How to Survive and Thrive in your Co-Op Day.

As homeschool families, we thrive in our homes and our routines. As much as we love the community aspect of our co-op days, sometimes co-op days upset our routine and are hard to handle. Is that just me? Here are some tips and tricks that help me to survive and thrive on our Co-Op Days with four children.

To help give you context for some of these tips. Our family has four children, ages 3 to 9, and we live very rurally. We have homeschooled since our oldest was 3, always with at least one day of co-op. For the last four years, I have been involved in the leadership of our co-op. So, some of my responsibilities on co-op day are more involved than yours might be.

Let’s dive right into the tips. If you see anything I have missed that helps you thrive in your co-op days, please comment below so others can see what works for you.

Start prepping backpacks and non-perishable snacks at least one day before community or co-op day.

My kids, even the 3-year-old, are responsible for the first attempt at packing their backpacks. For our co-op, they need to have a snack, a water bottle, and a presentation. My oldest also needs her textbooks for her afternoon class. On Sunday afternoon, in our house, the kids all gather their backpacks and put them under the front window of the living room so we can look through them together. If they are missing an item, we aren’t rushing as we run out the door to grab their water bottle or snack.

This is also where I will put all my items that need to be packed into the car. This provides us a landing spot to stage everything. Having a set place reduces the chance of items being left behind.

Before implementing this staging area, each child just put their things where they thought they wouldn’t forget them. But I didn’t know what things they wanted to take, and they didn’t get packed into the car. It was a mess, and there were tears (lots of tears). As I mentioned, we live rurally, and returning home to grab your presentation once we are in town isn’t an option. And it wasn’t just the kids who were forgetting things; I was also missing items when we got to town.

I also review my supply list for art and science needed for our co-op at least one day beforehand and put any extra supplies in the same staging area of the kids’ backpacks.

This staging area also allows the kids to help load the car in the morning. They know everything in this location must be in the back of the car.

Prepare a meal for lunch AND dinner for co-op day before you leave the house in the morning.

This was a game-changer for my peace of mind. Taking a few moments to start the slow cooker for dinner before we leave the house allows me not to rush when we get home to get dinner on the table. This is even more important this year, as our family also has one extracurricular class on Monday in addition to co-op. I do not usually recommend adding other regularly scheduled events to your co-op day, but we are trying it out this year.

I love to use The Family Freezer recipes for slow cooker dinners on co-op days. They are usually made with natural ingredients; my family will all eat them. If you are going to do this, you will need a slow cooker with a timer and a “keep warm” setting. This slow cooker pictured is one that I would use at co-op for lunch but not for cooking at home while we were gone all day.

Speaking of lunch, I will also use a slow cooker while the kids are in class, and I will go around making sure all the teachers in our co-op have everything they need throughout the morning. This will give the kids and me a warm lunch and even leftovers for my husband’s lunch the rest of the week.

Taking time beforehand to prep these freezer meals or gather the ingredients for the slow cooker the day before really helps me enjoy our time with our community and not worry about what is for dinner or having the right food or snacks for the kids.

If this brief introduction to how I use meal planning to reduce my stress during co-op interests you, you might be interested in joining the Homeschool Insiders. For September, I am going deeper into the tools I use for meal planning and sharing some of my favorite recipes inside the membership.

Limit the number of other appointments or activities on co-op day.

Over the last six years, I have found that trying to do too many other things on co-op days does not work out for anyone in the family. For our family, I try not to schedule doctor or dentist appointments, and I schedule any other meetings I have for another day than co-op day. This year, we are trying to keep our training schedule at our jiujitsu gym, but in the past, we have even limited this activity on co-op day.

Take Time to Connect with Friends

Finally, once you are at the co-op, take the time to connect with your friends. Try not to focus on the negative things that might have happened before or while you were trying to leave the house. Focus on the fact that you are there with your community and can enjoy the fellowship with your friends. This can be easier said than done, but being present throughout your day can help immensely.

Did I miss anything?

Is there something that helps you thrive on co-op days that isn’t mentioned in this brief list? Please comment below and share. My goal with Homeschooling Walla Walla is to provide a supportive community of homeschoolers who can support one another, even if we are in different co-ops or subscribe to different teaching styles. I believe each of us has something to offer to this community, and we are better together.