Strengthening community & new beginnings

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.

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. 

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

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

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.

Springtime Explorers at Co-op

We were blessed with the most perfect of spring days at co-op last week. Beautiful sunshine, just the right amount of breeze and lots of open spaces to explore. We went on a scavenger hunt. We collected furry, shiny, sharp things. Flowers, sticks, rocks and treasures...



Then we headed down to the beach behind co-op for a paddle and a play in the sand.



And back to the playgound again for a last play...



We didn't want it to end! In fact the play continued at our house until bedtime. We're looking forward to Tuesday!

This week we are meeting wildlife carer Stephanie. She'll be talking to us about how to become wildlife carers and what's involved... She may even bring a furry friend as a surprise! If you intend to come, please let us know before Monday night (that's tomorrow!), so Stephanie can prepare. Hope to see you then. xx

Book Week at Co-op

It was a quiet week at co-op this week. Many of our friends nursed colds and tummy bugs at home. But it was lovely to spend some time with those who could make it and read some favourite books. We had Audrey of the Outback, Fancy Nancy and Maisy Mouse for the day...

It would be fantastic to see more people come along to Co-op. If you've been meaning to come along, or you know a friend who might like to come to our Co-op, please get in touch.xx

Gadget dissection at co-op!

It was lovely to see some new faces at co-op last week.  We all had a great time pulling apart things to see what makes them work. Some of the adults had just as much fun. Who knew destroying things could be so much fun?! You can learn so much when you pull things apart - just ask my toddler ;)



There were type writers, remote control cars, keyboards, heaters, telephones, clocks... all manner of things. All pulled apart enthusiastically. For those too small to join in, there was playdough.



The useful bits from our deconstructive fun, were swept aside for next week when we'll turn them into inventions! Lots of us are looking forward to that.



After lunch and a play and a warm cuppa, we wandered through the community garden to check out the community beds we have been invited to tend while we wait for our own plot *. We managed to stay until 3.30pm, when the sun dropped down behind the hill and it became a little too chilly for the playground. All in all, a fun day!

If you'd like to come along next week and make an amazing invention, please bring along some bits and pieces you don't need anymore, to add to the left over gadget bits. Some glue, tape, hot glue guns, scissors... anything you think might be useful. All would be appreciated! See you then. xx

* There's a working bee at the community garden in a couple of weeks. Please let me know if you're interested and I'll forward the info to you. 

Marine Discovery Centre Visit and a Community Garden Plot!

We've penciled in a visit to the Marine Discovery Centre on Tuesday 28th of August. We'll be participating in a hands on program making art, fish printing, doing a little foreshore study and exploring the touch tanks. It's pitched at K-6, so should fit our large age range nicely. Cost to attend will depend on numbers... If you're keen to come along, please email Lauren at owletmama@gmail.com

Also, we are waiting our very own co-op plot at the community garden located behind the cottage. It shouldn't be too long, but if you're keen to get involved, we've been invited to attend working bees and help tend the neighbourhood plot (which means we can help ourselves to surplus vegies too!). Let Lauren know if you are interested.

Don't forget that if you'd like an update on anything happening at co-op, make sure you subscribe to receive this blog via email (see the little subscribe button top right). Or, you could join our facebook group. Look forward to seeing you at co-op soon!

Dissecting Gadgets

For next Tuesday's meet (July 10th), we thought we'd spend some time getting stuck into looking at what makes things around us go... Pulling them apart, looking inside, playing with tools... Have a look at this article for some inspiration.

What to bring:

Any old/broken appliances/computers/gadgets that you'd like to explore... and are happy to never have functioning again!

Tools for dissection - pliers, screwdrivers, spanners etc.

We'll pop the dissected bits in a box when we're finished and reuse them for the next meet - Inventions!

I'll also bring along some playdough for little ones.

Please feel free to bring along any games, toys, books or activities and if you have something you'd like to donate to the group to keep at the cottage, that'd be lovely. xx

Terrariums

Yesterday was great fun! There was lots of enthusiasm for building terrariums and thankfully just enough moss, dirt, stones and jars so that most people could create something to take home... I think that the creativity was only limited by the number of jars available and the children would have kept making more if we' have provided the jars and moss for them. Perhaps this one will be worth repeating another time...





Actually, it looked like so much fun that I brought some moss home to make my own too.




The leftover moss was use to make a rather elaborate gift shop, I'm told. It took much of the afternoon to tend it. In between bursts of tree climbing and lunch, of course... Thanks to all who came. Look forward to next time! x

Tiny Fairy and Animal Terrariums

This week my girls have asked to make fairy or animal terrariums. They're a lovely way to bring the garden indoors over winter. You can find a link to a simple tutorial here. If you're coming along to co-op and would like to join in making these, here's what you need to bring if you can...

• a jar with a lid - large enough to fit a small hand inside (and out again!). 
• some small toy animals or fairy dolls or tiny toy furniture... you could make a dinosaur swamp, or a woodland garden, or a jungle!

If you happen to have anything extra bits and pieces around home, things like small stones, moss, dirt, interesting small plants or leaves, bring them too... and some to share if you have plenty! Think creatively and make them as complex or simple as you like.

Hope to see you there! I'll update this post with pictures of the results! 

Fun for all!

One of the lovely things about a gathering of home educating families is the range of ages in children and how they all get along together. There's a certain joy in it... Before the advent of schools and spending all day with children you own age, it was the norm for children to spend their days in mixed-age and family groupings. In my home, I have three children aged 8, 5 and 18 months and they all manage to play together harmoniously for much of the day. They will spend time gravitating towards activities which are more age appropriate for a portion of the day, which we accommodate, but they always reconnect and enjoy time together as the day rolls along.

At co-op, we often see older children working studiously on a particular task, younger children working with the help of their parents... or like my middle child, playing all day and daydreaming... and the tiniest of the lot enjoy spending the day trying to catch up to the big kids, returning for reassurance and cuddles... and the odd nap. Generally there are times when they're all at play together and enjoy that space. The oldest may find themselves acting as leaders, or enjoy spending time with the adults. One of the loveliest things we can do at co-op is provide a space for all children to follow their natural rhythms. To spend some quiet, insular time indoors perhaps, or some exuberant outdoor play with the group... And as parents, we can support them, and each other, in providing that space to make the day roll along smoothly... It's what community is all about!

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If you're thinking about unschooling or home educating your children, but they are only tiny, now is a great time to reach out and find a community to support you and friends to keep the days bubbling along nicely... Eventually other friends may join the schooled ranks, but if you're fortunate, as my family have been, that community will be already strong and supportive. Start a co-op, find your tribe, or come along to ours! 

Building and tinkering

Some inspiring ideas... maybe something we could organise for a co-op meet one day...

Hooray for co-op!

The Hobart Natural Learners Co-op has been gathering fortnightly for almost eight months now. So far we've felted soap, made kites...





Blown bubbles, shared our favourite stories, visited the beach, gone fruit picking...



Made electronic gadgets, played board games, made musical instruments, face painted, made christmas cards, made masks



Built tents,  visited an observatory, spoken with Aboriginal elders, enjoyed some laughter therapy games, swapped our stuff, made origami and melted beeswax...



And spent countless hours climbing the tree and playing in the playground. The field beside our cottage is a favourite place to run off extra energy after lunch... It seems the opportunities and ideas are limitless if the energy and enthusiasm is there...



And with all that combined kid energy, we're bound to have many more magical, fun-filled days at co-op.