Why not Host a Home School Gathering?

Smile – Life is so busy in December, hey?  I sometimes wonder if my life slows down at all in other months…..  A home educating home seems to be always on the go AND always busy.  Especially if we have a few children!

BUT I’m here to remind you that hosting a home school gathering *at any time* is worth it! 

I just hosted a Home School Ornament Making Party (for younger children) and am planning on hosting a Home School Christmas Party (for the *big* kids) before Christmas, too.  I thought I would share some tips that make it work in our home and encourage you to do the same.  (Usually right before people arrive, I am thinking *What on earth was I thinking and why did I do this?*, but as the party goes on, I realize why I did it, and it almost always is for our children AND the home educating families in our area.  All it takes to make a Home School Gathering happen, is for one mom OR family to make a decision to host a gathering.)

So, a few weeks ago, I emailed the Home School Support Group members in our area, and asked who would be interested in an ornament making party.  5 families responded, we picked a time and day, and I got busy with picking ornaments for the kids to make AND then prepped all the things to make those ornaments.

The ornaments we made were:  Jumbo Popsicle Stick Snowman, a Santa Bell Ornament, Snowman Tea Lights, and Glittered Tree Ornaments.  A couple of them were a bit hard for the younger set, but the moms were there to help, as well as some older home schooled teenagers.  Both Snowman ornaments and the Glittered Tree Ornaments were the biggest hits, but the Santa Bell was cute, too.  I did end up charging $5 for each child that attended.  (I did learn to limit it to about 8 – 10 kids for the ornament making AND make sure you do a hot glue gun tutorial.  Not everyone knows how to use a glue gun.  smile)

We did about an hour and a half for the ornament making, then the children went off to play while the moms visited a short while.  Then the moms set up a potluck lunch.  We ate, and visited some more.  The kids enjoyed it so much.  Lots of racing around playing Sardines.  A couple of the moms were talking non stop.  It really was a lovely morning – totally worth the effort and noise.

I was thinking about the big kids a few nights ago – it was all families with under age 12 children that responded for the Ornament Making.  Our girls are 13 and 15 and it has been too long since they had some fun with home school friends.  Life is busy for all of us, and sometimes the fun extras are the first to go.  I ended up sending out another email to families with kids over 12 and suggested a gathering one afternoon the week before Christmas.  They really don’t need any supervision – other than a parent in the house!  I suggested great potluck snacks, and a movie or games.  I think they could probably talk the whole afternoon. 

There was some great responses to that idea.  They might even do a Yankee Swap - white elephant gifts.  I’ll see what would be fun for them. 

Yes, life is busy.  Yes, Christmas is coming.  Yes, our kids need some fun and friends.  Why not think about hosting a gathering this Christmas time OR in the New Year.  Make it a regular part of your home school year!{jcomments off}