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How To Remain Social With Your Homeschool Community Right Now
At Homeschool Mastery Academy, we are big advocates for community. We believe we are designed for community, and there is so much good that comes from learning together.
But what happens when group activities need to be limited? We may not be able to meet as usual in seasons of sickness, post-catastrophic events, or even pandemics.Â
More than ever, when life becomes more difficult to get together and maintain routines – children crave normalcy. We can promote normalcy in our homes and our groups by trying to continue scheduled activities. We may not be able to enjoy them in person, but we can certainly still enjoy them from a distance.
Today we want to share some ideas that can help you stay connected with your homeschool community through times when gathering together may be more challenging.
So if you are a homeschool group leader or volunteer, these ideas will be an excellent resource for you to try and find what works best for you.
Out Of The Box Social Ideas for Homeschool Community
Utilize Technology.
There are too many excellent resources out there nowadays to keep people connected. Use them!
- Resources such as Zoom or Loom are perfect for hosting co-op remotely. Continue hosting classes via live video. This is a wonderful way to try to continue co-op or group activities without canceling.
- Create a Facebook Group that you can go live in. If your group doesn’t already have a Facebook group, you may want to consider creating one for all of you to enjoy. A Facebook group is perfect for co-op classes, sharing resources, and chatting together.
Once you decide on a platform to stay connected, decide on activities.
If you already have scheduled classes or activities planned, do them virtually if you can.
Otherwise, here are some ideas for activities you can still do as a group – virtually.
Book Clubs – Have the students all read assigned sections of a book and schedule a live chat where the leader can ask discussion questions, and the children can chat about it via the comments or live on Zoom. Continue weekly until the book is completed.
Art Lessons – Invite a local or favorite homeschool art teacher to give a live lesson online. Schedule a date and announce it to your group along with a supply list. Then have everyone virtually gather to enjoy the experience together online.
Show and Tell – This could be a fun one. Schedule a Zoom and allow each child to do a show and tell of sorts. Pick a theme, scheduled your Zoom chat, and children can each get 1-2 minutes to share. This would be fun with various projects or topics that you are working on as a group, or assign one. Or do this through a Facebook post thread and allow parents to post photos of the kids; other children will love looking through pics of their peers, all focusing on the same idea.
Co-op Classes – As I mentioned earlier in the post, if you have current classes to continue – you should host them online. However, if you need a fun study that can be done virtually with little modifications – use our Poetry and Photography Co-op Curriculum or check out all of the resources available for homeschool groups and co-ops here.
Lego Build Challenge – Give your homeschool group a daily or weekly build challenge. Create a thread where the kids can post photos of their completed projects. The children will have fun seeing their peer’s projects too!
Host a Guest – Have a special guest speaker, author, or community helper go live in your Facebook group for all of the families in your group to enjoy. This would be wonderful for homeschool moms if you wanted to have a guest that could help offer support or encouragement. Or ask a guest that has something exciting to share with the kids in your group – a special book reading, local businesses that want to share something valuable, or a community helper who can share information that may be beneficial to your group.
Serve – Organize your group to all collect something during these times and serve your community. This can be done with little contact. Allow your members to drop off supplies at your door. Or have all of the children in your group make cards for the elderly.
Share Resources – Use social media and the internet to share resources with your community. Resource threads and emails are great ways to keep your group informed. Share free and inexpensive resources they can access online, or public closures and events, for example.
Lastly, don’t forget to check in on your homeschool community members. Particular families may need a little extra help. As homeschool group and co-op leaders, we can check in on them and offer what we can. They may just need an ear or some kindness. You can drop off a meal and a card at the front door. You can take up a group collection for those in need, and drop off a few groceries. Just remember to check in on your people, let them know you care.
We hope this sparks some ideas for keeping your groups and communities connected when we can’t physically gather. By utilizing virtual resources and a bit of creativity, our local homeschool groups and co-ops can still be fantastic resources for our community.
