- Classical Conversations: this is the homeschool co-op/community we belong to. You can read so much more elsewhere, but basically I'll just say that we have fallen in love with CC. Our first year of homeschooling we did not do CC, and the growth baby experienced when we did join was phenomenal. He has learned so much more, so much more quickly. His favorite part is that for 24 weeks out of the year, he goes to "school" (community), and has a "teacher" (tutor) and classmates. It feels to him a lot like the private school he attended when we were fostering him before our adoption (in our state, foster children can't be homeschooled). There is a low tuition cost. I put money back monthly for this so it's around $85/month the way I budget for it.
- Bible Study Fellowship: again, there's a ton more information out there, but BSF is basically a worldwide interdenominational in-depth Bible study. There is "homework" (a lesson) each week for 30 weeks. This gives accountability that you are actually studying, and it deepens your study at the same time. I was involved from ages 20-29 and only stopped because we were homeschooling, and the class closest to us (still 45 minutes away) only accepted pre-school aged children. There is no cost for BSF.
- Community Bible Study: I have never participated before, but we have registered for a class for the fall. From my understanding, it's very similar to BSF. The closest class to us is in the same city as my BSF class, but CBS has a program for school aged children as well. We will use the "homework" as baby's Bible curriculum. There are low registration fees for both adults and children. For me it was $35, and for baby it was $10.
- Wild Explorers Club: such a cool experience! Sort of like Scouts but on your own. Baby sort of lost interest after awhile, but I imagine this could have been remedied with siblings or friends to do it with. It's $14/month. We will likely join again when it's been long enough that baby will be excited to start back - and we will pick up right where we left off with his assignments and badges.
- Kidstir: my parents got this for baby for Christmas, I think it's around $30/month (too high for my budget, but grandparents seem willing to do anything for the grandbabies!). Every month, he receives a box with 3 recipes, and a new kitchen tool/gadget per recipe. The recipes are themed, like "desserts" or "soups". The box does NOT include any ingredients. When I've purchased ingredients using my typical grocery guidelines (like, organic if we eat the outside, grass-fed if possible, otherwise just cheap), it's cost $20-$30. My parents generously cover that cost as well so that it is more of an actual gift for baby and not so much an additional obligation for me. He has enjoyed getting the box every month, and shopping for the ingredients, and watching me make them :) He's a somewhat reluctant helper in the kitchen if the gratification isn't quick.
- piano/other instrument: baby just started piano lessons a few months ago, but he's got a natural knack for it. Music is beautiful, and instills character qualities such as perseverance, diligence, and excellence. For the sake of transparency: we pay $20/week for a 30-minute lesson, which is an average of $90/month, when you don't include skipped weeks because of vacation, holiday, or illness (so really $90/month is a conservative amount to budget).
- sports (one at a time!): baby loves soccer, and also plays basketball in a league our church created. But we only do one sport at a time. Neither fall soccer and basketball, nor basketball and spring soccer, overlap. And if there is ever a sport-playing sibling for baby, we will likely cut his sports down to 2 per year. For us soccer is $50/season because we aren't residents of the town the league is in, and basketball is $20. Both sports include the jersey in the price of registration.
So that's all I've got so far. What are your kids involved in? Do you have any tips for how to simplify OR expand their involvement to enrich their lives without making parents go crazy?
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