It's time to get our Ninja on, folks! Book races, talent shows & turkeys... oh my!

A lovely meeting was held last week by several local moms, chit chatting about the future education of our children. 

Ummm, I love that times 100 ; )

As a momma who will have children in both public and homeschool this year I can assure you, no matter your form of schooling- it can be lovely.

On to the nuts and bolts, folks!

There will be a Back To School Kick Off September 5th 6:30pm @ McSpadden Park, Chelsea 

Dress for a mess because we are going to be having fun! 

Watermelon eating contest

Relay race

Water balloon dodge ball

Sack races

Apple catching

It's sure to be a fun time! Please eat before you come or pack a snack for your family WE WILL NOT BE SERVING DINNER

***this is NOT an event only for Ninjas! It is for anyone who currently homeschools OR  considering homeschooling. It's for people in our group, considering joining our group OR not in our group at all! **  Remember, we exist to provide an outlet for homeshool familes to find lasting friendship, information, and to have ecnouragement for the long road of education. It's all abut making friends, sharing life together, all while learning!

A few things to look forward to!

Monthly we will be celebrating birthdays. Just a simple, monthly recognition of who had a birthday mixed with some sort of sweet to make it complete =) of course, right?! We know some children have peanut allergies so of course, you moms can make it special for your kiddos. We will have more info for this at the kick off. 

Book Race: Monthly, we will be having a reading challenge!  But first, allow me to share this:

I have enrolled our co-op in the Braums Buddy Book Club! These coupons will not be available for pick up until October. If your family is wanting to enroll outside of our co-op, go HERE! It'll be great! Your student reads, they get ice cream!

I tried to enroll our co-op in the Pizza Hut Book It Program. However, they said each family needs to enroll individually. WE LOVE THIS PROGRAM! It is just like the public school program. You read- they give you free pizza! It's as simple as that. If your family is wanting to enroll, go HERE!



Another reading program you can sign up for? Yes! The Six Flags Read to Succeed is FANTASTIC! We went last year! All you do is read, log it, and then they send you FREE TICKETS to the park of your choice! INCLUDING A FREE PARENT/TEACHER Ticket! and yes! It is for homeschoolers also! Just click on the homeschool link. Go HERE for more info.

As I mentioned before: We will be starting a monthly book race. Parents will track their students monthly reading according to child's skill set. Then, monthly we will have a book review where each kiddo will get up and say a one minute thing on what they read and why they liked it. Think, Reading  Rainbow: =)

Tentative Schedule of Events So Far:

September

Sept 5th: Kick Off @ McSpadden Park

Sept 12th: Mom Support Time -- bring your favorite homeschool find of the year, any book encouraging you, as well as your calenders! We will iron out all dates and questions over coffee during this co-op!

Sept 26th: George Washington Celebration-- Bring all you know or want to know about GWC! We will have  learning stations and various activities to help introduce our group to George in preparation of our upcoming trip to his little place in the world- where it all came to life!

October

CHECK IT OUT: During the month of October we will be taking about 20 minutes of co-op time to work with different age groups preparing for a Thanksgiving Program! This will be a Thanksgiving program like never before- each of the kids will have an opportunity to study, share, act, or preform something to  their liking related to first Thanksgiving time period. I imagine we will see lots of guns, feathers, poems, and yummy food. ; )  

October 3rd: George Washington Carver Trip (Missouri a little over an hour from here)

October 10: TBD  Possible FREE trip to Shepherds Cross? A Local Sheep Farm to celebrate fall! Click HERE for more info. 

October 17: Talent Show Prep

October 24th: EVENING Talent Show -- Does your kiddo have a special talent or art they'd like to share? Tell them to start thinking!  More info to be handed out at the kick off.  We will be doing this instead of a Halloween party.

October 31st: No Co-Op

November

November 7th: Thanksgiving Program Prep

November 14th: EVENING Thanksgiving Program

November 21st & 28th Thanksgiving Break

Last: A few more details? Yes!


There were several ideas for field trips: Everyone is ironing those out and will post info when they can. Do you have an idea for a trip? Let's get it planned!!!!

Next: we have been blessed to meet at the local baptist church for our weekly group times. We are hoping to expand our location to a local, convenient place where we can have access to outdoors as well as a possible gym or stage. If you have any connections within the community: Please let me know! we are happy to sign liability waivers.

I remember almost FOUR years ago when we started this little group. I had lived in this community for one year and only knew ONE homeschool family. One day, I met Becky - she was my second homeschool friend. When I met her and she said, "Have you ever thought of going to, or starting a co-op?" I SAID YES!!!! Let's do it.

We started the following week.

I remember standing before several families totally blown away-- they had been in our little community and I had no idea. Since then, our family has hosted a foreign exchange student, adopted two children, had lots of birthday parties, tea parties, little "get togethers" enjoyed meals with many of you. You have walked the hard road of adoption, multiplication wars, and frustrated homeschool mom moments with me.  When my kiddos attend someones birthday party and I notice so many co-op friends there, I realize, this is good.

I hope all of you know how much I love and appreciate you. I'm not the leader of this group-- we all "lead" The door is always open for communication and anything can be wiped off the calender and replaced with a better idea. It is safe here.

Tell your friends about co-op and the beauty of fellowship with other mommas. Invite them to the kick off!  I think it is key to success of homeschooling. At least for me, having people to walk the road of learning together has been beautiful.


STAY CONNECTED! 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/263796663699206/ Join the group for quick updates and access to other mommas!

I'm Kati! One of the mommas of this group. Feel free to call or text me: (918) 5 0 0- 0 one zero 1

Email at hnhomeschoolcoop @ gmail.com

Science, Peanuts, & Indoor Bathrooms-- hooray!

And we couldn't be more excited! 

Here is what's going on around Ninja land. 

#1 Science, Science, Science!

It's science experiment time! If you remember, last co-op each family signed up for a specific date to do a family science experiment presentation. If you have misplaced your date or forgotten it-- please contact Kati for your date.

Rules:
Each family can work as a team or as individual children. For example- we have two boys and four girls. There is a good change my boys will be doing an experiment and my girls will be doing a different one. You could also divide up into age groups. 

The experiment should last no longer than 20 minutes.

The experiment should be legal to perform inside of city limits and cause no damage to the church property. You may have use of the outdoors for small explosives. (oh my, this is so fun!) 

Please have an explanation as to how your experiment works, why you chose it. Also, if you could bring directions to share for others-- that would be GREAT! Then families can go home and test your experiment for themselves!

On science experiment days we will only meet from 1:15-2:30   We will end at 2:15 and clean up for 15 minutes.

#2 HUGE Field Trip May 23rd. **Peanut allergy beware** 

We're headed for the MOST FANTASTIC, AMAZING Best EVER field trip-- and this is NO Lie! George Washington Carver National Monument guided tour is one of the very best memories I have of my early homeschool days. And if you've been on homeschool day-- this is even better!! Simply because we have a peaceful tour with the guide all to ourselves. Please click the link above and look around the site for more info. This tour is from 10am-1pm. The tour will be divided up into two parts. First, we will take a tour of the grounds, gardens, homestead. Then stop for a picnic lunch (bring a family lunch) on the lawn. After lunch, we will enter the lab for a chance to become a "plant doctor" ourselves! CLICK HERE for a peek at what we'll be doing (PDF file). Afterwards, we can tour the AMAZING museum, historical classroom, and video room.

Located in Diamond, MO (Near Carthage, MO) Please plan 1.5 hours for driving time. (Google maps show 1 hour 19 min from Chelsea) A group will be leaving from the Vinita Wal-Mart @ 8:30am. Be sure to bring money for the toll road. $5 will be plenty for round trip.

I hope you and your family can join in on the fun! Trip is limited to 40 people total and RSVP is required, please. 

George Washington Carver National Monument
5646 Carver Road
Diamond, MO 64840-8314

Phone Headquarters 417-325-4151
Fax 417-325-4231

GWCA_interpretation@nps.gov

#3 Family Camp Out Coming SOON!

May 30th will be our end of the year party-- family camp out style! James and Melissa York have kindly offered their 40 acres for camping and adventure! We will be camping near the beautiful pond which is close to the house-- which means- YES, there will be bathrooms available ; ) More details to come, but save the date!

As always, it is such a joy to spend life together with you amazing families and I take great pleasure in serving you. HOWEVER don't forget- this is a GROUP and you have LOTS to offer!! If you have an idea, information, or even want to take charge on something- Becky, Jeanna and I gladly welcome you!!




Lovingly yours,

Kati Gibson
918-500-0101
kathlean gibson @ g mai l.  com

Get Your Serving Boots On-- we're headed out to lend a hand!

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45 

It always amazes me, that scripture. Really, the King of the world came to serve not to be served? There is no other king like that!

This Friday we will have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus loving on two great organizations in Chelsea. 

At 10:00 we will meet at the Harps Grocery Store parking lot and head over to the United Methodist Church to deliver our can goods. Remember, each family bring one can good per person in their family. Feel free to bring more or less-- whatever your family is able to bring would be helpful. 

Each week, around 4:30 you will see people of our community lined up outside the locked doors of this church waiting for the food pantry to begin. I love the way Jesus tells us to go and do -- I love that it's not up to us whether or not they deserve our help. We just get to plant seeds and pray for the harvest that one day will take place. The food bank is running very low. We are so blessed to be able to help them. The more food they have, the more people they can help.

At 10:30, after delivering food, we will head over to the Chelsea Boys and Girls Club. Mr. Addam, a life long resident of our little town works there. The Boys and Girls Club provides organized sports and after school care for many of Chelsea's kids for a very low cost. Funding for the Boys and Girls club is not always guaranteed and many of the staff work long hours for little pay. Indoor basketball at the Boys and Girls Club after school will make you think you've stepped back into the 80's, there is no air conditioning.  =) We will spend our morning painting and cleaning.

After our time at the B&GC we will head over to McSpadden Park for Ice cream cones (provided) . Feel free to bring a sack lunch for your family. 

Remember, even if you don't attend co-op on a regular basis, you are more than welcome to join in on the fun of loving others! 

See you Thursday! 

Joyfully Serving You and our Kiddos, 

Kati =)

The Bank, A New Art Class, and We're Goin' Country...

Well, we had a fantastic trip to RCB bank in Claremore at the end of February.

We divided up into two groups, I was told one was more "talkative" than the other (hmmmm, I think mine was the talkative one and Becky's the quiet one... Becky, surely that is a coincidence, right? HA!) Either way, it was such a great time! We toured all the "hidden areas" of the big banking world, did some hands on stuff, and was able to ask some fun questions.

Like when my son, Judah (4 at the time) asks, "So, do you have to lock allllll the doors before you go home at night?" and I almost cried, yeah... that was sweet.

I know Becky took more pictures, but I don't have those. So, if you were in the other group I don't have pictures of you =( 

Tomorrow, March 9th, we will have Art.

Tiffany Teel will be heading up a Mosaic Class for all the ages in the big room.

If everyone would bring any glue they have laying around and construction paper, that would be great. They will rip and design pictures. JUST ONES YOU ALREADY HAVE LAYING AROUND DON'T GO BUY ANY!

Sarah McDonald will be bringing supplies to make paper flowers with coffee filters for our little ones =)

Before art, Mrs Summer from the Health Department will have some hands on fun for us from 10:15-11:00 Let's hope she does a great job after seeing her age range last month ;)



We will also be selecting COUNTRIES for the next presentation day. Families will choose ONE country to study and learn about. Then we will come together on the fifth Friday this March to give our presentations as a family. All the kids LOVED the States and Presidents Presentations, at least they said they did by a show of hands last week ; )

Can't wait until tomorrow, see you then!