Columbus has a vibrant home school community

As more people become disenchanted with the public school system throughout Central Ohio, home schooling has become a very popular and affordable educational alternative, in the Columbus Ohio area.  Central Ohio offers a variety of private and charter school choice options.  While charter schools are often FREE (because they get some funding from the state and through property taxes that would normally go to your local school district), private schools can be cost prohibitive, especially with the depressed economy.

My son has friends, in the Columbus area, who are home schooled and after talking about their positive experiences with home schooling, we decided to investigate and see if home schooling is right for us.  We were very surprised to learn about the abundant Columbus area home school co-ops, classes and activities throughout Central Ohio. I have discovered information from a variety of sources and thought I’d share what I have learned, to make it easier for anyone else considering home schooling, in the Columbus Ohio area.

Add Your Home School Coop, Class or Activity for FREE

If you know of any Columbus area home school classes, co-ops or activities, not listed here, please feel free to CONTACT PETRA with the details, and I’d be happy to include that information here.  Below is a listing of various home school co-ops, classes and activities, in the Central Ohio area.  I hope you find this information helpful, in your home school journey.

CANAL WINCHESTER HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The HomeSchool Gym

The Home School Gym Canal Winchester location will meet at, The Grace Bible Church, 424 Gender Road, Canal Winchester, Ohio on Tuesdays.  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:  homeschoolgym.com/

COLUMBUS OHIO HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

CAPA- The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts

EDUCATION THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT - Light the spark of learning in your students with CAPA’s educational performances, making history and science come alive on stage!  As part of its regular theatre season, CAPA offers select student matinee performances each year. These shows are an enjoyable way for students and teachers to experience a performance and learn about the works and artists who present them. Some performances include advance program materials and/or artist-hosted master classes. Select artists also make in-school appearances for master classes and/or demonstrations.  Capa.com/about-capa/education

Central Ohio Avengers - Christian Home School Basketball

Christian Home School Basketball league with boy and girl teams for ages 10 thru 18.  Contact Frank Beaver at 614-570-0702 or visit: Centralohioavengers.com/

Community Music Centers

Community Music Centers, featuring The Columbus Children’s Show Choir, The Sing & Sign Chorus and The Columbus Community String Orchestra, is a community outreach program, offering affordable and sometimes FREE music, language, art, and typing programs at eight convenient locations in the central Ohio area.  Communitymusiccenters.freehosting.net

COSI - Center of Science and Industry

COSI offers a variety of science education oriented home school workshops, during the day.  Workshops include pre- and post-visit lessons for use at home, to further your child’s science inquiry. Participants socialize with other young scientists while exploring science careers, too!  REGISTER ONLINE AT: www.cosi.org/educators

Central Ohio Christian Home School Chorus

Here at COCHC we have a tremendous desire for each child to a receive a great Christian choral music education.  We long for each child to learn to read music, develop their God-given musical voice, learn to sing in a group setting for a variety of audiences, and glorify their Heavenly Father while doing it!  Central Ohio Christian Homeschool Chorus was founded in the Fall of 2009 as a way to bless home school families in our area with an excellent choral/general music education.  In each class we work on many areas of music education including rhythm, pitch, excellent singing technique, reading music, and just an overall enjoyment of singing about God and for God.  At the beginning of every semester each family receives a rehearsal CD and a COCHC folder in which to keep track of everything that we have learned as well as each week’s take home page.  This gives each family the information that they would need to show a local school district or assessment administrator about their child’s music education.  WEBSITE: Central Ohio Christian Home School Chorus

Columbus Art Mobile Classes

Composed of a staff of local artisans operating on a volunteer basis, the Artmobile gives kids the opportunity to learn the basics of studio arts- everything from charcoal and pastel drawing to ceramics to mixed media projects. In addition to hands-on art classes, local artists from the Columbus community would also visit to speak about their chosen profession, giving an insight to what life is like for a painter, a sculptor, a glass artist, etc.  For art class info visit:  Columbusartmobile.com

Columbus Metro Parks

The Columbus Metro Park system offers a variety of nature oriented FREE home school programs, during the day, in parks throughout Central Ohio. REGISTER ONLINE AT:   www.metroparks.net

Columbus Parks and Recreation

The Columbus Parks and Recreation Department offers home school gym and art classes during the day, in various recreation centers around Columbus and some are even FREE.  WEBSITE: Parks.columbus.gov/homepage.aspx

Columbus Zoo - Home School Adventure Series

The Columbus Zoo is excited to continue to offer a series of guided adventure programs for home school students.  Join us to discover the fascinating lives of animals at the Zoo and around the world.  Guided adventure programs may include live animals, bio-facts, hands-on activities, and/or a tour of the Zoo. WEBSITE: ColumbusZoo.org

Generation Joshua - Central Ohio Chapter

The Vision of Generation Joshua is to assist parents to raise up the next generation of Christian leaders and citizens, equipped to positively influence the political processes of today and tomorrow. To accomplish these goals, Generation Joshua provides training opportunities for teenagers ages 11-18, throughout the US.  Our goal is to use these opportunities to challenge teens to stand up for what is right, to grow in their own beliefs, and to learn about how they can make a difference in their communities and nation.   The Columbus Chapter of Generation Joshua will meet throughout the year, on the second Friday of every month from 1-3pm, at the Fishinger & Kenny Roads church of Christ. Contact Kathy Schwartz schoolmom22@gmail.com for details. Website:  www.Generationjoshua.org

Levite School of Music - GROUP LESSONS FOR YOUR COOP

Levite School of Music offers private voice, guitar, piano/keyboard, recorder, saxophone and song writing lessons as well as reasonably priced summer music camps and group music lessons for your home school coop, in Central Ohio.  The Levite School of Music can provide reasonably priced group music  lessons, for your Columbus area home school coop, at your location and will bring the musical instruments for kids to play.

Levite School of Music is committed to bringing the finest music education to your children and assisting in drawing out the many creative talents that will build confidence and prepare your child for a successful future.   Karen Leigh, the Director of Levite School of Music, LLC and Levite Summer Music Camps, has taught vocal and instrumental music in private schools, for more than 17 years.  She received her Bachelor of Music Education K thru 12 degree, from the Ohio State University.  As music teachers and professional musicians, we have seen first hand the benefits that music education provides for children both socially and academically. An educational curriculum that includes music has been found to enhance a child’s ability to learn other subjects. Recent studies show that any music instruction even for as little as a year improves a child’s memory skills permanently. Contact Karen at (614) 216.3151 or visit: Leviteschoolofmusic.com

Our Lady’s Mantle Catholic Home Schooling in Central Ohio

We are a Catholic homeschooling group with activities centered in the West Columbus area. Our goals for this group are to develop relationships between families, support the Church, and to build our community. We welcome all Catholic families of ages to join us. WEBSITE: www.educatingforheaven.com/support-groups/our-ladys-mantle/

Opus Domini Catholic Home School Group

Beautifully Updated 3 Bedroom Clintonville Home For Sale

540 E. Dunedin Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214, is a beautifully updated Clintonville home with 3 bedrooms, one and a half baths and a 2 car garage. This Clintonville  home is listed for sale at $209,900.

This home features all the charm and character of a typical Clintonville home with many updates including: hardwood floors throughout, newer half bath addition and main bath is updated too, new Trane furnace and AC in December 2009, spacious rooms, cozy gas fireplace, deep back yard and front porch to relax on.  Renovated gourmet kitchen with custom, white raised panel wood cabinets, crown moldings, upgraded stainless appliances, silestone counters and so much more!

**** SOLD AT 98% OF LIST PRICE****

Pictures and more details of 540 E. Dunedin

www.ColumbusCastles.com/petras-featured-homes/featured?id=2100276

To learn more about the Clintonville Ohio real estate market, schools and community visit: www.columbuscastles.com/communities_clintonville

540 E. Dunedin Road is a convenient location in Clintonville, just around the corner from Brevoort Park and walking distance to Olympic Swimming Pool and Tennis Club, Wildflower Cafe, Weilands Gourmet Market and many other businesses.

Thoughts from the home owner:

1. We have wonderful neighbors!  Always very supportive and friendly!
2. The neighborhood has a block party each year in which all homeowners get together throughout one Saturday in late September or early October.  Families and individuals all bring a dish and share in a pot luck dinner while kids play throughout the day.  The party ends with a gathering of OSU fans to watch the Buckeyes play on a large projection HD screen midway down the block (3 houses West of here)!  Great times and great folks!
3. The property across the street is owned and occupied by AT&T.  This limits the traffic parked on the street (it is a no parking zone on that side).  The busiest traffic that the property receives is the neighborhood kids playing football or Frisbee.
4. McCarthy’s Wildflower Café is within walking distance!  It is a quaint, popular, café with great food and great service!
5. UDF is within walking distance as well.  Honestly, we have always had great service there and it is very handy when you need fuel or something quick and prefer not to make a trip to the grocery store.
6. Weilands Gormet Market - Excellent gourmet store within walking distance (1/4 mile North on Indianola).  This market is known for their specialty in quality produce, meat, seafood, wine, cheese, and service.  They also have weekend specials on smoked meat and free wine samplings.  More can be found at www.weilandsgourmetmarket.com
7. Brevoort Park - (less than ¼ of a mile North on Indianola) This is a wonderful park to take children, pets, or simply relax amongst the large native shade trees.  It is not too big, not too small and very well kept.
8. Knapp veterinary hospital is directly behind UDF and very handy for all homeowners with pets.  They have a beautiful facility and fantastic service.  More can be found at www.knappvetirenaryhospital.com

Other notable Clintonville businesses and services:

Huntington Bank - 1/8 of a mile south on Indianola Ave.
Clintonville Auto Repair - 1/8 of a mile
Getrue Cleaners - ¼ of a mile North on Indianola
Kroger - Less than one mile
Starbucks - Less than one mile
Caribou Coffee - Less than one mile
Clintonville Farmers Market - Less than one mile (on summer weekends)
Riverside Hospital - Approximately 2 miles
Whetstone Park of Roses & Library - Approximately 1.5 miles

540 E. Dunedin Road in Clintonville, is also on the Columbus Ohio MLS

When searching for Clintonville real estate listings using the online Columbus Ohio MLS (Multiple Listing Service), searches offered on the internet, you can find 540 E. Dunedin Road, Columbus Ohio 43214 (Clintonville zip code)  by MLS number 210027620.

Search all real estate listings in Clintonville and throughout Central Ohio using Petra’s FREE Columbus MLS Search:

ColumbusCastles.com/search-columbus-mls

Columbus Ohio truly is a great place to live!  Columbus has the best real estate market in Ohio and also one of the best job markets around too.  I suppose they both go hand in hand. Columbus real estate offers something for everyone, no matter what your price range.

Columbus Ohio Real Estate Market

You can find homes and condos starting around $50,000 to well over a million dollars built anywhere from the late 1800’s to the present.  Quaint historic neighborhoods with some older mission, tudor and victorian style homes built in the early 1900’s can be found in one of my favorite areas, Clintonville as well as in the Short North, Victorian Village, German Village, Old Town East and Bexley.  You can find newer homes and new home construction in most Central Ohio suburbs and in some areas of Columbus like the popular Easton Town Center area in Northeast Columbus.

Modern upscale condos and lofts can be found, in the Short North and Downtown Columbus. Waterfront properties can be found overlooking the Scioto River in Downtown Columbus, Grandview and Upper Arlington areas, on the Ohio River in Powell and northeast in Westerville there are waterfront homes on the Hoover Resevoir.

Homes on golf course lots and communities abound in just about every area of Columbus and the suburbs with some of the most popular golf course communities being Muirfield in Dublin, Wedgewood in Powell, Highland Lakes Golf Course and Medallion in Westerville, Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Columbus Country Club in East Columbus, Heritage Golf Club and  Ballantrae in Hilliard, the Safari Golf Course by the Columbus Zoo and so many others.

The most affordable housing can be found in the city of Columbus and many of the Central Ohio suburbs including: Blacklick, Canal Winchester, Grove City, Groveport, Obetz, Reynoldsburg and few in Gahanna, Hilliard or Westerville.  The higher priced suburbs of Columbus include Hilliard, Dublin, Worthington, Powell, Lewis Center, Westerville, Gahanna and New Albany.

To learn more about Columbus and Central Ohio real estate, schools and community information visit:  ColumbusCastles.com/areainfo

Columbus Ohio Economy and Job Market

In August 2009, US News & World Report ranked Columbus, the Capital of Ohio, one of America’s best places to find a job in 2009. According to Bill LaFayette, Vice President of Economic Analysis for the Columbus Ohio Chamber of Commerce, when comparing  Columbus’s data to national averages, he says Columbus is doing a lot better than average.

Ohio State Capital Building

One thing that helps our economy in Central Ohio is that Columbus, is not only in the middle of Ohio, but also pretty much central to most of the country.  Due to Ohio’s central location, we have a strong transportation and distribution industry, which has grown by a third since 2001.

Central Ohio’s diverse economy also contributes to making our job market resilient.  Health care, hospitality, manufacturing and even the tech industry provide a variety of jobs.   Some of Columbus’s major employers include Ohio State University, Ohio Health, Cardinal Health, Ross Labs, Nationwide Insurance, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bob Evans, Grange Insurance, Farmers Insurance, Safe Auto Insurance, Riverside Hospital, Ohio State University Hospitals, Verizon, Limited Brands and others. In addition, the City of Columbus, State of Ohio and the US Federal government provide thousands of jobs in Columbus Ohio. LaFayette explains that employment in information technology occupations is significantly higher than in comparably sized regions because “so many of our sectors are voracious consumers of data” and need top-notch IT infrastructure.

I’ve helped a lot of people relocating to Columbus, buy a home in Central Ohio.  While I’m not seeing as many people move to Columbus as I did a few years ago, I do still frequently get calls from buyers looking to move to Columbus Ohio and buy a home here.  I’ve even received inquiries from buyers who plan to move to Columbus, once they find a job.  In the mean time, I can email new real estate listing updates, in their price range, from the Columbus MLS (multiple listing service).  Most buyers find this FREE service a very helpful way to get educated about the Columbus Ohio real estate market and what they can get in their price range.

I also offer an extensive relocation package that I mail out to clients once they are planning to move here.  If you’re planning to move to Columbus Ohio and would like my FREE relocation information package or would like to receive real estate listing updates by email, please either CONTACT ME at 614-895-0496 or complete the form on my Columbus Ohio Relocation Page to get started.  I greatly appreciate the opportunity to help make your move to Columbus Ohio successful.

This is a buyer’s market right?  The media keeps publicizing how bad the real estate market is all over the US.  So how is it possible that I have come across 4 multiple offer situations in the last month here in Columbus Ohio?  Let me share a little more about each scenario to give you a better idea of what the real estate market is really doing here in the Columbus Ohio area. 

Client number 1:  I’m working with a couple who just recently sold their home in Indiana and are now ready to buy their next home in the Columbus Ohio area.  They love older vintage style homes with lots of character, charm and hardwood floors in walking type communities.  The husband is a resident at Mount Carmel and Saint Ann’s Hospitals.  The wife will be going to OSU to complete the Internal Medicine program.  So they wanted areas convenient to Downtown, OSU and Westerville.   They decided to look for older homes in the Bexley, Clintonville, German Village and Worthington areas. 

We had found a home in Clintonville that they just loved and were ready to make an offer on when it went into contract.  There was one other home in Clintonville and 2 homes in Bexley that they also liked and all three went into contract at the same time.  All of these homes had been on the market for less than 2 weeks.  Even though there is plenty more on the market, most of the other homes are not nearly as nice so they decided to just wait until something new came on the market.  Three days ago a new real estate listing came on the market in Bexley and we went to see it right away.  It was the perfect home for them so we made an offer right away before anyone else had a chance!  They are now very happy to be in contract on this cute cape cod home in Bexley!  

Client number 2:  I’m working with another couple who have their current home in contract and has to move by the end of July (I’m selling their current home in the OSU/Upper Arlington/Riverside Hospital area).  The husband works at Chase in the Polaris/Lewis Center area and the wife works in Westerville.  They are also very active in their church which is located just North of the OSU Campus area so they wanted to buy a home somewhere in between these areas.  We have been looking for homes in the Clintonville, Worthington and Westerville areas. They’re expecting their 2nd child, so modern day conveniences like a finished basement, 1st floor den and 2 car attached garage are important to them.  

They quickly realized you can get a much nicer home for the money in some well established neighborhoods in Westerville.  We found their ideal home in Westerville last Saturday.  We went back on Monday to see it a 2nd time and were ready to make an offer on it and found out they already had another offer that they were ready to accept.  So we quickly made our best offer on this home too, but the seller decided to take the other one because it came in first.  This home had been on the market for less than 2 weeks.

Client number 2 again:  Okay - I mentioned that I’m also selling their home which is located in the Cranford Subdivision in Northwest Columbus (Upper Arlington, OSU and Riverside Hospital area).  Here’s a link to that Northwest Columbus Ranch Home.  I always try to provide staging and home preparation advice to my clients who want to sell their home because I know that homes in the best condition sell quicker and for more money.  So this client took the time to properly prepare their home for the market.  This particular area of Columbus is very popular due to it’s convenient location, on the edge of Upper Arlington, plus it’sclose to OSU and Riverside Hospital.  In addition, you can get to Downtown Columbus in about 10 minutes.  However, I’ve still seen some homes sit on the market a while in this area, when they are not properly prepared. 

Since this home was properly prepared for the market, we experienced lots of showings.  After about 2 weeks on the market, we received an offer from someone who is planning to go to graduate school at the Ohio State University (OSU).  We had started negotiating with this client when a 2nd offer came in.  The sellers had to decide which offer they wanted to take and decided to stay with the first buyer because they agreed to take the home as is.  This was appealing to the seller because they are ready to move on to their next home and don’t want to bother with any more repairs on their current home.  

Client number 3:  I’m working with another couple who are first time home buyers.  The husband works in Downtown Columbus and the wife works in the Worthington area.  So they’re looking for homes in Worthington, Dublin, Westerville and Gahanna areas.  They have some pretty specific needs in their first home - a fenced in yard for their dog and some separate living space for her Dad who is planning to move in with them.  So we found a cute ranch home in Gahanna that offered a nice large basement that they planned on finishing for a mother in law type suite for her Dad. Only problem, 2 other people wanted the same home at the same time.  That’s right - this home had 3 offers at the same time.  Unfortunately, our offer was not the chosen one.  My clients offered the most they could afford and that obviously wasn’t enough. 

In October of 2007, Forbes ranked the Columbus Ohio real estate market the 3rd most stable in the US.  I find that homes are still selling well in many areas of Central Ohio.  I think the key in the three homes in Bexley, Clintonville and Westerville mentioned above, is the homes went into contract quickly because they were all in good condition, properly prepared/staged and priced right for the current market.  I always say that homes in the best condition will sell more quickly and for more money.  Visit http://www.columbuscastles.com/sellers, to learn more.

There are some areas of Columbus and some Central Ohio suburbs that are not selling as quick, but that certainly is not the case everywhere.  Some of the areas that are struggeling the most are areas with newer homes that were developed too quickly.  Also in some of those newer developments, builders are still building.  So it’s very challenging to try and sell your home and compete against the builder’s buyer financing incentives.

Overall, you’ll find the Columbus Ohio real estate market to be doing much better than many other parts of the US and even other areas in Ohio.  If you’re interested in buying or selling a home, I’d love to work for you.  Please CONTACT PETRA at 614-895-0496 anytime from 8am-10pm EST for personal assistance with your Columbus Ohio real estate needs.