Opus Domini, Works of the Lord, is a Catholic Home School Group serving Columbus, Ohio and surrounding areas. Our members belong to Catholic Parishes all over the surrounding Columbus area. We are a group of families who have chosen to educate some or all of our children at home. We are diverse in our schooling approaches but united in our desire to raise our children to be followers of Christ. The purpose of the Opus Domini Yahoo group is to facilitate communication and friendship among Catholic homeschooling families, to grow in the faith, and assist in finding resources for these things. Members are welcome to post messages for discussion, and invite other members to play dates, fairs, religious events, etc. Community events or home school days may be posted here, as long as the event is Catholic or home school related and not contrary to a love for the Catholic Church. Members are also encouraged to be involved with planning a field trip, activity or special event annually. Members pay annual dues of twenty dollars which pays for party supplies, class supplies, Service Projects, Lending Library and gifts in kind. We offer New Members Mentors, Adult Support and Events, Group Offers, Community Service, Spiritual Guidance, Student Education, Clubs, Groups and Classes. Opus Domini members strive to be in full communion with the Catholic Church, fully supporting our Holy Father, our bishop, as well as our pastors and priests, with fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church. WEBSITE: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OpusDomini/

South-West Columbus Area Homeschoolers group (SWCAH)

SWCAH is an inclusive homeschool group that typically meets quarterly - on the third Thursday. See the group calendar for dates and times. Everyday online discussions may include questions, support of other homeschoolers, field trip and play date ideas, monthly meeting information, educational resources or anything else relevant to homeschooling.  This group is open to anyone regardless of race, religion, home school styles, parenting styles, etc. Public online charter school families are welcome to join our group and participate in our activities. If your child attends public or private school, you are welcome to join to learn more about homeschooling. WEBSITE: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWCAH/

Vineyard Columbus Home School Network

This is a network group for those who attend any Vineyard church in the Columbus area. We offer support and information through our online network. We also offer social time for any home schoolers in the Columbus area, on Fridays at the Vineyard Church of Columbus’ community center. Check out details at www.vineyardcommunitycenter.org. Join the Yahoo Group:  groups.yahoo.com/group/VineyardColumbusHomeschoolNetwork/

YMCA of Columbus

YMCA has locations throughout Central Ohio, that offer some home school art, swim and gym classes during the day.  Visit:  www.ymcacolumbus.org/

CLINTONVILLE HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Classical Conversations

The Cintonville Classical Conversations meets on Wednesdays.  See bottom of this page, for more information or visit www.ClassicalConversations.com, to learn more about Classical Conversations classes in Clintonville.

The HomeSchool Gym

The Home School Gym Clintonville location will meet at, The Whetstone Recreation Center, 3923 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio on Thursdays.  The HomeSchool Gym was founded by Chris Quickert,  in order to provide a safe and positive physical education experience for homeschooled children. We use a variety of games and activities that are both fun and educational. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere, in which children of varying ages, can come together and learn physical skills that will lead them to a lifetime of health, fitness and fun.  For schedule info and to register for classes: VISIT:  http://homeschoolgym.com/

DUBLIN HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Dublin Baptist Church - Mighty Arrows Home Educators (MAHE)

Mighty Arrows Home Educators Co-op strives to minister to home school families, within the Dublin Baptist Church (DBC) community as well as reach out to families who home school within the surrounding areas.  MAHE is a Christian-focused cooperative in which members support one another in the adventure and responsibility of homeschooling our children.  WEBSITE:  www.homeschool-life.com/oh/mightyarrows

Fellowship Baptist Church - The Shema Academy for Excellence in Homeschooling

We are group that is founded on a commitment to embrace a Biblical worldview and to infuse that into our homeschooling. We meet in Dublin on Wednesdays from September through May, and offer classes using Apologia Science, Progeny Press Literature Study Guides, and also offer a high school Apologetics class. High school teachers are paid a modest tuition fee; middle school classes are taught in a co-op format. Enrollment period is May 15 to June 30. WEBSITE: www.fbcdublin.org

GAHANNA HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Royal Arts Fencing Academy

Royal Arts was formed in 2001, to teach fencing not only as sport, but as a lifelong love, providing lessons for life. Focusing on youth fencing in America, Ms. Richey built the program up to be one of the largest in the area and offers classes for youth, adults and families.  Visit:  Royalarts.org for schedules and more information.

Gahanna YMCA

The Gahanna YMCA offers art, gym and swim home school classes.  WEBSITE: www.ymcacolumbus.org/gahanna

GRANVILLE HOME SCHOOL CLASSES

Springhills Baptist Church - Spring Hills Homeschool Group

JOHNSTOWN HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Johnstown Home Schoolers Yahoo Group

This is a networking list for home educators in Johnstown, Ohio and the surrounding area. Join us to discuss current legal, educational, philosophical and practical issues relevant to homeschooling. Feel free to post your ideas and opinions, your sources and resources, news of interest to home educators, events and activities, internet links, as well as your support and suggestions for others in this member forum. This list is not restricted to Christians, but does have a Christian foundation. Anti-Christian sentiments have no place here and will not be allowed. Public online charter school families are welcome to join our group. If your child attends public or private school, you are welcome to join to learn more about homeschooling. WEBSITE: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JohnstownHomeschoolers/

NEWARK HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The Works

Central Ohio’s hands-on learning, creating & doing place. The Works is an interactive learning center where people of all ages can have fun and be inspired by the history, technology and artistic accomplishments of the communities we serve. The Works is an official Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). Our Smithsonian Affiliation gives us access to special traveling exhibits and other resources from the prestigious Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. With an ASTC membership, members of The Works receive free general admission to more than 280 Science & Technology museums around the world.  WEBSITE: www.attheworks.org The Works Arts and Sciences Academy (WASA) is designed specifically for the alternative schooling community and has developed great programs for children participating in homeschooling! Students are grouped in grades 1-4 and 5-8, with a maximum of 20 in each group. WASA groups meet the third Friday of every month from October through April (with the exception of December) and study a class curriculum consisting of science and art education. WEBSITE: www.attheworks.org/ClassesCampsAndPrograms/AlternateSchoolOfferings

PATASKALA HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Cornerstone Home School Group in Pataskala

PICKERINGTON HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The HomeSchool Gym

POWELL HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Learning Tree Home School Coop

SUNBURY HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Bloomfield Music Studio

Music Lessons– Homeschoolers Welcome! Piano, guitar, voice, and songwriting. Sunbury/Centerburg/Sparta area.
*All ages, all levels, all abilities
*Learn to read, play, and write music
*Experienced teacher with Master’s in Education
*Daytime and evening lessons available
Phone: (740)973-2192
Website: www.bloomfieldmusicstudio.com

Sunbury Home Educators (SHE)

The Lex Center of Performing Arts

UPPER ARLINGTON HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Upper Arlington Christian Homeschoolers

The purpose of Upper Arlington Christian Homeschoolers Co-op is, to support and encourage parents in their homeschooling effort, as they endeavor to disciple their children, to the glory of God. The group offers classes which would be difficult or impossible in a single home setting, through emphasizing group activities to complement our schooling endeavors at home. UACH is a volunteer-run ministry. Through the involvement and effort of all of its member families, UACH can provide encouragement, resource exchanges and curriculum ideas for families, assist new homeschoolers, form field trips, arrange academic events/competitions, and provide academic and social interaction with other parents and children with similar concerns and educational goals. We also offer Standardized Testing using the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills every spring. Membership registration runs through August 31st, for the coming school year. Others interested in joining after that date are enrolled based upon space availability or placed on a waiting list for membership in the coming year. Membership often re-opens in November for second semester enrollment.  WEBSITE: Upper Arlington Christian Homeschoolers

WESTERVILLE HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Classical Conversations

The Westerville Classical Conversations meets on Tuesdays. See bottom of this page, for more information or visit www.ClassicalConversations.com, to learn more about Classical Conversations classes in Westerville.

Heritage Christian Church - Home Builders Academy

Established in 1999, HBA offers Christian homeschooling group classes under the authority of and with the support of Heritage Christian Church.  HBA offers classes, field trips, and other educational opportunities in a positive and encouraging environment for children from kindergarten throug h 7th grade.  Students will be divided into groups by age and will rotate through each class.  Classes meet on Tuesdays from 12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m, September thru April. CONTACT: HBA Coordinator Rebecca Thompson at 614.428.9005.

WAHA - Westerville Area Homeschool Association

Our goal at FamilyVision is to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ in all that we do, and, as much as possible, to teach all classes consistent with a Christian worldview, and in the context of family relationships. Our classes are ability-grouped, rather than age-grouped. FamilyVision Schools also provides free tuition to any parent who attends a class which their child also attends. Since we seek to help families provide a high-quality education for their children, we offer many classes (for example, Latin, Logic, Christian Worldview, Public Speaking, Politics and Government) that are not “required” for a high school diploma.   WEBSITE: http://www.wahaohio.com/

Westerville Community Center Parks and Recreation Programs

The Westerville Community Center offers a variety of home school classes, during the day, including: swimming, arts and crafts, gym, ceramics and more.  Visit www.Westerville.org for class schedules.

Westerville Home School Cub Scout Troop

CENTRAL OHIO CLASSICAL CONVERSATIONS CLASSES

One of the most popular home school coops in Central Ohio, is Classical Conversations.  Classical Conversations follows “Classical” Christian homeschooling methods.  Classical Conversations has groups meeting in the following Central Ohio communities:  Clintonville (Wednesdays), Grove City, Hilliard, Powell (Tuesdays), Reynoldsburg (Thursdays), Westerville (Tuesdays).  VISIT: www.ClassicalConversations.com and click on Ohio, on the US Map. Then click on Community Listing Links to find the contact info for the area campuses.

Classical Conversations is a family-oriented service for parents who desire to train all of their children in classical Christian education. Classical Conversations’ purpose is to know God and to make Him known, our mission is to teach the tools of learning, and our goal is to create classical Christian community. The classical model requires children to practice skills that can be hard to practice just within your family. Classical Conversations provides children with the opportunity and motivation to practice in a warm, Christian environment. Classical Conversations is not a private school, but a service that is operated by tutors who have successfully home schooled their own children and want to complement your home school. Several different programs are available through Classical Conversations.

We empower and support parents not only through our Classical Conversations Communities across the country but also through our specially designed CC Connected online community, Parent Practicums, and academic retreats. All of these services ultimately equip parents to educate their children with the classical tools of learning and a biblical worldview so that they might impact the world for God’s glory.

Classical Conversations’ programs model the three stages of classical learning—grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Using age appropriate methods, children are taught the tools for studying any subject. The Classical model emphasizes mastery of facts during the early years. This gives students a foundation on which to build later learning and a solid framework where ideas can be categorized and compared as students mature.

Proverbs 24:3-4, identifies three stages of learning:	Classical education calls these stages:	Classical Conversations models each stage in:
Knowledge Understanding Wisdom	Grammar Dialectic Rhetoric	Foundations, Essentials Essentials, Challenge A & B Challenge Levels I, II, III & IV

The morning Foundations Program is for parents and all their children 12 and under. This simple, yet thorough program meets once a week, for 24 weeks during the school year. Trained tutors, who are home school parents in the program, lead each group of students as they participate in art projects, music study, science experiments, oral presentations, and a memorization program in history, geography, Latin, English grammar, math, and science.

Foundations: Our Foundations Programs provide a Classical Christian community for homeschool families with students in grades K4-6th. These power-packed programs typically meet once a week for twelve weeks in the fall and twelve weeks in the winter/spring months.

Based on the classical model of education, families meet weekly to introduce new memory work (or grammar of a subject) and review old memory work using Classical Conversations’ Foundations Guide as the heart of the curriculum. A trained tutor creatively introduces the memory work and leads the classroom time. The memory work is divided into 6 subjects: timeline/history, geography, math, science, Latin, and English grammar. In addition to the memory work, students also participate in a fine arts project/lesson, a science project, and an opportunity to practice oral presentation skills each week.

Each year students have an opportunity to participate in an optional Memory Master track, where a student strives to memorize all the information for that year and recite it to a few adults at the end of the year. Through the Memory Master (MM) track, students are “pounding in” the grammar pegs of history, Latin, English grammar, geography, math, science, and history timeline they learned throughout the year.

Each week students have an opportunity to practice oral presentation skills, ranging from simple show-and-tell for the younger students to more structured and prepared presentations for the older students. The goal of our presentation time is for our students to become comfortable standing, talking, and presenting in front of their peers.

Each week we also have a fine arts time, covering one of the following: basics of drawing, music theory, special art projects, and finally exposure to orchestra and classical composers. Students enjoy this mixture of hands-on activities and listening skills.

Finally, each week students work with the tutor to have a hands-on science activity time. The goals here are for students to become familiar with the scientific method and to begin to discover God through His creation and order in subjects like chemistry, physics, astronomy, physical science, and more. Students and parents rave about the time they spend together each week.

Essentials: Loving learning the essentials of … language, writing, and arithmetic.

This dynamic program provides Classical Christian community for home school families with students in grades 4th-6th. This program, which emphasizes language and writing “grammar” while also incorporating highly-dialectic lessons, is designed to reinforce language arts and structure, writing, and arithmetic mastery.

The Essentials Program meets once-a-week for twelve weeks in the fall and twelve weeks in the winter/spring. Students meet in the afternoons after the Foundations program. A trained tutor helps strengthen the “essential” subjects of language arts and structure, writing, and arithmetic.

The language arts and structure portion employs Classical Conversations own The Essentials of the English Language (EEL) Guide which includes lessons that provide a mixture of grammar and dialectic learning tools used to establish language structure understanding. The unique EEL approach takes students beyond “the worksheet” and the ubiquitous fill-in-the-blank method. Upon a firm foundation of memorized vocabulary, rules, and lists, students build strong language skills through the use of a series of analytical tasks. Students are taught how to thoughtfully analyze sentences and language structure, resulting in stronger language skills, which also strengthens students written and oral works.

The writing portion is based on the method of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) by Andrew Pudewa  utilizing IEW’s signature method of structure and style. This method teaches students how to organize their writing through different writing structures, while also providing stylist techniques that make a student’s writing more engaging. Students often practice writing skills on the same subjects that are being studied in their current Foundations cycle.

The math portion focuses on reinforcing the “essential” elements of arithmetic through challenging math games and problems. This program is designed to complement your home math program by drilling speed and accuracy with basic operations of arithmetic.Challenge: Our Challenge programs provide classical, Christian community for homeschool families with students in 7th-12th grades. The Challenge programs typically meet once a week for fifteen weeks in the fall and fifteen weeks in the winter/spring months.

Based on the classical model of education, students at this age move into the dialectic and rhetoric phases of learning. Students utilize our academically challenging curriculum, which is appropriately named the Challenge Curriculum. This curriculum involves Saxon math, Apologia sciences, classic literature, writing, debate, and much more. Students develop and strengthen the life-long learning skills of grammar, exposition, debate, logic, rhetoric, and research. This curriculum is supplemented by weekly classroom time with a trained Challenge Director/Tutor.

Many parents feel inadequate to homeschool their students through the high school years. Our Challenge programs can help by modeling how to school with confidence during these very important years. Being involved in our Challenge program also helps direct you through your transcript and college preparation needs by keeping you well-informed and providing the tools you need for your record keeping.

The Essentials Program, for 3rd though 6th grade children, meets for 2 hours in the afternoon, and provides a trained tutor that classically teaches the children language arts and leads a Math Slam competition. The writing curriculum used in this program is the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

Challenge Programs for students ages 12 or 7th grade meet in Hilliard and new programs are beginning in Westerville and Clintonville next year. Also, an 8th grade challenge program is launching in Hilliard in the fall of 2011. The Challenge programs offers Latin, logic, rhetoric, science, literature, and math. As students now move into their junior high and high school studies, they are trained to organize facts and to write and speak about all of the subjects in the curriculum. These older students, who are still working under the supervision of their parents, meet one day a week for thirty weeks during the year. The Challenge programs provide a place for the students to make presentations and to participate in discussions from which to examine all worldviews in the light of Scripture. For more information, follow this link to the Classical Conversations website.

Learn more about Classical Conversations by watching this video:

Learn more about “Classical” learning

Based on the philosophy of education used in ancient Greece and in Europe during the Middle Ages, this is a rigorous style of education that views education in three phases. These stages correspond to the development of a child’s ability to reason. Also known as the Trivium. The first stage is when the student learns how to learn and has the ability to memorize many facts. The second stage is when connections are made of the facts already learned. The third phase is when the student is able to use the connections of facts and formulate and articulate his own opinions. Grammar, logic and rhetoric are all important components of the Classical method, as is Latin, usually. The Socratic method and the Great Books of Western tradition are also key parts of this method.  To learn more visit:  http://www.accsedu.org/default.aspx

OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Columbus Childrens Theatre

The Columbus Children’s Theatre offers a variety of acting, comedy and theatre production classes and performances for children.  REGISTER ONLINE:  Colschildrenstheatre.org/

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Built in 1895, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a botanical landmark two miles east of downtown Columbus. It is a premier horticultural and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and a signature collection of work by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Set within the 88 acres of Franklin Park, the Conservatory houses 400 species of plants from a variety of global climate zones and features a Victorian Palm House with more than 40 species of palms. It is surrounded by botanical gardens and floral displays.

In addition to a wide range of educational classes and workshops for school groups, families, and individuals, Franklin Park Conservatory also provides a valuable resource through its Growing to Green program for community  gardeners. Annual exhibitions include The Orchid Forest, Blooms and Butterflies, and Holidays at the Conservatory. The Conservatory has developed a program of world-class exhibitions by national and international artists. WEBSITE:
www.fpconservatory.org