kiddos.
Spend Time with Family & Other Non-homeschooling Friends
Group gatherings don't all have to be with other homeschooling friends. There are other opportunities such as spending time with cousins and friends from the neighborhood, church, extracurricular activities, and other walks of life.
Teen Years
A huge benefit of homeschooling is that most of our kids can hang out with children of various ages easily because they're not used to being separated by ages or grades. My daughter can effortlessly spend time with a one-year-old as she would another 11 year old as she would a teenager. It's pretty amazing to watch.
Regardless, the teen years can get more challenging. There may come a time when your teen doesn't want to attend activities where there are mostly little kids, or when there are less teens being homeschooled, so your child is in the minority--this is when parents have to be even more proactive with group gatherings.
The suggestions I gave above still apply, but the content and audience change. Church youth groups and extracurricular activities supply wonderful opportunities for teens to connect. For school, you can try finding teen groups that are gathering in your local homeschool support groups. If there aren't any, like I said before, create your own.
Don't worry if there aren't enough teen homeschoolers in your community. It's not about quantity. It's about quality so if you have a solid group of 3-5 teens, that's all you need.
Now, I know firsthand how much work it takes to organize something. However, the big shift here that differs from before is that you now have a teen on your hands. Your teen, along with the help of others, can work independently in creating communities they want to be part of. All you would have to do is provide opportunities, support, and guidance.
This past year, our local LEAH chapter came across this very same need for a teen group. We shared ideas with each other but I also reached out to a fellow homeschool mom from another chapter who has 3 teens. She shared the following ideas that worked so well for their teen group, that she didn't do a thing except be a support, facilitate co-ops, and find spaces for them to meet up at.
IDEAS FOR TEEN GATHERINGS
Start off a Teens-Only Meet-Up
This can be whatever your teens want it to be and they can meet up however many times they want. It can be monthly or weekly. Whatever works for them.
Vision Meeting for the Teens
Parents can set up a Vision Meeting for the teens. Have them over for brunch or pizza in the evening. Ask them what they want to see or do for the year so there's ownership. It's not another homeschool class mom wants them to attend. Instead, it's a gathering of value for them. It can be their safe place where they make life-long friends.
Meet Up Activities
If they are monthly meet-ups, some ideas could be:
· Paintball/air soft
· House gathering/"Hangs"
· Movies
· Escape Room
· Meet at a Museum
· Hot Topics Discussion
It can include relevant topics chosen by parents based on observations or student interests: Current Events, men are from Mars & women are from Venus, DC vs Marvel, etc... It's a great intro to get them into talking. (If it's a debate, let them know beforehand of the topic and they have to prepare in advance to defend their stance.)
Teen Co-ops
Classes can be alternated by terms (12 week sessions)
Some class ideas can be:
· Art
· Handicrafts
· Citizenship
· Civics
· Book Club (can include literature from a historical period)
· Creative Writing
· Shakespeare
· Poetry
· Drama
Drama Ideas
1) Book/Discussion/Play
Term 1-Read a play
Terms 2 & 3- Discussion/Production (rehearsals, costumes, set, sound, created bulletins, etc...)
2) Create an Original Play
Term 1- Write a play
Terms 2 & 3- Discussion/Production (rehearsals, costumes, set, sound, created bulletins, etc...)
Science Day Workshop
-full-blown dissections
-3 hour workshop
-Resources: Specimens and Dissection Kits bought online
Yearbook
Created by the teens. Some ideas:
· Kids submit pictures, stories, poetry, artwork.
· Parents submit pictures from events throughout the year.
· Profile page for graduates or profile page for teens (maybe vision for their graduating year: i.e: Vision for 2020)