This coming school year will be our fourth homeschool year.  When we began I had a 2nd grader, a 4 year old and an infant.  At that point I knew doing a Co-Op would not be a good idea.  We were also involved in a MOPS group, which had us out one morning a week, and I just didn't think another morning away for a co-op would work.

I had intentions of joining a Co-Op this school year, but with our move in October, I decided to hold off because we just were not sure where we would end up.  Next year is the year though!  We are jumping on board and joining a co-op group.  I am super excited about this opportunity!  We have a good number of great groups in our area, and the one that I have chosen to join offers an amazing variety of options for my boys.

The registration for next years co-op came out a few days ago!  I am so excited about some new things that they are going to offer.  My boys will get to participate in a Lego Club, music, art, spanish, and science!  My little pre-k son will also get to participate in science, art, and music!

Why am I so excited about this?  Well for starters, I am not in any way, shape or form musically talented or artistically talented!  So to have someone else teach my kids that and have that kind of exposure is so awesome!  I am also excited about the opportunity to have an afternoon to myself once a week.  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but to get almost 3 hours to myself is very appealing right now!

Some reasons I love the idea of a co-op are that my kids will get to be exposed to other teachers besides me.  They will get to be "socialized"!  The fact that they will get to meet new friends and hang out with some old friends is a plus.  I also like the idea that they will get some time away from each other, you know the saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder, well it's totally true! I can see in my boys that when they have had some time apart they are much kinder to each other.

So yes, I do believe, for my family a Co-Op next year is the right decision!  I am grateful that my boys will get the opportunity to experience it!

Does your family do a co-op?  What benefits do you see from your kids being in one?  I would love to hear some pros and cons to a co-op situation.