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Cheryl
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If you were to start a local support group, who would you invite?
all homeschooling moms?
all Catholic moms?
What type of meeting would it be?
an informal tea?
a book discussion?
an event/field trip planning meeting?
a craft night?
Have you ever started a support group or a meeting? How did you go about it? If you joined one, what does yours do? I'd love to hear about your favorite support group meetings.
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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Christine
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When I joined our group, we (the moms) met at a restaurant on the second Friday of each month. We met in the evening so that fathers could watch the children. Babies and nursing toddlers were welcome. I really enjoyed the meetings. We had a topic/planning scheduled for each meeting, but we were flexible. My children loved it and referred to these Friday nights as Daddy's Night. I miss getting together with these moms, who have become wonderful friends, but as our families grew it became increasingly difficult to meet. Now, we just have the potlucks for the whole family (the center around a feast day) and beach/park days in the summer.
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Christine
Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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Paula in MN
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I don't belong to a local one, but I would like to.
But then, I think of this forum as my daily support group!
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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KC in TX
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Well, we started with park days and then started adding in field trips. The three moms who started it did anyway, I just sort of sailed in on their coattails. We usually all attend the same Friday daily mass and then go to the parish hall for a bit of fellowship. Then we will have a field trip or go to the park. It's a great support for us.
Our group is Catholic. There's a huge one here that's not Catholic and not necessarily Catholic-friendly so it's nice to have this group.
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KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
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JodieLyn
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If you start as Catholic moms... you can always expand to include others if you don't get enough interest.
Catholic homeschooling moms here are few and far between.. there's 3 of us.. one goes to a mission to our Parish that's a ways out of town so wouldn't be likely to come in often.. so that's 2 of us.. and we run into each other all the time anyway  there might be 2 others that would consider homeschooling that don't have school age children yet.
To start with I like outings that let me bring the kids.. afternoons work better so that mornings can be spent getting things done so you can "play" in the afternoon. I'm not likely to put forth the effort to go to evening things if I don't know the people and want to go to meet up with them. Oh and I can't because of dh's schedule many evenings out of the year.. so it would be hard for me to do consistently without kids.
The local homeschool group here.. is all homeschoolers.. there's about 10 of us who are regulars but some miss at least some of the meetings so it's rare to have everyone there at the same time. We meet the second Thursday from 1-3pm.. it's often a time for the kids to just play.. sometimes we do crafts with them or littls lesson types of things.. usually we have snacks.. the moms have a quick planning meeting for hte next meeting at the end.
the big thing for all of us is that the kids are getting to spend a bit of time with other homeschoolers.. we're rather sparse so it helps us all feel a bit more "normal"  but some of the moms can't handle the chaos that ensues without some form and direction so we do a few things in a laid back sort of way.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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SuzanneG
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Cheryl:
We have a Catholic support group that meets once a month on a Sunday night - moms only, babes in arms welcome.
Format:
6:15 - 7:00 social time
7-7:20 Rosary
7:20-8 announcements
8 - 9 topic
9-9:30 social time
There is a lot of wasted time for the announcements, (often going past even 8:00) which drives me crazy....I think that sort of thing could be taken care of via the yahoo group.....IMHO. And, then more time could be spent on the topic.
We plan field trips together, which is great. And, there is a coop also, but officially, it's not part of the support group.
there are also 4-6 feast day parties every year, which are really great for the kids, but LOTS OF WORK for the planners as well as for the other moms (pot luck, costumes, games, etc..it makes me tired just thinking about it). But, I guess anything worth doing is worth doing well!
They also met for park/beach days once/week in the summer time.
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Suzanne in ID
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Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Erin
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Cheryl wrote:
If you were to start a local support group, who would you invite?
all homeschooling moms?
all Catholic moms?
What type of meeting would it be?
an informal tea?
a book discussion?
an event/field trip planning meeting?
a craft night?
Have you ever started a support group or a meeting? How did you go about it? If you joined one, what does yours do? I'd love to hear about your favorite support group meetings.
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Cheryl
I have started a few support groups over the years. What we have done has tended to vary according to the season of where we/ I are at.
To answer your questions.
Our local support group is composed of Catholic (for many years we were the only Cath. family) Christian and non- Christian families. The people here are really wonderful, I think we must have nearly every denomination represented. For the greater part everyone tends to be respectful of differences and we try to find common grounds, which we do.
Here in Australia things are pretty laid back (national ethos  ) Our meetings are with the dc. At present we meet once a month at the local river and the dc swim and the mums chat. Over the years we have flowed from casual social outings like this, we'll meet in the park in winter: to excursions or we have organised a couple of craft days etc. We'll also try and fit in a couple of weekend ones so the dads can also make it.
Our group which encompasses a couple of towns also has an annual 'end of the year' concert and we also hold a sports day.
My friend has also tried to get a 'mother's support' group going which meets once a term. This hasn't taken off as well. Only has about four regular mothers turning up.
To get any of the groups started I just ring everyone in my address book who hs and ask if they know anyone I don't. Word of mouth is how we've networked. Although nowdays I would also use the net and post posters at the library and shopping centre.
We ebb and flow, at different times the mum's have wanted to do excursions other times social get togethers.
If you've any questions I've missed ask and I'll try to answer.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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Elizabeth
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I've started two support groups and both are still going strong today. One was Catholic. We were in a well-established area where there were already Protestant groups and those groups weren't welcoming to Catholics. It was way back in the day and ended up becoming one of the first offshoots of the original TORCH groups. We moved away and the group has flourished.
The second group I started was in a new neighborhood, as in new construction. Because everybody was moving in at the same time, there were no groups at all. Michael was about eight and there were two of us in the neighborhood actually homeschooling. Everyone else who came to our initial meeting had children too young for school. I was 33 and I felt ancient in this neighborhood! It began with us holding meetings in the park and at town hall. Slowly, as more people moved in, there were a few more people actually homeschooling. There were monthly moms' meetings in the evenings at my house about a topic (we did some book studies and we went through typical homeschooling topics) and then park days for the kids and then there was a PE co-op and then a science co-op and then...
I couldn't keep up! Remember, I'm a hermit  .
Seriously, the group has grown and grown. It's still an ecumenical group with a Christian statement of faith. As far as I know, there haven't been any "doctrinal" problems. There's a yahoolist for keeping everyone informed. Mary Chris held the last meeting just yesterday. I didn't go, but my lapbooks did . And from there, I'll let Irene tell about it, because she's in charge, now!
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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stacykay
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Can I add a few more questions? I have been mulling this over for the past week.
How many are in your groups?
Do you charge "membership dues?"
If so, how much and what is it spent on?
How do you, as a group, communicate with each other?
ie. email/egroup/newsletter/phone?
Do you ever think a group can be too large?
If so, at what number?
If your group is all Catholic, but other faiths attend, do you feel you have to limit "Catholicism" or "Catholic" talk?
And lastly,
if you have monthly meetings, what types of topics do you discuss?
And does one person present, or is it a "round table" discussion?
Thanks!!!!!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Martha
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My dream group would be all catholic and membership would be by invitation only.
I do think they can get too big. When it gets to the point that there are "mini-groups" and most of the members wouldn't know each other from Adam on the street - then it is too big and I think is no longer very supportive.
That's why I like the idea of a personal invitation. There are a few prot groups here that have what they call "sponsored" membership. Basicly a current member has to sponsor you for membership. This way everyone is on the same page (or at least the same book shelf ), they know each other, and members tend to be active in the group.
But I've never been in a group like that so I could be wrong and that could be the recipe for a terrible group. It may just sound like a good idea. 
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
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stacykay
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Yikes! I just lost my long "answer" post to Cheryl!
I will try to be quick and do it over!
Our group meets once a month (every 2nd Monday) at 7pm at a member's home. We open with prayer, a speaker or moms presents a topic. At 8:30, we try to wrap up, and then close with prayer. We then chat and snack until 10, usually, sometimes later!
Moms are usually Catholic, but it is open to non-Catholics. This did cause a problem once, with a non-Catholic member who was hurt by comments made by others who did not realize we weren't all Catholic. And the comments weren't bad or mean that I heard, but she did feel hurt.
Moms are usually homeschooling, but some who are thinking about it come once in a while.
Children are welcome. The host mom has a large playroom, and the older children are available to watch the youngers, as need be. We all love to see the little babes and toddlers running around. And they aren't a distraction.
Sept. we have our planning meeting, setting the topics and speakers for the year.
May is "mom's night out" where we go to a restaurant or another mom's house (potluck) and just spend the evening yakking.
June is "shop and swap" which we try to hold before the June homeschool conference.
We don't have "elected" positions. Everyone volunteers.
For the new members, we have "getting started" packets, which include suggested books (like Elizabeth's!,) HSLDA info, and laws re. MI and homeschooling. Plus lots of contact info.
We have lots of social opportunities for the kiddies. Roller-skating, park days, field trips (if someone gets an idea for one, they organize it and post the particulars on the "e-group",) First Friday Mass, book buddies, First Friday Mass choir, board game night, talent show, swim night, etc. Many are also involved in Blue Knights and Little Flowers.
Our group is up to 65 families. Meetings can have anywhere from 6 to 20 or so.
The member fee is $11 now. It covers the e-group, roster copies (with members listed, kiddies and ages, addresses and emails and phone numbers,) a p.o. box (our e-group administrator doesn't want any addresses out there for security reasons,) and money for use of the host mom's home.
There is a very large and ultra-organized non-Catholic group in our area, but it has a "mission" statement which is not compatible with Catholic doctrine, that it asks members to sign.
I hope this helps!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Paula in MN
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Stacy, will you move by me and start one here so I can be in it???
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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teachingmom
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Elizabeth wrote:
| And from there, I'll let Irene tell about it, because she's in charge, now! |
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Well, that group that Elizabeth founded with two other moms when I first moved here has been a real blessing in our lives! I had been "commuting" to activities at two different Torch groups. It was wonderful when we began having homeschooling activities and classes right here in our neighborhood, and I only had to drive 5 minutes or so to everything. These activities are mostly ecumenical, but it was worked out well in general. Over the years, the 5-7 Catholic families in the group would periodically get together for feast days, Little Flowers for the girls, etc. So I would say that we have a Catholic support group within the larger support group.
Unfortunately, our once/month moms' meetings have been having very low attendance this year. We're not sure why. With a new baby and dh's schedule, I'm part of the problem, having missed all but one of our meetings this school year. I'm one of the three co-leaders now, so we need to decide whether we should come up with a different plan for our group meetings for moms to make it more workable for everyone. I enjoy the moms' meetings, so I'd hate to see them end.
The kids' activities are a P.E. co-op, a drama group (which my girls LOVE more than anything else we do!), and an art class. Park days and pool days are scheduled throughout the summer. Unfortunately, a science co-op, which I really appreciated, fizzled out after last year. We've had periodic group field trips, but nothing regularly scheduled. Also we start each year with a kick-off barbeque at the home of one of our members. We hold this on a weekend so dads can come too and meet everyone.
In short, our group is a work in progress. It has changed each year, based on the families involved, ages of children, academic needs, etc. But with our roster including something like 30 or 35 families, we are blessed with lots of opportunities for support and friendship.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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stacykay
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PaulaL wrote:
| Stacy, will you move by me and start one here so I can be in it??? |
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 That would be fun!
Paula, are there many Catholic homeschoolers near you?
Maybe you could arrange going out for coffee with a couple of them, and see what all you can come up with? Even that small of a group could do a lot of sharing!
I like the idea of the smaller group within the group, though, like Irene mentioned. Our large group has women from roughly 10 surrounding towns, so there can be a bit of driving involved. The mom who hosts the meetings lives 20 minutes away. But in a one mile radius from our house, we have at least 10 other families from our large group. That is something to think about!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Cheryl
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Thank you all for your ideas. I'm printing this out now, so I can read it later.
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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Paula in MN
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stacykay wrote:
| Paula, are there many Catholic homeschoolers near you? |
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NONE. That is why THIS is my support group. Theresa, Nicole, and Margaret are all in Minesota, but I would say I'm probably 2 hours from each of them. 
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Support Groups
