Welcome to the
LIFE Group Website!
Chances are you were referred to this website by the California Home Educators Association (CHEA) or maybe by a friend, and you are looking for more information on homeschooling or are hoping to find a homeschool support group that will meet the needs of your family. We hope that you will find the answers to you questions here.
What is LIFE?
LIFE is an acronym for “Learning in a Family
Environment.” We are a non-denominational Christian
Homeschool support group. We are not an independent study
program (ISP). Each member family chooses to file its own
affidavit, to join an ISP, or to not file at all. The
members are usually considered to be private school students, but
are not all enrolled in the same school. We currently have
about 55 families who reside mainly in the Pomona/Inland Valley
Area, but we also have families from as far west as Monrovia and
as far out east as Rialto.
We are loosely structured with members stepping
in to help where they are needed or where they see a niche for
their God-given talents. We encourage even new members to
jump right in and plan activities or help on planning committees.
There is a leadership committee to make sure that tasks are
covered and to make major decisions if the need arises.
Our members all have at least one thing in common…we have decided to educate our children at home. Some of us have been doing this for many years and some of us are brand new to it. Many different methods are represented and we don’t hold a group philosophy of which way is best. Some of us use unit studies, some use textbooks, some use as few books as possible. We are here to support each other in the decisions we’ve made, whatever they may be.
What does the LIFE
Group have to offer?
Park Days:
We meet from
On the second
Tuesday we gather at
If
it rains on an scheduled parkday, we will automatically switch to
Thursday of that week, weather permitting.
Field Trips:
LIFE members enjoy a variety of field trips. These are planned
and coordinated by members. Past field trips have included the
L.A. County Fair, Riley’s Farm in Oak Glen, the Stephen
Birch Aquarium in
Co-op:
Co-op is a structured but relaxed way for your kids to have a
hands-on educational experience while getting to know other
children in the LIFE group. Past classes have included
puppetry, rubber stamping, jump rope games, t-shirt painting,
drama, bread baking, chess, origami, the butterfly life cycle,
Spanish and many, many more.
Co-op is held in
To participate you
would be required to teach at least one class each in both Fall
and Spring Sessions (you are always welcome to do more). The
months that you don’t teach, you would need to be helping in
some other capacity. Co-op is not a place to drop your kids off,
it is a place to participate and join in the fun! Most
parents teach two 50-minute sessions of the same class each time
they teach at co-op. There is also the option of teaching one
class that lasts 100 minutes. Dads, Grandmas, Grandpas or older
siblings can teach a class too. This would satisfy your teaching
requirements.
Planning begins in
June, so if you join in September, you will not be eligible to
participate until the Spring Session which begins in February
(planned for in November).
Moms' Nights
Out: One evening a month we meet in each
other's
homes for fellowship (and food!). We have discussion topics which
have included: curriculum, meal planning, holiday traditions,
favorite books, and much more! Sometimes there
is no topic and we just meet for fellowship.
Generally, Moms' Nights Out
are on a Thursday evening, beginning at
E-Group:
You will be added to our e-group at
Yahoo. This is a great way to stay in touch between Park Days,
get answers to any of your questions, share prayer requests, and
keep up to date on all that is going on.
Newsletter:
To keep everyone informed of field trips, activities,
etc. there is a newsletter that comes out twice a month.
How can my family join
the LIFE Group?
Come to a couple of park days to check out the group and see if it will be the right group for your family. If you decide that you’d like to join, the annual membership registration fee is $25 for the entire family. This must be paid in September for your name to be on our roster, but you can join at any time during the school year. You can fill out a registration form and follow instructions for registering to become a member. Your registration fee covers copying, postage and miscellaneous expenses of the group.
How can I get more information?
If you need additional information, please feel
free to contact us by e-mail. If you would like us to call you,
please send your phone number along with the questions you have
so that we can be prepared when we call. We are busy
homeschooling moms, but we do want to help. Please be
patient if we don’t get back to you right away.
Cami: [email protected]
Jennie: [email protected]
Help for the new
homeschooler:
Here are some helpful lists and a good homeschooling link if you want to explore your options.
Books on
homeschooling and other resources
Local classes offered to homeschoolers
Homeschool Support on the Internet
LIFE is a member of the CHEA support network
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Last updated December 18, 2004.