Homeschool group prepares for new year, fair

Nevada Daily Mail

With the school starting in a month, preparations for the new school year have begun for some families and teachers, as well as parents in the area who have chosen to homeschool their children.

For nine years, the Area Christian Parent Educators group has provided an organization for homeschool families with the goal of encouraging and supporting families as they educate their children outside the normal public or private school systems.

Having started with between eight and 10 families, the group has grown to include more than 30 families and about 90 students who take part in classes throughout the year on a wide range of subjects, taught by parents or other members of the community.

Throughout the year, students can attend free classes hosted at Christ Reformed Church, 510 N. Cedar, on topics such as Greek, calculus for kids and book clubs. One-time presentations will also be available on geography, fire safety, journalism, science and conservation. The group also holds field trips and has a monthly meeting for mothers.

Jenny Rives, the contact for ACPE who helps organize events and has homeschooled her children for the past 12 years, says parents most often choose to homeschool their children so they can spend more time with them and have more of an influence on them and their education, choosing what curriculum they study as well as at what pace.

Rives said some also choose to homeschool their children so they can set their own standards of education as well as their own schedules for when they start and finish the year.

While their group is a Christian one, Rives said they do not require families to be of the same belief as they are.

"Our goal is to minister to others and be a blessing," Rives said.

Rives said sometimes people have different conceptions of what homeschool families do or how they act -- and Rives said sometimes they are more conservative than other families, though each homeschool family is different -- but added they have been well-received by the community and other children they meet.

"Sometimes that seems weird to people," Rives said of that conservatism, though she has not seen it cause issues in the area. "I think people are more and more open to it."

Rives said she hopes the group will continue to grow and that other homeschool families outside the city of Nevada will participate as well.

The first Friday in September, ACPE will host their first Annual Homeschool Fair and Conference at the Moore-Few Care Center's community room, which will include booths with homemade items for sale, homeschool curriculum for parents to consider, information for those interested in homeschooling as well as a message from keynote speaker Christina Caudle, speaking on the topic of avoiding burnout during the school year.

"I think probably every mom deals with that," Rives said of that subject. "I enjoy it, but it's just overwhelming. But it's worth it."

Families will also bring some of the curriculum they use for their children as well as some of their children's projects for others to look at. The event will be held 4 -- 8:30 p.m. Sept. 4.

There is a fee for homeschool families who want to set up booths; others can attend the event for free. Already, nine booths have been committed to the event and Rives said she expects more in the next month. Rives said anyone in the community is invited to come to the fair to look at the items for sale or receive information.

Anyone interested in learning more about the homeschool community or in hosting a booth at the fair can contact Rives at 417-321-1772 or homeschlnews@yahoo.com.