Groups for Homeschoolers

9 parent questions ▼
Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Homeschool group/microschool

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    Feb 26, 2024

    Hello BPN families, 

    I am getting disillusioned with my son's school and am looking into other options for him. I love the idea of homeschooling but the logistics of me being the main person educating my son is more than I can bite off right now. 

    Are there any homeschool groups in the area that have a teacher/guide who works with a group of kids regularly or a micro-school of sorts? Looking for something in the El Cerrito, Berkeley area or close by. 

    If not I'd love to connect with other families that might be interested in starting something like this. 

    Thanks! 

    Feb 26, 2024

    Hi there.  Trackers in Berkeley has a microschool/homeschooler programs.  Also, there's a sweet little microschool on San Pablo Av in Albany called In Addition Center.  Lot's of people homeschool now, so I'm sure you'll get more recommendations.  Good luck! 

    Feb 28, 2024

    If you are in BUSD, they have an assisted homeschool program (Berkeley Independent Study - BIS) that is open to anyone in the district who would like to go that route.  My son did BIS for a year in 6th grade, and he learned and grew so much during that year.  Kamala Asher is the K-8 coordinator as well as one of the lead teachers, and she's amazing.  You can do as much - or as little - lesson planning as you like.  There are many pre-made resources and lesson plans to draw on, or you can design your own plan - it's very flexible.  Students meet with their teacher once a week along with their "home teacher" (that's you!) and there are other opportunities to interact with BIS families as well (art, book clubs, garden class, etc.)  The garden program in particular is incredible.  Overall, if you are in the district and thinking about homeschooling, I'd definitely check out BIS.  Links are:

    Kamala Asher:  kamalaasher [at] berkeley.net

    https://www.berkeleyschools.net/schools/independent-study/

    https://www.berkeleyindependentstudy.com/garden

    Feb 28, 2024

    There are facebook groups with homeschool groups in the area such as SF bay area homeschool network and east bay area homeschoolers.

    Mar 1, 2024

    If your son enjoys music/singing, I would highly recommend looking into the Pacific Boychoir Academy in Oakland, right off Piedmont Ave. They are a micro-school in terms of size with individualized learning for 3rd-8th graders. They also have a program for homeschoolers who participate in the music portion only and attend for half the day. There are also former homeschoolers who are now in the day school and my impression from speaking with other parents is that the transition went very well for their boys. We actually pulled my son from his school mid-year due to bullying and he's excelled in the small environment at PBA. We've been very pleased with how the school is able to cultivate a culture of kindness among the boys. I think much of this has to do with the small size and teacher/student ratio, in addition to the top notch instruction which includes a lot of social/emotional support. They are relatively affordable as private school options go and have pretty generous scholarship opportunities. Happy to answer any questions if you are interested in hearing more about the school. 

    Mar 12, 2024

  • Looking for Homeschool groups for Kindergarten

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    Jul 8, 2023

    Hello, we are looking into homeschooling for our 4yo that will attend K this fall. He is signed up for public school but because he will be 5 after school starts we feel he is young. I am a credentialed teacher and our plan is to teach the K curriculum at home over the year and then enter him into 1st grade the following school year. Our only concern is keeping him connected with a group of kids he will get to know over the year. He is social, confident abs loves making friends. 
     

    Are there any families in a similar boat that want to start a weekly meet up whether be for academics, outside play, science trips or more?
     

    Are there nonreligious weekly groups that already meet anywhere from Castro valley to Berkeley?

    Jul 8, 2023

    Hello,

    We would be interested in this also and our child is in the same boat.  I was just looking into homeschooling resources and saw your post.  Please contact me if you like.  

    Ashley Kim

    Aug 4, 2023

    Hi there,

    We have a three 1/2 year old and are in a similar situation, except for preschool instead of kindergarten. We are looking for a group of kids to stay connected socially while working on some preschool/structured play learning at home or outdoors. I am an art elementary teacher so can also provide facilitation for small projects for the group at times. Would love to be part of a regular meet up. 
     

    please contact us here if you decide to organize something! 

    *************************************

    [moderator note: please contact each other via usernames independent of BPN's Q&A page now that there are several of you wanting to meet. Good luck!]

    Aug 10, 2023

    There is an established homeschool group, aohl.net you could check into. Also know that you don’t need any legal structure and can unenroll for any reason from public school until your child is 6 as of Sept 1 of whatever year that happens. At that time you’ll need legal structure and need to either enroll in a charter, PSP (private school satellite), or file a private school affidavit and create a small private school. Also, Homeschool Association of CA hosts regular free homeschool 101 sessions. Sign up at HSC.org/quickguide next ones are 8/16 and 9/6, both at 7pm on zoom.  

    Aug 16, 2023

  • Home school collectives?

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    Aug 8, 2022

    I am curious if there are any collectives or collaboratives creating homeschool experiences for small multi family groups? Thanks to the pandemic zoom solution and some old school public schooling, the challenge of getting an IEP going and then implemented, our student is struggling with school as a concept. The social angle and the training and the need to be employed stand in the way of our imagining traditional homeschool. As we consider all options, I am wondering about something in between private school and homeschool: small group, student centered, sometimes collaborative and project based, always encouraging curiosity and differentiated instruction. One can dream! Has anyone created or discovers and experienced something like this? Like a learning pod during the shutdown but without the district zooms and seasaws, with a trained/experienced teacher. Are there small private schools that meet this description?

    Aug 8, 2022

    We are looking for something exactly like this!  Our little guy is young, 2.5 years old.  Would love to see if there are options like this!

    Aug 13, 2022

    We are about to start our first year there so I don’t have a ton of first hand experience but my son (6 years old)’s school, Walden Center, seems like it might be a good fit. It’s very small (my son’s 1st grade class is 9 students total!) and so far we love it. You can read more about Walden that others have written in BPN. They are still open to late enrollment I believe for this school year.

    Aug 13, 2022

    Did you see the recent post for The Earth School: Small group homeschool? I don't know anything about it but it seems like it's just what you're looking for. Search BPN for 'schools with current openings'. I think it was posted last week.

    There is also Outside School. Again, I'm not personally familiar but it is listed under schools with current openings and I know it's been operating for several years. 

    My last suggestion is check out Crestmont School. My son attended for several years and we enjoyed every minute of it. Yes, it is a school but it's a really unique one that checks all your boxes. Small class size, differentiated teaching, engaging, creative, meaningful  projects and a comprehensive social justice curriculum. It is a  "modern day co-op" with a vibrant and inclusive community. You can peruse the many positive reviews on BPN

    Good luck! 

    Aug 18, 2022

    If you are open to a collective meeting outdoors at Tilden, we recommend connecting with Brooke at Seeds of Love Collective! She is experienced, credentialed, and resourceful at facilitating engaging projects for kids. Our child thrived in her pod during the 2020-21 school year (when they were 5) in Trackers Micro-school. Trackers is not running Micro-school this fall but Brooke is creating a literacy and science focused collective on her own. https://www.seedsoflovecollective.org  

    Aug 19, 2022

    Check out Without walls learning collaborative, a family cooperative that meets 9:30-4 M-f, mostly at Miller/Knox in Richmond but we also rotate to other parks in the area and take monthly field trips. www.withoutwallslearning.com 

    Sep 11, 2022

  • Homeschooling in the East Bay

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    Jan 31, 2021

    I’m considering pulling my kids out of public school and homeschooling. Does anyone know if there is a homeschooling group in the East Bay that I can contact with questions?

    Jan 31, 2021

    Hello! I homeschooled my kids for many years and Alameda Oakland Home Learners has been a wonderful community and resource for our family! AOHL weekly Park Days have been on hiatus due to the pandemic but folks in the group are welcoming and helpful to new and experienced homeschoolers and some get-togethers are happening on Zoom for parents currently. Here is their website: http://www.aohl.net

    Feb 9, 2021

  • Teenage homeschool groups in SF

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    Mar 30, 2018

    Dear BPN:

    my wife and I are seriously considering home schooling our 14 year old this coming fall and we'd like to find other families we can meet & talk to and possibly have social activities with in San Francisco with but its been difficult searching on the web as most leads seem to dead-end. We saw an advert on Facebook for an upcoming home school prom but that's about it. Any suggestions, contacts &c are much appreciated. 

    Thank you,

    Roger

    Mar 30, 2018

    I invite you or anyone else to call the Homeschool Association of CA, I am the Phone Line Coordinator, for help. 1-888-HSC-4440. You are also welcome to attend one of two free talks I am giving April 26 at 1 and May 10 at 6pm at the San Jose Bascom Library regarding if homeschooling is for you. Feel free to contact me directly as well, I can help you with resources and how to find your people.

    Library info:

    1000 S Bascom Ave
    San Jose, CA  95128
    https://events.sjpl.org/event/is_homeschooling_for_you

    Apr 2, 2018

  • Homeschool group for 14 year old

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    Dec 13, 2017

    I was wondering if there are any homeschool groups that have teenagers in Berkeley or close by. I started homeschooling my 8th grader this year and we are looking for a community to belong to.

    Dec 13, 2017

    Hi,

    I homeschooled my kids for a few years (in the upper elementary/middle school years). To be honest, the social piece was the part I found most difficult--there simply aren't as many homeschoolers around as the internet would have you believe. But with some searching and a willingness to travel a little, you should be able to find some kindred spirits. There is a group on Facebook called "SF East Bay Homeschool Teens." I also suggest checking out Tri Valley Explorers which is out by Pleasanton https://www.trivalleyexplorers.com/. There is another group called SF Bay Unschoolers, which has a yahoo group you can look up; they hold park days in Berkeley pretty regularly.

    Best of luck!

    Dec 19, 2017

    Hi!  We'd love to have you visit us at Alameda Oakland Home Learners.  Check out aohl.net for a calendar of our park days. We have a little group of middle schoolers, including my sons, ages 11 and 13.  Feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions!

    Warmly,

    Alanya

    Dec 26, 2017

    Hi I have been homeschooling my 12 yo with the support of Valley View Charter school and he attends classes at a wonderful micro school with mixed ages in Albany Called In Addition. Vonnie is the director and can be reached at tel:(510) 693-1959

    My son also enjoys going to Trackers homeschooling classes. Trackers is in Berkeley across from Ashby Bart  there’s lots of various classes and programs  

    Good luck! 

    Jan 2, 2018

    We are part of a homeschooling charter, the Hickman Charter Annex, which mostly takes place at Live Oak Park in Berkeley. They meet something like 18 Wednesdays/year, nominally for classes (which, at the middle school level, includes an absolutely phenomenal Shakespeare program), though in large part for the social interactions that happen before, during, and after. My 7th-grader has a number of friends from there, and participates in other activities with them outside of Hickman. We've had absolutely no trouble finding enough socialization for her, and Hickman is a big part of her community! Same for my son.

    Jan 15, 2018

  • Homeschool group, coop or small private school

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    Nov 21, 2017

    Hi - We are a family in the Hercules area of the bay, looking to connect with other homeschooling opportunities.  We are a family of 4, with two girls 10.5 & 8.5 years old.  Hoping to connect with a homeschooling group that is 20 miles local to Hercules (Berkeley, Walnut Creek, Vallejo).  Currently considering co-op, charter, or (possibly) private small school opportunities for 2018 and looking for recommendations.  Girls are pretty typical giggly, quirky, and bright bay area kids.  Wanting something close to north/east bay.  Welcome suggestions for meetup group, co-ops, charter opportunities.  Thanks for any suggestions! 

    Nov 21, 2017

    I wanted to reply to the part of your question that concerns small, private schools for 2018-19. I am a parent at Berkeley Rose Waldorf School and I also now work for the school as the Outreach Coordinator. My children are in first and fourth grades. I invite you to come explore our school at our tour on Thursday, November 30 at 8:30 am or our open house on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 10 am to learn more about Waldorf Education. Our programs are centered around delivering the curriculum as it is developmentally appropriate based on children's learning stages. We have had several homeschooling families successfully transfer into our school in the last years. The class sizes do not go above 20:1 in the grades (and are currently more like 14 kids per grade); we are at 120 children in our school from preschool to fifth grade and will be adding sixth grade next Fall.  We offer Mandarin and Spanish, orchestra, music, handwork, movement, math and language arts, gardening and lots of outdoor time with fine art integrated into every subject.  If this sounds like it might be appealing to your family, you are welcome to come see for yourself. Our community is wonderful and the rewards of volunteering are a large part of our success. Our tuition is approximately half of what most schools of our quality and capacity charge in this area. Good luck in your search. --Kim   kim [at] berkeleyrose.org

    Nov 22, 2017

    If you're considering a private co-op be sure to check out Crestmont School in the Richmond Hills. It's a small co-op elementary school which expanded last year to include its first middle school cohort. My son just started kindergarten this year and we couldn't be happier. We love the small class sizes, the emphasis on project based learning,social-emotional development. and social justice. Not to mention the many,many field trips, amazing school community, enthusiastic teachers and really sweet, kind kids. It's a special place, please feel free to come for a visit:  http://www.crestmontschool.org/apply/tou...

    Nov 22, 2017

    Hi!

    We are also a homeschooling family in the Hercules area! My 3 oldest kids, ages 6-10 recently started attending micro school one day a week at In Addition: http://www.inadditionedcenter.com/microschool.html

    It is run by two wonderful certified teachers who because it is :not: a school have a ton of flexibility in the way things are presented. Because of the small class size they can adjust to the individual child's needs and really give them 1:1 attention. The classes are roughly broken up by groupings of K/1 and 2-5, and 6+ so that the teachers can do differentiated instruction. For example, my 1st grader went on a hike to gather some leaves, which they then painted with shaving cream, and my 3rd & 4th graders engaged in a group activity where each of the children acted out a different part of city government (think mayor, parks & rec., etc.) It provides the types of group activities that you cannot get within your own family, but with all homeschooled children. This week they were working on haikus, and non-fiction reports about turkeys that live in the east bay, among other things!

    Additionally, one of my favorite aspects of In Addition is how responsive the owner/head teacher Vonnie is. She is always reachable and does her best to accommodate schedules, which with 5 kids can be complicated! For example, I recently asked her about reading tutoring for my 8 year old, and she set up a small reading group which has led to wonderful progress!

    Anyhow, I really love this place, and it fits in with our other activities nicely. My kids love going there and always ask when they will be going back! Feel free to contact me off list!

    Dec 15, 2017

  • Homeschool Co-op Elementary?

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    Aug 11, 2016

    Hello All,

    We have recently relocated from Brooklyn to Oakland. In Brooklyn, our 6 year old daughter attended the RAD School, which was a "homeschool collective" where several families shared the cost of a private teacher. Does anyone know of something similar here in the bay? Is anyone looking to start something similar here?

    Thanks!

    Aug 11, 2016

    Hi there,

    We are a homeschooling family in SF. My son is 7 yrs old.

    Oh, I would love to find/start a Homeschooling group/coop. 

    Somethng in the East Bay would be perfectly fine with us; doesn't need to be in SF.

    Please contact me via my BPN username.

    Thanks!

    Aug 17, 2016

    Also interested in something like this in SF. Anyone have any leads? Thanks

    Aug 24, 2016

    If you are interested in a co-op school (rather than a homeschool co-op), check out Crestmont School in Richmond.  My daughter goes there and we love it.  Because Crestmont is a co-op, there is a high level of parent involvement in and out of the classroom and a very strong community.  There's still a few seats available if you were looking for something this school year. 

    Sep 1, 2016

    SF family (billynare) please contact me via my username; let's talk about what might be possible. There is a need!

    Sep 7, 2016

  • lgbt parent homeschooling

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    Aug 8, 2016

    Hi

    Would like to find others who are part of the lgbt community who are homeschooling. Does anyone know of any groups?

    Thank you

    Brenda

    Aug 8, 2016

    You might contact HSC , HomeSchool Association of California (http://www.hsc.org )

    They have lots of resources for all types of homeschoolers and could probably point you in the right direction. They have a local advocate you can speak to as well as a listing of local groups. Just look through the drop-downs when you mouse over the main headings on their homepage. Good luck. I hope you find what you are looking for.

    Aug 10, 2016

    I don't know of anything, but would be grateful if you would share what you find out!

    thanks!

    alea

    Aug 10, 2016

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Questions

Looking for other homeschooler families

Sept 2014

We are homeschooling our two sons, ages 8 and 10, after many years in public school. We don't have any friends who homeschool, and find park days where everyone already knows each other a little intimidating. I'm also aware of various events at Chabot, LHS, etc.... What would be ideal would be to meet up with homeschoolers who are also public school vets. Any advice greatly appreciated. Amy

While your post indicated that park days feel intimidating, I want to let you know that there are a wide variety of families who go to park days. There are always families coming for the 1st time & others who've come for years & everything in between. You will also find lots of public school vets; also families where one child is being homeschooled while another is going to public school, or families where they've gone back & forth with schooling choices.

On Monday afternoons, Homegrown Kids meets from roughly 1-5 at the following parks: Orinda, Codornices, Kennedy Grove near El Sobrante, Shorebird, and, on 5th Mondays, Arlington Park.http://www.homegrownkids.org/ The schedule is posted on line, no membership needed.

On Tuesday afternoons, the SF Bay Area Unschoolers (SFBunnies) meet at Berkeley & sometimes Oakland or Emeryville parks. SFBUN (Unschoolers) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFBUN/ They do not post a public schedule for the park days. You need to ask for get into the group.

On Thursday afternoon, the Alameda-Oakland Home learners get together, alternating between Oakland & Alameda at wide variety of parks (much more variation in parks than the Mon or Tue groups). (AOHL) http://www.aohl.net/

All 3 groups do additional activities: field trips, getting together to go to plays, camping trips. The parents of AOHL also offer quite a lot of classes for kids in writing, science, debate, book club, etc. To get all the info about classes, etc for aohl, you need to become a member ($15/Sept-Aug 'year').

I wish you all the best in your homeschooling journey and all the support and resources you are hoping to find. happy homeschooling

 

Want to form a homeschooling collective

June 2014

Mom in north El Cerrito interested in home-schooling 6 year old son next year looking for other moms interested and/or enrolled in home-schooling in Contra Costa County to teach and take turns in some sort of collective style. Would love some age diversity and experience with home-schooling!

You might want to post your question on these groups as well:

SFBUN (Unschoolers) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFBUN/

Alameda Oakland Home Learners (AOHL) http://www.aohl.net/

Homegrown Kids: http://www.homegrownkids.org/home

Also, there is a locally made documentary coming out later this year that is growing community: https://www.facebook.com/ClassDismissedMovie and http://www.homeschoolfilm.com/
-Kim

Email lists and online groups for homeschoolers?

Nov 2011

I am considering home schooling my child for various reasons. Would any homeschooling parents please share which email lists/online groups they belong to, that have been most useful for you? Thank you! Potential Homeschooling Parent

The Community Learning Web (communitylearningweb.com) is great and I have heard good things about Hickman Charter School (a resource center for homeschoolers, located near MOCHA in Oakland). There are several groups, including Homegrown Kids, SF Bay Unschoolers, and Alameda Oakland Home Learners -- all of these host park days in the east bay. Also check yahoo for local homeschool group listservs, andhsc.org for the Homeschool Assoc. of CA. happy homeschool mom

join the yahoo group BAHFT (bay area homeschoolers field trips). Join regional and national homeschooling groups which support your needs/reasons for considering HSing (e.g., SENG, 2e, Calvert, ADHD, SPD, LDS, Davidson) check out the great resources at http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/ happy HSing

There is a yahoo group SFBUN - San Francisco Bay Unschoolers. Unschooling is a particular flavor of homeschooling. To learn more about it google Growing Without Schooling and look up the work of John Holt, John Taylor Gatto and Grace Lewellyn. This website is also a good place to start:http://freechild.org/unschooling.htm EK

Meetup - I've joined a couple of really good groups through Meetup - just go to the Search boxes and enter in ''homeschool'' for topic and your zip code for area.

Yahoo Groups - Another great resource. Do a search for ''SF Bay Area'' and ''homeschool'' (or something similar), and you'll get a wealth of choices.

Both of the options mentioned above would be for online groups that also meet in person (usually a couple times per week, at least). If you're interested in an online only listserve-type of group, I personally like Well-Trained Mind Secular (find it through Yahoo groups); I'm also on a couple of Catholic homeschooling lists, as our family is Roman Catholic.

It also depends on what type of homeschooling you're interested in - we're doing the 'classical' method, but others are unschoolers, Waldorf, eclectic, etc. You'll find groups for all homeschooling persuasions online - Yahoo groups is great for that.

Good luck in your homeschooling journey! We are just starting out, but so far have found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. Please feel free to contact me at my email address if you'd like more info about anything. Monica

How to find unschooling families in the area

Oct 2010

I'm a stay-at-home mom to a lovely, sharp three-year-old and next year she will be ready for preschool. The topic of ''unschooling'' is something I've been reading about and I am strongly interested in doing that in lieu of the traditional school route. However, I'm not sure how to find some unschooling families in the area (Berkeley/Oakland) to get some more information about it. Does anyone know how I could get in touch with some families who unschool? I'm hoping to not only make contact and ask questions, but even hang out with them to see what it's like. Any help on this topic is appreciated! Rachel

There is a huge community of unschoolers here in the SF Bay area! You can find many of them online here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFBUN/ The best way to get to know more unschoolers is to come to some of the events that happen every week. There are a lot of younger kids who come to the Berkeley SFBUN parkdays on Tuesday afternoons! There is also a gathering every month in which many of the families come from all over the bay area and the kid age ranges from newborn to teen, and everyone is very friendly and open. Feel free to email me if you would like more info, Sam

Unschooling/Homeschooling Teen groups in East Bay?

April 2010

My son is currently in 9th grade and has just moved to El Cerrito. We are wondering if there are ways to connect with other teens in the area who are studying at home. I'd also like to hear any advice from parents who have tried unschooling with their teens.

There is a yahoo group called San Francisco Bay Unschooling Network (SFBUN), and some of those families have teens. In addition, a homeschool cooperative for teens is forming called High School Without Borders (http://www.highschoolwithoutborders.com/), which will be offering social networking and classes in the East Bay for homeschooling teens. Jennifer

High School Without Borders is a newly formed group of experienced and new home schooling families who want a unique, interesting, challenging, college preparatory high school level education for their East Bay kids. http://www.highschoolwithoutborders.com/ Best wishes.

Earlier Advice

Nov 2004

There are many resources for homeschooling in the Bay Area. There are local support groups that have regular park days for informal socializing. There are websites and email lists dedicated to giving out information about field trip opportunities, classes and social functions. For academics, families can choose from several options including charter school specializing in independent study, district independent study programs, private independent study programs and private school affidavits (R-4s). Here are a few phone numbers and websites to get you started:

Some local support groups and contacts:

Family Village - meets at Corodonices Park in Berkeley every Monday afternoon (weather permitting). Mary D.

Home Grown Kids - meets around the East Bay weekly. Marianne F.; Lucy K.

Alameda Oakland Home Learners - meets in Oakland and Alameda on Thursday afternoons. Jennifer O.

Websites:

The Homeschool Association of California - www.hsc.org HSC has information for new homeschooling families and also runs the Home=Education Conference every summer in Sacramento. They offer speakers and workshops which are really great for both the new and veteran homeschooler.

Homefires - www.Homefires.com - for lots of local information including an extensive list of local support groups and contacts.

California Homeschool Network: www.californiahomeschool.net - information on the legality of homeschooling in California.

Independent study charter schools serving the Bay Area:

Bay Area School for Independent Study (BASIS): www.basischarter.org or call 510-687-9111

Hickman Charter School (Berkeley Annex): www.hickman.k12.ca.us or call (510) 525-3111

Connecting Waters Charter School: www.connectingwaters.org or call 800-808-9895

Thank you,
Julie

February 2003

Hi to All, I started (with a few bumps) a group that meets on the last friday of the month 7:30 - 9:00pm at the El Cerrito Plaza Barnes and Nobles, a group for homeschooled/ing teens and their parents. It is an inclusive group designed to support parents through this teen time and to allow teens to met new teens. Relationships and issues and challenges and joys come and go so fast during these years. The teens met in the book stacks and chat and ask the parents if they come up with any idea's for fun/learning they want the parents to support. While this is happening, the parents chat and share what works, what isn't, what could be interesting to do as a group or a few, etc. It is meant to become a group of parents who commit as regulary as they can through these years but who also in all probability have a schedule that does flucutate, like mine! For more information come check it out. I will be the one with the coffee cup looking around constantly! Lucinda