Wild Willow Kidz

10/09/2026

Do you need a co-op to homeschool?

NO! A homeschool co-op is completely optional!

I personally love the two day a week structure and my co-op families thrive on it but it’s not for everybody and I’ve seen that firsthand with families that have come and gone from my co-op.

You do not need to join one to give your children a rich, well-rounded education. While some families love them, co-ops are not a good fit for everyone. They can come with rigid schedules, volunteer requirements, and the stress of showing up on time every single week. We all know some people just can’t handle that. Again, I’ve seen it firsthand 😆

The real secret to homeschooling
Successful homeschooling does not depend on a formal group or a specific curriculum, It comes down to a few simple things:

* Loving your children and meeting them where they are.
* Paying attention to their unique learning needs and pace.
* Making learning fun and engaging.

How to connect WITHOUT a co-op
You can build a vibrant social and educational life for your kids in many other ways:
* Real-world meetups with neighborhood friends or local families.
* Field trips to museums, nature parks, and local history sites.
* Sports teams, clubs, and music lessons in your community.
* Daily community life like volunteering, errands, and talking with neighbors.
* check your local libraries, clubs, and community bulletin boards for drop in homeschool workshop/classes and meet ups without a commitment.
* Follow pages like Wild Willow Kidz for information pop-up events or things like theWarwick Children’s Business Fair that I host every spring.
* Don’t be afraid to make connections and meet new people in the homeschool community! Not everybody will be your best friend, but you will make connections and find your people ,you just have to take a chance. 💕

10/08/2026

I receive Inquiries all the time about my personal homeschool co-op. I hope this post clears some things up and answer some questions!

While I do share about it here on this page to inspire others to get out there and build community, this page is not dedicated to the co-op itself.
I love connecting with other homeschoolers and watching this movement grow. It is incredible to watch parents take charge of their children’s education.
Yesterday’s post showed all the different possibilities of what a homeschool co-op can be. Today, let’s talk about what my specific co-op actually is.

Meet the Warwick Community Homeschool Co-op
* Founded: 2020 (a true labor of love ever since).
* What we do: We are an enrichment co-op focused on unit studies, art projects,community service projects,field trips and more.
* Our schedule: We meet twice a week. This is a committed schedule, not a drop-in program. Every family actively participates in teaching, planing, cleaning, and day-to-day duties.
* Where we meet: We partner with a local church that has graciously allowed us to use space.
* The setup: We carry liability insurance per our church agreement and run on a strict operational budget. Families commit to annual dues and we fundraiser when needed. I do not make a profit—every single dollar goes directly toward supplies and group needs.
* Our size: We keep our group small—under 13 children and a handful of aligned families. We’ve been larger in the past, and it is much harder to do meaningful work when you have 20+ kids. Smaller groups let us stay close-knit and intentional.

Finding "Our People"
When new families inquire, of the conversation progressed far enough they eventually get what we affectionately call "the message"—a candid, direct text or messenger breakdown of how our group works.
It’s an inside joke that the message either makes you or breaks you:
* Option A: "Oh yeah, I finally found my people!"
* Or
* Option B: "Whoa, I need to get away from these folks, they’re intense."
And honestly? That’s the point!

We don't have to co-op together to be friends, but our actual co-op is a close knit space. These are the families I am choosing to do life with and raise kids alongside. We don't want to tip-toe around topics or worry about offending anyone.

Where We Stand Right Now
* Current Status: We are FULL and operating with a waitlist.
* Want to reach out? You are always welcome to message me to chat or get on the waitlist just in case an opening pops up.
* Not in the co-op? We still love getting together for casual homeschool hangouts or field trips outside of co-op hours.

Thinking About Starting Your Own?
If you want to start a true co-op, it takes a lot more work than setting up a simple playdate. Setting clear ground rules from day one is the only way to keep from feeling overworked, used, or burnt out.
If you are thinking about launching a co-op, reach out—I’m always happy to share what I've learned along the way.

My co-op style is not for everyone and I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s ok! I’m building what works for my family and the families close to me. You go out and find or build what works for your family, that’s the beauty and freedom of homeschool!

Do you need a co-op to be successful Homeschooler? Absolutely not! Stay tuned for another post about that!

10/07/2026

*not my event just sharing :)

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EQRCPvN8X/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Hi everyone!

I am starting a new program for our homeschool families! One Thursday each month, we will have a casual homeschool meet-up in the Community Room at Wheeler Memorial Library!

Toys, games, and coloring materials will be available for kiddos to enjoy while families can spend time getting to know each other and making new friends in the community!

Registration is not required, and you can drop in anytime between 1:00pm and 3:00pm on the select dates listed in the flyer. 😊

10/07/2026

I receive so many questions and inquiries about my homeschool co-op. I do plan to answer those questions in a full post but first I want to explain what a co-op really is. I think sometimes people don’t realize that There are many variations and styles of co-op.

📚 What is a Homeschool Co-Op?

A homeschool cooperative (co-op) is a group of families who team up to share teaching duties, educational resources, and social time. Parents and instructors split the workload so kids can learn in groups, take special classes, and build friendships.

Most co-ops meet part-time—commonly one or two days a week—while regular homeschooling continues at home the rest of the time.
Not all co-ops look the same! They generally fall into a few different styles:

• 🎓 Academic Co-ops: Focus on core subjects like math, science labs, foreign languages, or writing. They often run like part-time schools with homework for the rest of the week.

• 🎨 Enrichment Co-ops: Focus on subjects that are more fun or easier in a group, like art, music, physical education, drama, or STEM and robotics.

• ✝️ Faith-Based Co-ops: Built around a shared religious denomination, moral worldview, or specific set of values.

• 🌲 Social & Field-Trip Co-ops: Prioritize peer interaction, park days, youth clubs, and group field trips rather than formal classrooms.

Parent-Led vs. Drop-Off Co-Ops

• 🤝 Traditional / Parent-Led: Parents stay on-site and rotate teaching classes or helping in the rooms.

• 🚗 Drop-Off / Hybrid: Families pay tuition to hire professional or outside teachers, letting parents drop their kids off.

Stay tuned for a future post about what my co-op is.💕

10/06/2026

So many amazing local artists will have their work on display at this event!

The Warwick community homeschool co-op,
Has entered a group art piece to the show as well!
Come on out this weekend and see some amazing local work!

09/24/2026

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Vermont with our homeschool co-op. When we were done and everyone left, my daughter and I were hungry and wanted to eat our lunch but didn’t want to sit in the car and do it because it was such a beautiful day. I remembered there was a place that I’ve driven by many times that I’ve always wanted to stop at so we took a ride over there to have our lunch.

We walked over to the pavilion and there was one very large picnic table, a great spot for us to sit down and eat . A few minutes after we got our food out a woman walks over with two bags and her husband trailing behind and ask if she could sit with us to eat their lunch too.

I’m gonna be honest, I kind of wanted to just pack up my sh*t, tuck tail and run. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️
Talking to strangers is not my thing. I’m kinda awkward, Even with people I know. I do find when I’m teaching or leading a group but general “peopling” is rough. I fake it well when I’m prepared to fake it but not off the cuff 😆
But I knew that I couldn’t make it weird for my daughter and it would be OK so I powered through and I said “sure, have a seat!” She set up at the other end of the table with her tablecloth and her little burner to warm up her food. It was adorable. I started the dreaded small talk “are you from here?” Blah blah blah ….
turns out they were visiting their daughter who lived nearby, but they’re from Cincinnati, Ohio.

I will spare you the details, but we sat and talked to Barb and Bob from Cincinnati for at least a half an hour! Great conversation about the places we’ve traveled and the books we’ve read and the best part was that my daughter chatted too and wasn’t awkward about it at all, so my tendency to be extremely shy has NOT rubbed off on her, which was nice to see!
She said multiple times on our way back to the car “wow they’re such nice people. I wish they live closer and we could hang out with them again”

I tell you the story because sometimes you just need to do the hard things. Sometimes you just need to “fake it till you make it”. You might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. 😉

09/23/2026

“The Mother I Never Expected To Become: How Parenthood Led Me To A Whole New Life”

So incredibly blessed to have been featured in Modern Parenthood Journal!

Here is just a tiny glimpse into my story.
I will never claim to be the perfect mother or have all of the answers, but you can be sure of one thing…every single thing I do and every choice I make is for my children. We continue to shift, adapt and overcome obstacles as we grown and bloom as a family. There are good days and bad but my heart will always be with my husband and children. 💕

https://modernparenthoodjournal.com/holistic-motherhood-intentional-living/

Wild Willow Holistics

Discover how holistic motherhood and intentional living can transform your parenting experience and enrich your family life.

09/17/2026

It feels so good to be back with the homeschool co-op this week!

We had so much fun!

Wednesday while we were doing our morning meeting and chatting about what we did over the summer, the topic of jellyfish came up and that sent us down a rabbit hole about jellyfish. I challenged the kids to go home and do some research on jellyfish and they could tell us about it the next morning. Some of them were really into it! That’s the beauty of homeschool, it doesn’t have to be “in the curriculum” for you to research it and learn about it.

One little girl made herself a jellyfish costume and two of the boys researched jellyfish and were spitting out all kinds of facts about jellyfish, some that I didn’t even know! I love to see them get excited about learning and comfortable talking in front of others.

In addition to the jellyfish topic, I introduced the estimation jar that we will do monthly this year. We decorated our classroom with facts about ourselves and details of things we liked. I was so happy to see lots of kids put on their flower Petals that they like co-op! That makes my heart so happy!

Today we talked about food waste, and unique ways to reuse food scraps. We learned about World War I, how they used peach pits in gas masks, we broke open peach pits with a vice and so many more fun things ! And the best part, we made peach parfaits! Yum!!

Lots of free play, crafting and creative play as well!

Looking forward to the great year ahead! 💕

08/28/2026

I’m Working on my reading wish list for the school year. There are soooo many great book that I want to cover with my daughter this year… we have already read so many wonderful book and there are just so many more that I want to fit in.

We LOVE to read. But when I was a kid I didn’t like it at all.
Truth be told, my 1st grade teacher was an evil woman who made me cry everyday. I missed a lot the the foundation skills for reading and it made elementary school hard. I could read but it was not fun it was stressful and a challenge.

In high school I found Mary Higgins Clark books and that’s when I fell in love with Reading for pleasure not just because I had to for school.

As I was making my list I saw a book suggested that brought up a memory… “I will NOT subject my Daugher to THAT book” I told myself. It was
the first book I ever read that devastated me. The teacher read it aloud to us in 3rd or 4th grade. Sure it’s a good book but not worth the brain stain. 😆

I will list that book in the comments.

But this has me thinking….What book did you read as a kid that upset you so much you refuse to read it again?

Drop your dreaded Brain stain books in the comments 😆

08/22/2026

My daughter and I are set up at Warwick old home day on the Warwick town Common today from 9 to 1!
She has tons of awesome stuff that she made for sale Peaches Boutique !

I have a table full of FREE BOOKS (younger kids books)
Stop by and say hi!

 The fire department will be cooking up lunch starting at 11 AM and there will be horse-drawn wagon rides as well!