Thursday, June 12, 2014

Strengthening community & new beginnings

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We've been talking about community quite a bit at co-op lately. Wanting to strengthen what we have, we've made a slight change towards seasonal membership subscriptions, encouraging members to come along weekly for a whole season at a time. Those who can't make it weekly, we are hoping to see at our seasonal open days which will be big, beautiful celebrations of our wider community and a chance for new friends to check out where we are and what we do.

We're hoping the familiarity that comes from a regular bunch of friends will mean an even more comfortable, reliable and supportive community for all of us, but especially our wonderful children. In recent months we've seen friendships blossom and bonds form that we hope will be life-long.

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Today we lit a camp fire and held a loose kind of loud and rambunctious circle around it as we marked the beginning of this new phase for our co-operative. 

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We cooked baked apples, corn and damper in the coals as the children built bush shelters…

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And then honed their skills in the skate park nearby...

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The warmth of the fire, shared food and company and plenty of wild space to explore were just the antidote to a cold, wintry day. Almost certainly, it'll be the first of many such fires for the season, and a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a day that is an absolute highlight of our week, every week. 

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If you're keen to come along and try out our co-op, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We'd love to meet you! You can stay up to date with details for open days by subscribing to this blog via the email box above, or joining our Facebook group.

Co-op Highlights

We've had such a wonderful time watching our co-op grow and for families within our community forge friendships. We've celebrated the seasons, tended our garden, played in the sunshine and our very first camp. Here are a few highlights of the past year or so…

Bubbles at co-op
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Birds and bird feeders at co-op today #hobartnaturallearners #coop
The gorgeously bright and sparkly Winter Soltice lanterns we made at our natural learners co-op today #naturallearning #coop #lanterns #rainbows
Chalk animals and balloons at #coop #hobartnaturallearners #unschooling
Co-op garden progress update #green #winterveg #coop #unschooling #naturallearning #tiny #garden
An afternoon at the beach, entertained by children, conversation and a whale ❤️ #hobartnaturallearners #naturallearning #unschooling #homeschooling #instatassie
Rainy days, cups of tea, friends #coop #hobartnaturallearners
Little Owlet launches her balloon rocket at #coop #hobartnaturallearners #science
Hand-churned ice-cream at co-op yesterday, made with homegrown blueberries and kid power! #summer #village #coop
These kids #coop #village #summer #mates
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Relaxing Autumnal hangs at co-op today #coop #autumn #equinox
Apple bobbing #bigowlet #coop #autumn #equinox
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