Outdoor play

In home school lingo this is known as a “park day” but the word “outdoor” is preferable because it expands the boundaries of play and allows for the consideration of public spaces that are not typically associated with play.

• Once a week, every week

• We'll gather outside in a public area where the children can play

• Participants will take turns every month hosting the outdoor play days

• Activities are offered weekly but never enforced

• Children will decide, choose, and lead their own play and games without adult coercion

• Children will be free to practice decision making and conflict resolution with minimal-to-no adult intervention unless needed for safety reasons

Create and Discover

Participants will gather at my home and at in a safe space to play, create, and co-learn.

• Once a month

• A variety of materials will be available for children to have the freedom to choose what and how they want to spend their time.

• Adult participants will act as facilitators and guides for learning, not as experts

• Participants will help clean up at the end of the session.

• As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, we will gather primarily outside with access indoors when needed for food or to use the bathroom. Read more about our coronavirus response here.

The Library Initiative

Taking advantage of an already existing publicly funded learning center, like the local library, is an opportunity to expand unschooling and self-directed education into the broader world.

• Monthly

• Co-op participants will meet at the Oceanside Civic Center Library courtyard to engage in a story-time and activity led by a co-op member, followed by self-directed research, reading, computers, and playing

• To learn more about the national Library Initiative, click here.

Explore

Participants (both adults and children) will decide on a location within the Oceanside and North County area to visit once a month for a field-trip to engage in community learning.

• Monthly

• Adults will need to arrange their own transportation

• Cost will be covered individually and/or collectively - no one will be left out

• If you are an organization that would like to host us for a community learning field trip, please contact me here

My Reflection Matters Village

Empower Oceanside is a co-learning community partner of the My Reflection Matters (MRM) virtual network. Joining the co-op means your family will have access to this network:

• Within the network the co-op has a private site for planning and organizing (like Facebook Groups but without the trolls, algorithms, and distractions).

• You will also get access to MRM’s invaluable Decolonizing Education membership:

  • "Decolonizing Education village membership is for parents and educators where members collectively share culturally relevant resources, tips, and advice to support decolonized learning at home, school, or any learning space. Members can expect to engage in conversations and events that push them to re-imagine education outside the white, patriarchal, colonial, adult gaze and the traditional system of schooling with the support of Village founder, Chemay, who has nearly 20 years experience serving as an equity and liberation consultant and is a recovering school teacher turned self-directed education (SDE) organizer. All members will have access to our private, digital Culturally Responsive Resource Library."