Homeschooling is a unique calling with a divine purpose. It is a difficult yet rewarding journey; it takes strength, perseverance, and determination. It is no easy feat, therefore, homeschooling families need camaraderie, encouragement and accountability in order to flourish. Thrive Family Co-op was formed to fulfill these very needs!

Planted in faith-We believe God has called us to plant this co-op in order to help local homeschool families succeed, and we have faith that He will provide exactly what the co-op needs for success. (They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jer. 17:8)

Rooted in love-We believe love is the first and greatest commandment and strive to show God’s love first and foremost in everything we say and do. (Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matt. 22:37-39)

Growing in knowledge-We believe that students at Thrive Family Co-op will grow in knowledge through fun and engaging class time as well as develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime. (And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…Phil 1:9-10)

 

About

 

Thrive Family Co-op is a place where homeschooling families can gather together for the purpose of building relationships and educating our children.  Parents at Thrive will work together during the co-op day to organize, teach and assist classes where needed. Thrive has been founded on several different styles of homeschooling, one of the primary philosophies being a Charlotte Mason style. We will combine hands-on learning with great living books. We believe that rather than focusing on how much the children know, we want to focus on how much they care, developing character first and foremost.

Thrive Family Co-op is founded on Christian core values, therefore, we will teach from a biblical worldview using mostly Christian curriculum. Although we do not discriminate against non-Christian families participating in the co-op, we do expect parents who are lead teachers to teach from the curriculum provided, even when or if it differs from personal beliefs. The babies and toddlers class will be a loving and nurturing environment where they can learn through play. Our preschoolers & Kinder kids will build friendships and experience a gentle learning approach through hands-on lessons and projects. Elementary classes will have fun with Nature Studies, Adventures in Literature a literature based geography, PE, Artist, Composer, & Poet Studies. Middle and High school classes will also be hands-on when possible and focus on studies and credits needed to graduate such as lab sciences, English and Literature classes as well as elective courses such as Health, Personal Finance and Art. Overall, Thrive Family Co-op is a community of homeschoolers who wish to build lasting relationships together while learning in a fun and engaging environment.

Application/ Contact

 

Thrive Family Co-op Application Form

Please print and mail to:

Jenny Relaford

10609 E 64th Terrace

Raytown, MO 64133

Upon receiving your application, the leadership team will contact you to set up a Meet & Greet to review your application, get to know one another, and see if Thrive Family Co-op will be good fit for your family.

Find us on Facebook  Thrive Family Co-op and message with any questions or email:

 

Annual Registration Fees

Thrive Family Co-op is a parent-led co-op meaning a parent must be committed to staying on site and teaching or assisting/ helping wherever needed during the co-op day. Our cost is low because we are committed to teaching and investing together in our children.

There may be additional fees for 7th grade and up classes (i.e. science labs or writing curriculum) but we will be upfront about those additional costs before you commit to the class.

We have an annual Registration Fee per family of $300 per family, up to 4 children. (each child past 4 will be an additional $15 annually i.e. a family with five kids=$315, a family with six kids=$330, etc.). Registration fees are non-refundable.

What we do with the $300: $75 goes for building fee, the rest is: all the teacher curriculum, printer fees, most supplies for classes i.e. paper, paints, etc, storage cabinets, mom’s supplies (coffee, etc.).

There will be additional fees where applicable (labs for upper classes, etc.).

Checks or cash only. (Mail to Stacy Rawlings, 8111 Ditzler Ave, Raytown, MO 64138)

Continue reading “Annual Registration Fees” →

Class Information

Thrive Family Co-op meets at River Church Family, 6400 Woodson Rd, Raytown, MO 64133 on Mondays 10am-2:50pm.

Classes begin August 26th with an Orientation Day where we will move through classes in a shorter manner, then all head to a park together with picnic lunches. Labor Day Break will be September 2nd, our first day of classes will be September 9th, and first semester will end on December 9th. We’ll have a Christmas Party December 9th. Second semester will resume on January 6th and go through April 27th with a Spring Break on March 16th. Co-op follows the Raytown school district school closings with a break from classes on January 20th for Martin Luther King Jr. day, February 17th for President’s day and April 13th for Easter. Co-op cancellations due to inclement weather will follow the Raytown school district. There will be a end-of-the-year showcase for all ages on Friday, May 1st, 2020 at 6pm and a graduation ceremony the following day May 2nd at 2pm for graduating Seniors.

The co-op day will begin with Family Fifteen a time for everyone to gather together as a group for morning announcements & a devotion. After that, classes will be dismissed to their separate classrooms. The Preschool (2s & 3s) will stay in the same classroom for the day with their main teachers and have rotating teachers come in each hour to focus on a certain subject or Charlotte Mason type activity. The Kinder (4s & 5s) will use My Father’s World Kindergarten curriculum and Charlotte Mason inspired nature studies, artist, poet & composer activities on their level. They will stay in the same classroom, but have 4 total classes. The elementary classes (1-6th) will have four classes consisting of Adventures in Literature a living books geography class, PE, Nature Studies & Marine Science using Apologia Swimming Creatures of the 5th day, and an Art class with a combination of Artist, Poet & Composer Studies. 7th grade and up will also have four total classes. 7th-8th grades will have Art, IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing), Applied Engineering, and History. 9th-12th grades will have Art & Health, three different English IEW options, two Social Studies options, and multiple Science options. Yearly class options for middle & highschool will be determined every year based on the needs and abilities of co-op families.

Preschool 2s & 3s

  • The Peaceful Preschool-
    • Letter of the week, living books, bible memory verse, snack
  • Art- 
    • Projects including Poet, Composer, Artist, & Nature Study in a fun, light manner.
  • Nature Studies-
    • Nature walks, learning how to observe the natural world

Kinder Kids 4s & 5s

  • My Father’s World kindergarten-
    • Letter of the week, rich children’s literature, science topics based on the letter & bible topic, bible lessons, stories & scripture, hands-on early math & writing skills, snack
  • Adventures in Literature-
    • A mixture of Around the World in Picture Books loosely following the same rhythm of the elementary kids, literature activities based on classic books following the theme of the week
  • Art-
    • Projects including Artist, Poet & Composer studies on their level
  • Nature Studies-
    • Nature topics & walks, learning how to observe their natural world

Elementary 1st-6th

  • Nature Studies/Science-
    • Marine Science using experiments and material from Apologia Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day 
    • Nature Studies using assorted Thornton Burgess animal books, Handbook of Nature Study (Comstock), assorted field guides, etc.
  • Adventures in Literaure-
    • Focus on a specific rich living literature book that focuses on geography or history or a biography of a Christian hero 
    • Specific geographical terms introduced each month relating to physical geography (topography, atmosphere, etc) and geography skills (maps, navigation, etc).
    • Study of a different country or region as we read through each book. We will study culture, people, food, heritage.
    • Assortment of living books (Paddle-to-the-Sea, YWAM George Muller, D’Aulaire Leif the Lucky, Seabird and YWAM Mary Slessor), Geography Encyclopedia & Atlas.
  • Art-
    • Artist Study that covers biography, techniques & practice, and final project. We’ll cover approximately 6 artists. Curriculum by Jenny & Discovering Great Artists, etc.
    • Poet Study & Composer Study (during Art class we’ll rotate adding to art). We’ll cover brief biographies and either read the poetry or listen to the composer’s works while creating art.
  • Physical Education-
    • Following Charlotte Mason’s theory, the focus of physical training is “to make heroes” and “a serviceable body” -a body fit for serving others. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.”~ I Cor 6:19. Our bodies are gifts given to us and we want to use them for the Lord, grow strong, and have fun.

Middle School 7th-8th 

  • English-
    • IEW US History Based Writing & Literature (Hatchet, Amos Fortune Freeman, A Gathering of Days & Little Britches)  
  • Art-
    • Artist Study that covers biography, techniques & practice, and final project. We’ll cover approximately 6 artists. Curriculum by Jenny & Discovering Great Artists, etc.
    • Poet Study & Composer Study (during Art class we’ll rotate adding to art). We’ll cover brief biographies and either read the poetry or listen to the composer’s works while creating art.
  • Science-
    • Applied Engineering using Masterbooks Champions of Invention and Discovery of Design
  • World History-
    • Will be using Masterbook The World’s Story 3

High School 9th-12th 

  • English (3 options)-
    • IEW US History based Writing
    • IEW Writing Research Papers
    • Creative writing using The Elements of Style, Plot & Structure and other various books
  • Social Studies (2 options)-
    • US History (9th & 10th) using Masterbooks American History
    • Government & Economics (11th & 12th) using Declaration Statesmanship and Lessons for the Young Economist
  • Science (2 options)-
    • Biology using Masterbooks Biology
    • Applied Engineering/Physics using Masterbooks Champions of Invention, Discovery of Design, and Exploring the World of Physics
  • Art (one semester)-
    • Artist Study that covers biography, techniques & practice, and final project. We’ll cover approximately 6 artists. Curriculum by Jenny & Discovering Great Artists, etc.
    • Poet Study & Composer Study (during Art class we’ll rotate adding to art). We’ll cover brief biographies and either read the poetry or listen to the composer’s works while creating art.
  • Health (one semester)-
    • Using Total Health Choices for a Winning Lifestyle