Our Program
What we Learn
Each month, we learn about a different country or nation from around the globe. For our Pre-K through 5th graders, the first week of the month we introduce the country or nation, its people and geography; the second week we focus on its wildlife and ecosystems; and the third week we study an important figure from the country or nation's history and the related historical context.
Our Middle School students also learn about the country or nation of the month, and are given opportunities to practice research skills and critical thinking skills along the way.
On the fourth week of each month, we engage in a co-op wide activity. Examples included team building, cultural experiences, field trips, and our bi-annual Share Fair, where students prepare projects to share related to the countries or nations we have studied.
Co-op Teaching
Parents sign up for several weeks each semester to prepare a lesson related to the topic of the week for a particular age group. This usually means finding an age-appropriate book or lesson, and then an activity, game, craft, etc., to reinforce the ideas.
Parents have the support of the co-directors in preparing these lessons. No prior teaching experience is needed. Lessons and activities should be approximately 30 minutes long for our younger students and up to one hour for our older students.
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Parents will also be asked to help with another task related to the co-op such as organizing a parent's day out, planning a field trip, or choosing a service project for the group
Where we Play
Our co-op meets in a large, multi-room space in Rockville, Maryland, where each of our classes has their own classroom. There is a large playground within walking distance where we play afterwards. In the event of inclement weather, our space is open after co-op for additional social time, as well as for our student-led clubs.
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We also organize optional field trips every other Friday to facilitate further exploration of our community.