“Social time, learning how to work with other teachers and their expectations and styles, and for me personally I love when the kids come home having done a project that I've meant to do with them for years, but never managed to do!” –Kieran
“It's so much more than the run-of-the-mill co-op that you read about. It gives your kids the opportunity to experience all the brick-and-mortar school things that you really DO want your kid to experience: school photos, the yearbook, pizza day, recess, the Scholastic book orders, lunch in a cafeteria. Those are all simple, simple things that really do end up meaning a lot to kids who would normally feel that they were missing out. Those same kids are angry that it ends in May. How dare we take a summer break!” -Eileen
“I've liked that my kids have made friends with other homeschoolers, I've connected with other parents, they're able to take classes that cover more than I'd have time for at home, they learn how to interact with different teaching styles, we get to do fun field trips, and we all have a sense of community!” -Susan
“The chance to socialize regularly each week with kids of all ages. The multi-age aspect is big for us. Both of my girls and I assist with younger kid classes and we all enjoy the experience. Also the opportunity for my girls to be around adults that treat children with respect is a plus. I like the independence that is developed as my kids manage getting themselves from class to class each Tuesday. My kids are learning responsibility as we pack up for each Tuesday. I like the Ed Fair because my kids get to work on long-term projects.
There are guidelines but also many opportunities for creativity and self-expression.I like that my kids have responsibilities to do work for someone other than me. They learn how to interact with other adults as their teachers. And, the dances… can’t leave out the dances. The opportunities for some of the "rituals" of growing up are made possible in a group as large as Fireside. Yearbook, Musical theater and Children's theater are also opportunities that become available in a larger group. AND, for the Moms/Dads, I like that there is the option to socialize or the option to sneak into the study hall for some quiet time each Tuesday. And, of course, a combination of both is possible. And I also like that Fireside is "inclusive" which means you meet all different types of families with different philosophies.” -Jill
“My kids
love going to Fireside each week to see their friends and make new ones each
year. The elective classes are their favorites like Odyssey of the Mind, Stem
lab, Art, and Musical Theater are among the favorites because they are the
things you need bigger groups for. Also the field trips, educational fairs, and
dances. The kids don't miss out on anything.” -Kathy
“The whole family making new friends!” -Tami
“We like the inclusive atmosphere at Fireside and the ability to take classes that wouldn't work without a group to make it successful or ones that require expertise I might not have.” -Maggie
"I honestly don't know what we would do without Fireside. We absolutely love our Tuesdays and it is our favorite day of the week! We are going into our 5th year and every year it gets better. The friendships that my kids have made are life long and wonderful, but it's nothing compared to the parental ones I have made myself. I look forward to Tuesdays just as much as my kids do. True story". -Sarah
“It's a
family community. It gives parents and children the opportunity to find friends
with similar philosophies and interests AND friends with different ideas to
share and learn from, which is difficult in smaller, niche groups.
It provides
some structure (which I never knew I'd want, lol) to the homeschooling week.
While other days may get chaotic with doctors appointments, field trips,
errands, or chores, Tuesdays are always fully devoted to homeschooling, even though
we're not home!
Fireside
has given my kids, especially the older ones, the chance to explore who they
are outside of our family unit, apart from their siblings, with friends and
teachers they see regularly, not just for a season or once in a while.
As a family
community, I trust that my kids are safe spending most of the day going off to
wherever they need to be, and that the adults they're with care about them.
I love that
my kids get to explore interests we might never have considered and take affordable
classes I would not be comfortable teaching. I'm grateful for the parents who
share their talents and for the opportunity to contribute to other families'
homeschooling experience.” -Carrie
