Destination: homeschooling
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we are homeschooling our daughter who will be four at the end of this month. While I enjoy the one-on-one lessons, I do realize that she needs to be around other children her age. And I need other adults who are doing what I am doing. I searched for weeks to find one that would welcome us and not make us feel awkward. I did find a few groups on Yahoo but noticed that they were massive groups covering a rather large area. As a homeschooler relatively close to NYC, I wanted one that would have regular meet-ups and activities so that my daughter could be around more children her age.
Well, like most of my friends would expect, when I couldn’t find an all-inclusive group servicing my area I decided to create one. Introducing the Lower Westchester, NY Homeschooling Co-op. LoWest is a an group for homeschooling families living south of White Plains, NY. The goal is to unite us in a group with one focus- educating our children in an low-stress environment while fostering a love of learning. We will plan trips, activities, and even classes that will allow our children to learn in the way that is best suited for them.
In addition, I also created the NYS Secular Homeschoolers Club. I love the idea of homeschooling but I dislike the isolation that one can feel when homeschooling for reasons not shared by the majority of homeschooling families. My husband and I are atheist which makes it very hard to find a homeschooling group. We approach education from a non-religious standpoint and while I know that we are not in the majority, I do know that there are others like us out there. Unfortunately, other than online Secular Homeschool.com, there is no organized group for families like ours in NYS. I wanted to offer a religion-free place for academic homeschoolers to go for an exchange of ideas and information. It is my hope that the community will grow and allow families to connect on a more local level.
It wil be exciting to watch these groups grow. If you know anyone who is homeschooling or thinking about it or if you are looking for a way to supplement your child’s traditional education, please join us.
Hi Kristina!
I have been wanting a group that meets weekly too–close by to us. I don’t want to have to drive hours and hours for a homeschooling community. I’m so happy you started the group. Let’s talk about how we can make it what we need and want it to be!
Hi Chi-Chi. Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to getting to know you better and I will be stopping by your blog.