Large Group:
A large group is 100 or more families. The benefit is that there are many families to share the load as well as many people to get to know. You can learn a lot from a large group as likely there will be a range of homeschool experience represented -- old lady veteran homeschoolers who have graduated some kids already all the way down to bitty baby homeschoolers who are just getting this party started.
Large groups usually have speakers, either drawn from members and or guests brought in as experts on a particular topic. Obviously this can work for any size, but it is hard to have a deep discussion with 200 moms. Speakers allow a lot of people to learn effectively. One group I was a part of also included a breakout session in the middle of the meeting time. Those interested could attend in a more intimate setting, and those not interested took 30 minutes to socialize before the large session resumed. I found that a nice marriage of large group resources and small group friendships.
Advantages: many hands to take care of organizing, paperwork, payment, planning, ideas for field trips, lots of brains to pick for teaching materials or curriculum options; likely that your child will have several other students with which to connect; can get a group rate for most events
Disadvantages: large number of members to keep up with; can be hard to make deep connections if different people attend different events; kids may not see the same students often; can be a challenge to find a meeting space; certain field trips may not be able to accommodate such a large group at one time
Small Group:
So you may decide a smaller group is more your scene. Your purpose is to learn from each other, support one another, get a group rate when possible, and form a tight community of homeschoolers. You may wish to only be a Mom's support where you meet monthly and pray or discuss a topic. Or you may want to band together on events and activities with the kids. Or both. Just think about what your purpose is and go from there. I encourage you to set a maximum number of families. You might even start with a max of 10 and then up it to more after you feel comfortable with your group. We currently cap ours at 30. I like this number because it is big enough to divide the planning and get group rates but small enough to foster tight relationships among members. Think about your magic number. Establishing this upfront makes organizing much easier.
Advantages: less volume of paperwork and crowd control; easier to find a meeting space; potential for a richly infused community; strong bonds between kids and mom; likely to see same mom and kids at events and meetings
Disadvantages: can be tough to get a group rate sometimes; fewer people to share the work load; may or may not be children the same age/interests as your children; might be difficult to draw high profile speakers; less number of experienced homeschoolers from which to glean
What did you decide? huh, huh, huh?
Feel free to save and print this printable for fleshing out your size. I think some forethought goes a long way. Thoughtful planning makes for clear communication. Word. Sorry, I morphed into an 80's rapper for a sec. Your group is going to be great! Figure out what kinds of meetings, events, field trips you think is healthy and go from there. Size matters.
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