Frequently Asked Questions

World Explorers Homeschool (WEH) Co-op is an inclusive homeschool community located in Montgomery County, Maryland that is dedicated to nurturing globally-minded learners through the study of world cultures.

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We welcome families from all races and backgrounds, family structures, learning styles, and belief systems (both secular and religious).

We serve families with children from K to 6th Grade and meet weekly outdoors to learn and play together.

We welcome families from all races and backgrounds, family structures, learning styles, and belief systems (both secular and religious).

We typically have around 20 families participating in a semester. We try to have a balance among age groups.

We meet on Tuesday mornings during the school year from 10:00-12:00. At 10:30 am, we break out by grade (PreK/K, 1st-3rd, 4th/5th, and Middle School) for a lesson on the topic of the week. Time after the lesson is dedicated to free play, student-led clubs, and time for parents to connect with one another.

In addition, two Fridays a month, there will be optional field trips. 

The first three weeks of the month we meet at a large, multi-room space in Rockville, Maryland. There is ample parking, a large park within walking distance, and separate rooms for all of our classes. 

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The fourth week of the month, we will choose a location appropriate to the activity. For example, a museum, a park, or our Rockville location. 

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.

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WEH aims to focus on a wide variety of countries and nations around the world, with a particular emphasis on those countries and nations that are not traditionally covered in mainstream curricula. 

Parents are required to prepare and teach 3-4 times per semester, depending on the number of families in the co-op, and are asked to contribute in a non-teaching role like organizing a volunteer opportunity or planning a parent's only event.

For teaching, a schedule with a list of topics will be provided before the beginning of the semester. Parents will have the opportunity to choose the weeks/topics that best reflect their interests and schedule.

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For our Pre-K through 5th grade classes, parents will lead their class in an age-appropriate lesson. This may include reading a book, leading a discussion about the topic, setting up a craft, teaching a song or a skit, tasting food and/or any other activity that will help bring the lesson to life for the children. We ask you to keep the lesson and activity to 30 minutes for our Pre-K/K class, 30-40 minutes for our 1st-3rd class, and 45 minutes for our 4th/5th grade class so the kids (and parents) have ample time for free play. 

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For our Middle School class, parents will do an overview of the country, a research or writing skill, or a critical thinking lesson, depending on the week. These classes last 60 minutes. 

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The directors are happy to help parents think through any questions or challenges they may have in planning your lesson for the week. 

We understand that it is tough to get out of the door in the morning with kids, but ask that you arrive on time at 10:00 a.m.

The lessons provided are meant to enrich the wonderful work you are already doing at home with your child(ren). There will be no homework, but weekly facilitators may provide suggestions for additional resources to explore if your family would like to continue learning about WEH's country of the month from home. 

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Students may also work throughout each semester on a project for our Share Fair. The project is student-directed and can be anything relating to any of the countries we studied that semester. 

We strongly believe that spending time outdoors is beneficial for our kids. Therefore, we encourage outside play in all weather. We also encourage teachers to utilize our outside space for their lessons.  

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During the school year, WEH Co-op organizes a Back to Co-op Picnic in the Fall and an End of the Year Picnic in the Spring. We also host Parents Only Events and family community service projects. We have field trips every other Friday as well. Finally, we organize multiple book clubs throughout the year, open to any family in the co-op. ​

The cost is $40/month per family. In consideration of the work of the co-directors, they do not pay dues. ​ 

We believe that financial concerns should not be a hindrance to anyone who wants to join our co-op. Please contact the co-directors at wehcoop.moco@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. 

We use the majority of the money to rent our space in Rockville. We also use the dues for co-op wide supplies (crayons, markers, scissors, etc.), enrichment opportunities, and additional supplements throughout the year for our lessons. Lastly, it covers the cost of maintaining our website.

We would like to reduce the amount of waste our co-op creates so we ask that teachers first check our “supplies list” to see if they can use supplies we already have for weekly lessons. Then, we ask teachers to crowdsource supplies by asking other members of the co-op, look in their own extras, or utilize their local Buy Nothing Groups. If teachers are still in need of something specific, they should contact the directors about purchasing and reimbursement.