Willow Creek Gathers is a faith-based, friendly community where moms take the lead in a Charlotte Mason based homeschooling adventure.

Charlotte Mason Based

Charlotte Mason advocated for all children to receive a quality rich education. Not only to educate them but also to form good character. 

Parent Led

No one will ever care more about a child's education than their own parents. We want our families to feel a part of the education of thier children. 

Community

In addition to co-op days, we do field trips, meet-ups, life... with each other. We want all of our members to have a place they belong and build lasting friendships. 

Rich Feast

We offer classes for 5yo - High School and we have a place for the younger siblings. Our offierings include  Art,  geography, handicrafts, Plutarch, nature study, Literature/Shakespeare, science, and the riches.

About

Willow Creek Gathers is a Charlotte Mason educational program staffed by parents. Our program seeks to spread the feast of learning to each of our students. Students engage with high-quality literature that encourages them to enjoy the beauty of the spoken and written word; they are also presented with a broad range of ideas that help to shape them into critical thinkers. They are guided to view life Biblically, respond to others graciously, and walk humbly among their peers. We begin our day, with what we call, “Collective”: a time of shared Artist Study, Composer Study, Hymns, Folk Songs and more.

From there, our days are divided into subjects for each “Form” with students divided by age group. Those in Form 1 (6-8yo) study Nature, Geography, Literature, Swedish Drill, Recitation and Art. Form 2 (9+) and up, study Shakespeare, Plutarch, Science, Nature, Geography, Recitation and Art. Form 3+ (12+) will additionally study Composition and Government.

While our group focuses on those that are schooling under SC Option 3, we have opportunities for younger siblings including Music, Art, Nature exploration, and reading living books with lots of time for play throughout the day as we understand these young ones are not ready for formal lessons. But, we feel it's great to give them little chances to build good habits, like sitting for a five-minute story or to draw a picture.

The students play games, like tag, basketball, catch, and/or frisbee while the moms are actively watching and socializing. After all, the relationships we build in co-op extend beyond our one-day-per-week adventure.

We provide monthly virtual training opportunities about Miss Mason's methods. We also have a small collection of helpful books to loan to mothers to grow their understanding as they educate their children at home and our co-op students. Attending the Charlotte Mason Spartanburg or Greenville book clubs is strongly encouraged.

We have monthly relationship building “hang out” or “play date” opportunities scheduled outside of our Thursdays: local parks, educational field-trips, book clubs, and Mom only meet-ups. Although optional, they’re a great way to find community with like-minded individuals.

Each semester we host a recitation night where the students get the opportunity to be on stage performing selections they choose and with their class, or individually if they desire. The Form 2, 3, and 4 students prepare a Shakespeare production during class on co-op days and perform on a separate night in the spring semester.


Curriculum Modifications

Why We May Not Be a Fit

- You are looking to follow the traditional school model. Our classes are modeled after Miss Mason's philosophy and may not present only ideas that are "common" for their age.

-You are looking for a drop-off program. We seek to build community with our families and so we connect on other days for many events, educational field trips, book clubs, mom-only events, etc.

- You are looking for a co-op that you pick and choose classes. Our day is set by the subjects that Miss Mason taught and so each child attends a set schedule of classes.