A successful homeschool co-op can enhance the curriculum you plan for your children. But a co-op also has the potential of adding stress and contributing to burnout. What can you do to assure your family will get the most out of whatever co-op you choose to involve yourself in?

Analyzing the needs of your family is a must as you consider participating in a co-op. Determine what you are trying to accomplish by participating. A co-op cannot replace all the academics that are part of your child's education. In fact, when families choose to spend too much time in co-op settings they are usually less focused on what really matters. Co-ops are most helpful when they are intended to supplement a solid plan that is already happening at home.

As you look for a group or choose to set up your own group keep these things in mind: 

 *Allow for a shift about every six weeks. We can do anything for six weeks. But when we begin to feel burned out, it often means we need a change. By structuring your co-op so there is a built in change about every six weeks, you will drive off that burned out feeling before it hits you or your children. By the end of the school year you may still be ready for a summer break, but this will provide several shifts throughout the school year.

* Keep it simple. When we add too many frills to our plan it also adds to what we have expected ourselves to accomplish. By keeping our plan simple we are setting ourselves up to achieve our goal. If we focus on what matters and find simple effective ways to teach those things to the children in the co-op, we will see our plan working and the students involved in the group being excited about contributing to the experience.

* Share the load. One person doing all the planning and teaching does little to insure that the co-op will continue on for the long-term. Sharing the responsibility will add variety and let every parent learn from the experience of working with the students involved. It will also help everybody keep from burning out.

* Co-op with like-minded people. It is nice to get to know people that are different that ourselves. Our children can learn so much by doing this. But having some common ground with the other homeschoolers in your co-op will make it easier for you to be comfortable letting them teach your children. Consider the things that are important to you, whether it be religion, educational philosophy or something else. These things and the ages of your children can help you determine whether the particular co-op you are considering will work for your family.

There are as many ways to organize a co-op as there are people organizing them. One idea is to organize a Unit Study group where five families rotate responsibilities. Each of the five parents involved plans a six week study of a topic they are interesting in contributing. They host the group for the six weeks as they teach this unit. A second parent volunteers as the helper for this unit. On the sixth week, a larger culminating activity can include the entire family or be more involved. For example if you are studying the ocean, there may be an aquarium or other ocean related field trip you can use for this final activity. If you are studying the Civil War you may want to divide the group of children into camps; the North and the South. They may share a report they have written about a person who fought for their side of the war. When this unit ends the group changes the meeting place to the home of the family who is in charge of the next unit. As you rotate, each parent has a turn at being in charge of a unit, helping with a different unit and having no responsibility for three of the units. This is a nice, no burnout plan.

There are many ideas for co-ops. An American Girls club could be based on the books about Kirsten, Felicity, Kaya and more. As the girls in the group read the books parents can schedule related activities. A similar idea for boys could focus on reading biographies of great men. Other groups may focus on Shakespeare, Spanish or Debate.

The possibilities are endless and the results can be awesome. Keeping these suggestions in mind will help you move forward with a plan that has the potential of adding many great experiences to your child's learning.

Melanie Skelton has educated her six children at home for eight years.  She is the co-founder of Utah Families Teaching at Home and assists in teaching workshops to empower and help home educators.  She is the web designer for the website, found at http: http://www.utahfamilies.net/ and is in the process of co-authoring a book about home education.  This book will help home educators better understand learning styles, personality styles and levels of learning.  It will teach the reader how to apply this information to their home school and plan out a curriculum that will meet the needs of their children.