Wildwood Co-op
Structure & Schedule
Wildwood Co-op is structured around the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education. Our co-op exists to provide homeschool families with a living education through enriching subjects, centered on peer connections and community building. We meet on Tuesdays at a church in Bloomington, MN, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for two 12-week terms: fall and spring.
Wildwood Co-op is reserved for families whose oldest student is at least six years old. Our co-op is parent-led; Parents volunteer to share the responsibilities of teaching, organizing, and nursery care. This is not a drop-off.
Wildwood Co-op embraces a parent-led model because it fosters a strong, interconnected community where both children and parents thrive. When parents take on the role of teachers, they build meaningful relationships not only with their own children but also with their children’s friends and peers. This creates a web of trusted, familiar adults that children recognize not just as teachers, but as part of their extended community. As a result, a deeper sense of trust and belonging naturally develops, strengthening bonds among families. Additionally, this collaborative approach helps reduce program costs, making Wildwood more accessible while enriching the educational experience with diverse talents and perspectives from within the community.
Why Parent-Led?
Students will be placed into classes based on classroom readiness, which includes the combination of maturity, scholastic ability, classroom behavior, engagement, and age. The final classroom breakdown will be finalized after we know how many students we have for the fall term. This will be the general guideline:
Nursery: 0-3 year-olds
Kinder: 4- and 5-year-olds
Form 1: 1st - 3rd grade
Form 2: 4th - 6th grade
Form 3: 7th - 8th grade
Classroom Structure
Classes vary from term to term, but generally include many of Charlotte Mason’s enrichment studies. Here is a sample schedule for a Form 1 or Form 2 class:
Gathering Time: Hymn Study
Block 1: Spanish, Nature Study, Shakespeare, Poetry
Block 2: Composer Study, Handicraft/Fine Art, Artist Study
Gathering Time: Folksong & Folkdance
The Form 3 class will still engage with several of the enrichment studies listed above, but we will also include a few academic subjects conducive to group learning. Form 3 classes may include:
Literature
Recitation
Living Science: weather, chemistry, botany, astronomy, molecules, etc.
Citizenship/Economics
Sample Schedule
Our Statement of Faith for Wildwood Co-op reflects only the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. For theology beyond what is reflected here, we direct our participants to their own churches’ statements of faith and the Bible. We are also happy to dialogue about any questions parents might have. Families are welcomed to our co-op who hold to traditional Christian orthodoxy, submit to the Bible as the inerrant, in the original manuscripts, and authoritative Word of God, and agree with each of these statements of faith:
Nicene Creed
Apostles Creed
Statement of Faith:
We prioritize keeping costs low for co-op participants. One way we do this is by operating as a parent-led program; Parents volunteer to share the responsibilities of teaching, organizing, and nursery care. The program cost is estimated to be about $500 per family, but the final cost will depend on the total number of families enrolled and supplies needed for classes taught. Program fees are collected at the beginning of the school year and include:
Insurance: Liability Insurance costs will be divided equally between all enrolled families.
Facility: We rent space at a local church. The facility rental costs will be divided equally between all enrolled families.
Supplies: Some classes, such as Fine Art/Handicraft or Artist Study, require extra supplies. Teachers are encouraged to keep material needs to a minimum.