Starting a Homeschool Group: Size Matters

Okay so now that you have your brainstorming session over from my last post, you can determine what kind of group you want. Here are some pros and cons to each set up. According to me. Whatever that is worth!

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.

Forming a homeschool support group: The Vision

When we moved I was looking for a homeschool group that fit the needs of my family. I looked online before we moved and found what I thought was it. Although the group was a wonderful place to start and certainly had strong resources to share, it just was not the style I was after. In my years as a homeschool mom I felt that my past experience with support groups were a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Eventually I felt led to start my own. To steal from Jen Hatmaker, clutch your pearls. If you think you cannot do it. It is too much, I assure you all will be well. Although I had been part of other groups I had never been the big cheese of any homeschool group. And I had just given birth. To my fourth child. And the oldest was then seven. Yikes! Oh, and we moved 12 lovely car ride hours away from all family, previous friends and babysitters. So time was limited. But by being strategic it was a challenging but oh so rewarding process. I have been a part of a tiny group, a medium sized group and a big ole Texas State Fair sized group. Each had its own vibe and its own purpose. When I set out to create my group I knew I needed to start with a vision.

Starting a Homeschool Group Step 1.
Create your vision.
Umm, okay. So what does that mean? Take a moment to think about what you want your group to look like. You do not need to know the exact answer to all the components, but it is a good idea to brainstorm a plan for as many categories as you can. Feel free to print off the planning worksheet (is worksheet a bad word?) and use it to help you get your idea on paper.

Why is a vision helpful?

It will help you align the group with your intended purpose. For example, if you are looking to grow your group into a huge powerhouse of families, the way you communicate your vision to prospective members will look very different from someone else who is looking to create a small, tight-knit community. I do not know about you, but when an idea gets into my head, my brain starts reeling with ideas. It is so fun. But it is also a little overwhelming. But getting those thought bubbles captured and placed into categories helps me go back later and tighten up my ideas. You see what you have and what you might need to look into further. It is also helpful to have someone else take a look. Maybe he or she can flesh out some areas. So happy vision casting! This is the first step to getting your group going. That was a lot of G alliteration. Whew. Gotta go. (sorry I could not help myself)

How to Create your own Postcards

I am not very artistic. I mean, I can hold my own in Pictionary but maybe not at The Louvre. Which is why I love free design sites like Picmonkey and Canva. Hours of fun.

You can take photos and add text or fix blemishes. Not that YOU have any of course. You can also add beards to your four year old daughter just for laughs or make pretty rockin printables.

I used Picmonkey to make my Names of God cards. If only I could find a way to manufacture them. Sigh. Snoop around and get to making.

Failure to Thrive... feeling supported

After praying and praying and praying and freaking out my heart was stirred to find a new pediatrician. I needed this baby to have an advocate. The other doctor was condescending, vague, and unprofessional. We are relatively crunchy (translation… we try to stay close to God’s design for things and leave all the chemical, lab created stuff for dire straits only). That being said, our new doctor was not at all crunchy. She is a CDC supporting, by the medical book kind of girl. Not that that is bad, but in the end it did not jive with our family. But she was a huge blessing none the less.

I was at the pool with my neighbor and going over our last doctor’s appointment and sharing how frustrated I felt. She really encouraged me to go elsewhere. This doctor had a wonderful reputation for her knowledge and holistic approach, but in our particular case she was not the right fit. We made an appointment with the new doctor and hoped some fresh eyes would shed some light onto why our baby was not growing or doing anything a baby her age should. This first visit was so different from the previous. This doctor looked me in the eyes, called my baby sweet little pet names and was kind to my other children. She really listened to her history and was concerned for her health. No, we did not see eye to eye on a lot, but oh how my heart needed someone to explain and explain some more what we were looking at. And just be tender. I was told to discontinue using goat’s milk and sent home with an article about how bad it is. This is bunk. Truth be told, that goat’s milk is probably what kept us from feeding tubes now that we know she is least allergic to goat milk. Raw goat milk--supplemented with fats and minerals is wonderful. But hindsight is what it is. She told us to switch to Nutramagen, give her bleach baths for her skin (another thing I was going to skip), and see a board certified dermatologist for her severe eczema (atopic dermatitis). One theory was that her body was using so much energy and calories to deal with the raw eczema is might be causing her depletion. Additionally, we needed to take her immediately to a lab for blood work. Gulp. The hope was that maybe she was low in zinc, which can inhibit absorption. That was my rational for signing off on the Nutramagen even though I am not a fan of soy based anything. Here is the list of blood work: zinc, ast, alt, calcium- ionized, phosphate, CBC, reticulocyte count, basic metabolic pane, magnesium, and alkaline phophatase. Insert completely overwhelmed mother right about here.

Weeks previous, I had to hunt down raw goat milk and then all the high quality vitamins, minerals, and fats you add in order to make it as close to mother’s milk as possible. And now I have to discontinue it. Fudgesicles. Swallowing the stop breastfeeding pill was hard enough, but at least it was replaced with something natural and wholesome. And now I am supposed to feed my sick little baby a bottle full of corn syrup solids and soy and too many other chemicals for me to list. Bleh. But the more time went on the more sickly she got so I sucked it up (I have a pun problem). I had bigger fish to fry.

Blood work? Why would she need blood work? Well, could be low zinc. Could be cancer. Could be a number of reasons. None of which are all together comforting. But this pediatrician was at least doing something. She was taking this seriously and attacking it from several angles. For that I was thankful. So I left for the lab with the diagnosis of ” underweight, malnourished, and atopic dermatitis.” And my heart squeezed. And Jesus. Oh, how I leaned on Him. If you are in a similar boat I encourage you to do your own research. Listen to the doctors but also do not be afraid to seek out information. I knew that eczema would not go away by a bleach bath. It is only an outward symptom of an allergy or irritation. Bleach is a band-aide--- not a root cause. You do not have to do everything suggested. YOU are your baby's advocate. Work with your doctor but do not be pressured to do something you are not okay with. And on the same note, I had to eat some crow. I was very against this formula but did not know what else to do. My husband was a huge encouragement and reminded me that God can deliver her from anything He sees fit. Even GMO's and soy and sugar. So on we went down our path to thriving.

Hindsight Foresight and not Vaccinating

Vaccinations. Always a tough topic. So much information out there, and it is hard to weed through it all. I have four kids (so far) and each one has a different story. My first daughter was fully vaccinated to whatever the CDC suggested at the time. One year later when her sister was vaccinated there were already several injections added to what I felt was a lot to begin with. By the time my third came around I was doing research on the vaccine ingredients and effectiveness and not in love with what I was finding. The Dr. Sears below was my first book and it went from there.

I chose to follow Dr. Sears alternative vaccination schedule as I continued studying the information. There did not seem to be enough evidence that getting vaccinated either outweighed the side effects (possible asthma, autism, whatever) or provided a definitive edge over the issues. I mean, if my kid can still get it after the shot it does not seem worth it to me. And since when did chicken pox need a vaccine? I began to feel more and more that my little babies were just dollar signs to pharmaceutical companies perhaps.

Every parent has the right to decide for himself what to do for his child. Those who choose to vaccinate are welcome to it. And those who opt out are welcome to it. No need to make us feel like child abusers. Just saying. My fourth baby was not vaccinated at all. Something told me to stand firm and not do it-- at all. And oh were there sneers and questions and protests. And then she had all the drama with food allergies and was a hot mess. I cannot say this for sure, but I speculate that filling her already taxed body with all those injections would have wreaked havoc on her system. Besides heavy metals like aluminum (linked to Alzheimer's), formaldehyde (linked to cancer), many vaccines also include yeast and soy both of which my daughter is allergic to. So I can only imagine the possible stress having those in her bloodstream and cells would have done to her. So although other parents are open to vaccines, in my case I am glad I chose to skip them. Even prolonging them, thus going against the CDC plan, would have been better. In hindsight I am thankful for the choice.

Names of God

I have been loving Courtney DeFeo's scripture cards. For a while I was searching for something to keep on the kitchen counter to remind myself and my family the power of God's word.

Seriously. How cute are they? She has such a heart for filling up moms and kids with the joy of Christ. Check her out HERE. Problem of sorts. My kids LOVE to bake. One daughter in particular is a bakeaholic. She might need future counseling. Kidding. I just might need elastic pants. No kidding on that one. Anyway, let's just say poor Courtney's cards have been scattered smothered and covered with butter, baking soda and sugar to no end. I definitely need to order another set soon. In the meantime I decided to design some of my own. This year I really want to focus on paying more attention to the names of God and what they remind me about who He is. So I crafted a set of 5 X 7 cards to remind me. He is so amazing. And now my kitchen says so. Here is a little taste (get it) of how they turned out.

Recipe Cards

My husband was out of town a little while back so I had no one to watch tv with at night. Boo hoo. I decided to use that time instead to be creative. Lately I have been wanting to make a recipe box for all my essential oil recipes. That way when a kid (or Mom!) comes down with something, I can just flip to that issue-- say "C" for cough-- and read what recipes I have for that.

I have several great reference books but I like the idea of index cards because I can have all of them in one source and can make notes on the back. We make up roller balls for issues we face often, like allergies. So having the recipe handy is much more efficient than pinning it on Pinterest and trying to hunt it down in a moment of need. Feel free to download and print my design for personal use.

What are some of your favorite uses for essential oils? I like a drop of lavender on a spoonful of raw local honey to help with my allergies. Maybe Mary Poppins was on to something with that spoonful of (nature's) sugar idea...