Kristi Nelson

Hello Everyone!

I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been attending
homeschool workshops, field trips and classes. We have gone to quite a
few and have yet to have a good experience. We keep thinking, this one
sounds good. Any suggestions?

Kristi

Lisa Heyman

Kristi wrote: I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been
attending
homeschool workshops, field trips and classes. We have gone to quite a
few and have yet to have a good experience. We keep thinking, this one
sounds good. Any suggestions?*****



My first question is who's idea is it to go the workshops, trips or class?
Yours or your childs?



Its helpful to know what the experience was that made it not good. Too many
kids, too schooly, too long? How old are your kids? Do they really need to
attend group workshops and classes? If its something that interests them -
why not just explore it as a family? If they/you are looking for group
experiences how about a park date with a group of homeschoolers? Or having
company to your house?



For years I organized many 'programs' and that way I was assured that they
fit the needs of my kids. Now when considering programs offered by other
homeschoolers I do heavy screening before committing to the event. I am
finding more and more homeschoolers organizing more and more schooly stuff.
When we started there everything was family style activities - no dropping
off for young kids. This doesn't seem to be the case as much and so while
something may sound interesting its just another schooled activity that
won't work for my never been schooled kids.



Lisa Heyman



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rebecca de

Kristi and Lisa: here in michigan we have some great nature parks that have really cool programs. I believe they really try to make them totally fun, educational, and interactive. Last Sunday I took my kids plus a couple others (ranging from 19 months to 14 years old) to a "hike and a movie". What they did is take us on a short walk looked where we could find bugs and insects . The guide talked specifically on what makes something an insect and had the kids carry some paper bags when we got to a stomp she had them 1 by one open their bags and she explained the life cycle of the ant. Now that may still too schoolish but I thought it was really fun -- plus afterwards we went for another walk. which was good for all of us..:) now the 14 year olds kind of hung around but they were free to go whereever they wanted .. I just wanted to do something family oriented together and after that they got to go to the movie of their choice:)

anyway point is check out local parks
Lisa Heyman <Lmanathome@...> wrote:
Kristi wrote: I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been
attending
homeschool workshops, field trips and classes. We have gone to quite a
few and have yet to have a good experience. We keep thinking, this one
sounds good. Any suggestions?*****

My first question is who's idea is it to go the workshops, trips or class?
Yours or your childs?

Its helpful to know what the experience was that made it not good. Too many
kids, too schooly, too long? How old are your kids? Do they really need to
attend group workshops and classes? If its something that interests them -
why not just explore it as a family? If they/you are looking for group
experiences how about a park date with a group of homeschoolers? Or having
company to your house?

For years I organized many 'programs' and that way I was assured that they
fit the needs of my kids. Now when considering programs offered by other
homeschoolers I do heavy screening before committing to the event. I am
finding more and more homeschoolers organizing more and more schooly stuff.
When we started there everything was family style activities - no dropping
off for young kids. This doesn't seem to be the case as much and so while
something may sound interesting its just another schooled activity that
won't work for my never been schooled kids.

Lisa Heyman

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hbmccarty

Hi Kristi-

We have participated in and planned many group activities. We belong to
a learning center of 68 families and for the most part it has been
really a great experience. It is a mixed group of families, but has a
strong value of accepting differences in family style and children's
learning styles. We have been pretty lucky.

The kids completely choose all their classes, each season and also day
by day- if they don't want to go that day we can call and cancel. I have
set up several classes based specifically around my kid's requests and
it is so fun to have other families join in. There are enough of us that
value play and having kids make choices that we have lots of relaxing fun.

Not to say there are not problems, but most of them are mine and I am
learning to have fun with my role there.

Being careful about finding out about what fits for your family is a
good idea. Also being sure you can try the activity and back out easily,
and that you can be with your kids if they want that. We have had no
problem with that around homeschoolers, only with afterschool programs.

Also, don't expecting them all to be like you. This has been my
mistake- to want them all to be radical unschoolers and to even dare to
think how much more FUN it would be if they were. This has been
disappointing.

My kids need and want to be around other people really badly, and these
people are willing and available- and are generally easier to get along
with than the schooled kids we meet though we have had some OK
experiences there too.

Ask me on another day and the story would be different. It can be so
frustrating to listen to parents speak about their children in
disrespectful ways, and watch interactions that seem needlessly difficult.

Heather

Kristi Nelson wrote:
>
> Hello Everyone!
>
> I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been attending
> homeschool workshops, field trips and classes. We have gone to quite a
> few and have yet to have a good experience. We keep thinking, this one
> sounds good. Any suggestions?
>
> Kristi
>
>

Kristi Nelson

> My first question is who's idea is it to go the workshops, trips or
class?
> Yours or your childs?

It is totally my dd's choice. I get the information online or other
ways and have her take a look and see if she is interested. If she is,
I set it up for her.
>
>
>
> Its helpful to know what the experience was that made it not good.
Too many
> kids, too schooly, too long?

Too schooly and from dd "too boring"

How old are your kids?

My dd is 13.

Do they really need to
> attend group workshops and classes?

She doesn't need to. It is just a way for us to get out and maybe met
other homeschoolers. We do not have much in the way of a support group
for unschoolers. There is a Yahoo group but not much chatting or luck
with any get togethers.

If its something that interests them -
> why not just explore it as a family?

That is something we have thought about and will probably start doing.

If they/you are looking for group
> experiences how about a park date with a group of homeschoolers? Or
having
> company to your house?

We haven't had much luck finding a group that we fit into.

We participated in a group earlier this year and I set up many of the
programs. We didn't have enough people show up to do many of the
activities, plus as we evolved more into unschooling, the activities
just didn't fit us anymore.

Thank you for your advice. I will start investigating the classes a
bit more, as you suggested. Maybe that will help.

Kristi

Kristi Nelson

You are very lucky to have such a center. We do not have one that is
within a reasonable driving distance. The majority of the classes we
attend are just too schooly. Many of the workshops provide the classes
to public school kids as well and I think that is where the problem
lies. They expect the same behavior and thinking. Plus, each worshop
we attend seems to have that one (sometimes more) child that just will
not stop interrupting and the parent is no where to be found. I
appreciate your advice!

Kristi

[email protected]

**I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been attending homeschool
workshops, field trips and classes. We have gone to quite a few and have yet
to have a good experience. We keep thinking, this one sounds good. Any
suggestions?**

I hate field trips, as a general rule. :) People generally try too hard to
make them "educational" and somehow manage to turn highly interesting and
exciting things into boredom and banality. Stupid craft projects, dumb worksheets,
docents who read the information plaques aloud without a scrap of new
information. Argh! :) We much prefer to do museums and such with just ourselves or at
most one other family. (And we do LOVE museums! We've gone out of our way to
see many, often at the request of one or another of our children.)

On the other hand :) my teens have gone to perhaps a dozen Shakespeare plays
over the last few years with a group of homeschool friends and parents.
Tickets are cheap as a "school group" and the friend who arranges it all isn't
interested in making sure it's "educational" by getting the "teacher materials" and
quizzing and such - they just talk, a lot, on the way home. Fun and
thoughtful, the way Shakespeare SHOULD be.

Every homeschool "art" class we've signed up for in 18 years has turned out
to be tedious and uninspiring at best. But we know other people who've had
wonderful experiences at other places and times, so we do know we've just had bad
luck there. :)

We've had the most fun with things we've set up ourselves OR where we really
know the other families well already, in general. Otherwise it's been very
helpful for me to "prescreen" by getting as much information from the organizer
as possible before commiting.

Deborah in IL


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Kristi Nelson

> I hate field trips, as a general rule. :) People generally try too
hard to
> make them "educational" and somehow manage to turn highly
interesting and
> exciting things into boredom and banality. Stupid craft projects,
dumb worksheets,
> docents who read the information plaques aloud without a scrap of new
> information. Argh! :)

That is what we are running into. They feel the need to meet academic
standards and destroy any interest that was there.

We much prefer to do museums and such with just ourselves or at
> most one other family. (And we do LOVE museums! We've gone out of
our way to
> see many, often at the request of one or another of our children.)

We have been doing that as well. Unfortunately, we haven't had much
luck meeting another family we have much in common with.

>
> On the other hand :) my teens have gone to perhaps a dozen
Shakespeare plays
> over the last few years with a group of homeschool friends and parents.
> Tickets are cheap as a "school group" and the friend who arranges it
all isn't
> interested in making sure it's "educational" by getting the "teacher
materials" and
> quizzing and such - they just talk, a lot, on the way home. Fun and
> thoughtful, the way Shakespeare SHOULD be.

I'll have to keep my eye out for these type of events. I have seen a
few posted lately, but so far they have been expensive.

>
> Every homeschool "art" class we've signed up for in 18 years has
turned out
> to be tedious and uninspiring at best. But we know other people
who've had
> wonderful experiences at other places and times, so we do know we've
just had bad
> luck there. :)

I think it probably depends on your family. We haven't had much luck
ourselves. Another family walks out saying how wonderful it was.

I guess that is why we homeschool. You can do what is right for you
and your family.

Thanks again,

Kristi