Good things are ahead!

2020 brought a global pandemic, but it also brought us plenty of time to think about how we each want to impact the world.

While others were struggling to shift with the times, I was fortunate that school simply carried on for my family. As pre-pandemic homeschoolers, our lives already had a rhythm and flow.

• We already had curriculum for each of my kids.

• I was already a stay at home mom so I could teach them without also learning to work from home and meeting those new demands.

• We were also blessed to already have our established homeschool community we had built to rely on each other for support from afar.

For example, I’m terrible at gardening so I had to message Tracey to find out when to plant my seeds. Mandy dropped off sourdough starter on my front porch, as well as to several others. Our sweet friend Ashley let me borrow an awesome science curriculum since the library was closed and we needed something new.

The biggest change was, like everyone else, we were forced to slow down. It’s funny how often you hear that homeschoolers are “unsocialized” yet truth is our group is usually SO busy with our social calendar and extracurricular activities that it took a pandemic to finally slow us down! The first hit was when our spring semester of co-op was forced to end after only 2 weeks. All that planning, organizing and creating classes and suddenly it was taken from us. Now masks were worn, toilet paper was purchased, and life consisted of hiding away at home with school in the mornings and outdoor time the rest of the day. Okay… and I admit probably more technology time than I care to accurately remember!

However, by summertime 2020 we were mentally just done with isolation. So when another homeschool mom friend reached out to see if we wanted to “friend quarantine” together, I was all in! We met outdoors so our kids could walk and ride bikes in fresh air spaces away from the sameness of being at home. More importantly, they got to enjoy that very important human connection with a friend. By fall, different families had slowly been “friend quarantining” together and we were ready to carefully open our co-op at half capacity for the semester with strict protocols in place. I thought several kids (and adults!) were going to cry with joy and relief at finally seeing people again!

All that is to say, it was during this pandemic season that the importance of COMMUNITY really shined brightest.

We were willing to pull together and do what we could to create a safe place for our families while continuing to love and support each other, whether that was: sending silly memes; carefully meeting up one on one; dropping off meals or surprise gifts for people; doing drive-bys for kid’s birthdays; offering to run errands and drop things off for those who were quarantined with the virus; swapping curriculum and books since the library was closed; or eventually going on safe adventures in the great outdoor when we could!

This incredible COMMUNITY is what birthed the idea of Classes for Co-Ops as a resource for other families that NEED this type of community in their lives, too. And I am so blessed that my COMMUNITY saw the importance of sharing this with others and jumped in to make a difference in the greater homeschooling world.

Maybe you’ll take this coming year and have the difference YOU make in the world start right in your own community, too. Well, our dream is to encourage you and support you along the way! Perhaps it’s stepping out to create a brand new homeschool community and finally make the connections you have been wanting for so long. Or possibly you are already part of an established co-op but are burnt out after the past year and just want something quality and ready to teach. We can help you make a difference by providing resources for new-to-homeschooling or working parents that want to join a co-op and make much needed connections but have no idea what to teach nor have time to plan it. Or maybe still, you are part of a group that isn’t quite ready to grow your circle and want to stay in that “friend quarantine” circle just a bit longer and use these classes with one or two other families that feel safe and secure sharing your space. We can help with that, too.

Whatever your goal, we support you. Because it’s not the size that matters, it’s the connection.

Who are you connecting with these days? If you were inspired, be sure to share this so they can join the journey with you!