Play-dates, chorus, church, sports, co-ops, and AHG - our answer to "the socialization problem"

One of the many objections to (concerns about?) homeschooling is the fear (worry? concern?) that homeschooled children will not be well-socialized.  After all, people think that since the children spend the "schooling hours" at home, within the same four walls as their own family, that they will miss out on the opportunities that public schooled children have to socialize with other people, particularly children in their own peer group.

This kind of makes me giggle, since I remember being chastised as a chatty young public school student with the admonishment "you come to school to learn, not to socialize!"

I am not blind to this concern, nor do I dismiss it out-of-hand. Instead, I look for ways to overcome this objection by being intentional about socializing my children.  

 I consider socialization VERY important, but not just socialization between my children and other children who happen to be the same age as they are!  I take J-Bird with me to my chorus, and she is the youngest member.  I am fairly certain the median age of this group is somewhere around 49.  She "socializes" quite well with these ladies, and I enjoy watching them coo over her. 

I forget sometimes just how little she really still is...

The world itself is a part of our classroom.  When I have banking to do, a package to mail, or the water bill to pay, I am dragging my kids here and there and everywhere and forcing them to talk to people of all ages. 

I belong to several online homeschool support groups which offer park days and outings such as roller-skating and bowling.   Pretty soon, basketball season will be upon us, and the girls will join an "Upwards" league.  In the summer, we give them golf lessons.The kiddos also have church Sunday School with children who are the same ages as they are.

Another way I am intentional about socializing our children is through homeschool co-op.  Our family is enrolled  in  the highly desirable Seeds of Faith Homeschool Co-op.  This is our third year with them.

First day of co-op, 2012

What is a homeschool co-op, you ask?  Basically, it's families pooling knowledge, resources and inclinations to give our children learning experiences not readily available in the home.

Translation: I'll teach your kid a subject you hate if you teach my kid a subject I hate.

Okay, well, not really.  At least, it is not always that, and it is not only that.

Sometimes it is simply giving homeschooled children some of the opportunities not readily available in a homeschool classroom.  Take gym class, for example.  Unless you are the Duggars, you are not going to have a sufficient amount of students in your homeschool to effectively offer games like "sharks and minnows", "spiders and flies", or even baseball.  

Science labs are another area of homeschooling often more efficiently handled through a co-op.  Many parents chipping in make the cost of all that fancy-shmancy lab equipment more affordable.  Plus, your home doesn't have to get all formaldehyde-stinky on frog dissection day.

Not only is our family enrolled in Seeds of Faith, I have also worked with a wonderful team of ladies to start an additional co-op closer to home, called HEARTH.

Because I had nothing else to do in all my spare time...

This year, my children are taking co-op classes that include: Martial Arts, Gym, Michigan  Facts and History, American Icons, My Amazing Human Body, Astronomy, and more.

First day of co-op, 2012 "silly face" pose

Our family is also a scouting family.  At least, the female 3/5 of us are (z-man isn't old enough, yet). The girls and I are members of American Heritage Girls.  The girls are earning badges this year in the Science and Technology, Heritage, and Family Living frontiers.  Also, as a part of the American Heritage Girls program, the girls and I have each completed well over 10 hours of community service (Z-man comes along when he can).

This is a highly sociable activity.  There are 22 girls in J-Bird and Trincy's age-level unit, and 46 girls altogether in our troop.  

Just try to keep that many 5-18 year-olds from socializing.  I triple-dog-dare you.

J-Bird - ready to March with Troop MI3130 at the Burton Memorial Day Parade.

Trincy - ready to march  with Troop MI3130  at the Burton Memorial Day Parade 

So, that is how our family handles the perceived "problem of socialization" in our homeschool.  I like that there are still educational components to these activities.  I must say that we are adequately busy, but not overly so.  Our co-ops and our AHG Troop each meet only every-other week,  This means we have entire weeks "off" when we can refresh and re-charge for our away-from-home learning adventures.

I'd love to hear how you have been intentional about socialization!

Thank you, God, for the wonderful volunteers who make all of these activities possible!