Each child is a born person; therefore
they will learn from every bit of info
they take in...
The books they read,
The friends they have,
The music they hear,
The exploration they do,
The beauty they observe.
Willow Creek Gathers is a faith-based, friendly community where moms take the lead in a Charlotte Mason inspired homeschooling adventure.
Picture a co-op where our everyday interactions, teaching methods, and local connections are infused with Christian principles.
At Willow Creek Gathers, our goal is simple: build a tight-knit community for families who share a passion for Charlotte Mason's approach to education.
We're here to forge lasting friendships, support each other, and offer our kids an enriching, unparalleled educational experience based on Miss Mason's ideas. We’re not exclusively Charlotte Mason based, but try to orient our educational approaches around those time-tested, proven again-and-again methods to help our children be their own, strong, and intelligent individuals.
In our down-to-earth group, we're about creating a space to enjoy learning and develop life-long learning habits that help our children find success in everything they choose to do. Our hope is that, through our not-so-traditional education, our kids grow into good-hearted individuals. It's about creating a space where our children develop strong character grounded in faith.
Welcome to a community that embodies the spirit of Charlotte Mason's teachings and raising good, strong, virtuous children, and where education includes building relationships and finding joy in the everyday moments of learning.
As many stories do, our story begins with a struggle.
Having a challenging public school experience herself (a struggle for a different story), Kristin knew even before her first child was born that she wanted to homeschool. Homeschooling was the type of education she believed in. It could offer what she wanted for her children: the best education possible, the best school experience, and the best preparation for success in the future.
Kristin's oldest child was about to start kindergarten right in the midst of the pandemic. Not only were schools closed but so were libraries and co-ops that could help a mom starting her homeschooling journey. Undeterred, she knew she had no choice but to march on and figure this endeavor out on her own.
Relying on her memories and recollection of "how school was done," she started out with attempts to replicate public school at home. She went through various curriculums, printed out papers and worksheets, and took the "first day of school" picture. She was ready.
Let's just say replicating a public school experience didn't work out as expected.
Through much more research using online libraries and more Google searches than one person should ever run, Kristin found the wonder of a schooling method that aligned with her values: a Christian-based method that believed children were their own people and had been historically used by the most educated individuals, wealthiest people, and royal families. This method avoided the problems she was facing in her replica-school including boring repetition and the tediousness and incompleteness of worksheets in capturing the essence of a subject.
What was this wonderous method that finally sparked that light of learning in her oldest child?
None other than the educational philosophies of one Charlotte Mason.
The short lessons helped capture and maintain the interest of her Year 0 child. The living books from true experts in their field, explaining their topics in interesting ways rather than rote lists of facts, created conversations, curiosities, and care in a child who previously thought school work was a burden.
The art, music, nature study, and more became a beautiful joy. As Charlotte Mason wrote in her almost homeschool tutorial type works, it was a "feast of subjects." These words have strong meaning when read, but that meaning is indescribably stronger when seen vicariously through the eyes of your own child.
After finishing roughly a year of this wonder, Kristin knew she wanted to walk along in this homeschool journey with other likeminded individuals. She decided that she wanted to find community and seek out a co-op. There were a couple of Charlotte Mason co-ops local to the Greenville, SC area. At first, she simply planned to join an existing co-op, but as all of them were full with multi-year waitlists, she recoiled into the belief she'd simply have to continue alone.
Yet God continued to tug on her heartstrings that "alone" was not the answer.
After much prayer, tugging, consideration, and "help me be sure, God" debate, Kristin decided the path God wanted for her included starting a new faith-based Charlotte Mason co-op.
So the journey began with one, but a co-op needs other families to exist. After much searching, social posting, and more prayers, Crystal bravely agreed to join this new, hope-filled adventure called Willow Creek Gathers.
Together, they reached out, met with, and recruited several other families to join this emerging community, one with a vision to be more than just a co-op; a vision to also enjoy each other’s company and "do life” together.
Willow Creek Gathers has since grown and added more families. Along the way, with the growth, it was decided that a third director was needed. Jennifer, already a member of the co-op, then came into the role.
Together, everyone in the co-op, directors and members alike, contribute to the welcoming sense of community, friendship-building, and most importantly, educational features of this wonderful group.
We hope you will consider being a part of this journey and story as it continues to unfold over the coming school years. Reach out to us today. We'd love to talk to you and answer any questions you might have.
Our school year is aligned to the Greenville county school year, beginning in August and ending in May. We meet weekly on Thursdays and have holiday breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For privacy and security reasons for our members, we do not share our exact meeting location online, but we meet at a local church in Duncan, SC as this church is fairly centrally located to most of our member families.
We begin our day with what we call “Collective”: a time of shared hymns, Artist Study, art, classical music, and more.
From there, our days are divided into blocks for each “Form” with children divided by age group and grade level. We offer classes on Science, Art, Nature, Plutarch, Shakespeare, and more. We know some subjects are difficult to teach at home and are just easier to do in a group setting. We strive to help our families have an easier home schooling experience, so some of our classes are focused on exactly that – the difficult to teach at home subjects.
While our group focuses on those that are "officially" schooling, we have classes for the 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 doing work all day. 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 or color a picture.
Each co-op day also includes time for lunch and socialization of both children and moms. The students play games, like tag, basketball, catch, frisbee, etc while the moms are actively watching and socializing. After all, the relationships we build in co-op extend beyond our school day – beyond our one-day-per-week adventure.
In fact, we have many relationship building “hang out” or “play date” times scheduled for local parks, educational field-trips, book clubs, and Mom only meet-ups, all outside of our normal schedule. Although they’re optional, they’re a great way to find community with like-minded individuals.
In our amazing mother-led community, each mom is a superstar!
We all play a key part in making our co-op thrive.
Your special role? Teaching a class and lending a hand in others as needed – it's like a tag team of fantastic moms creating a dynamic learning experience. Each mom is asked the classes they will joyfully teach and we ensure that's where they are placed, as enthusiatic teachers will ignite joy and curiousity in the subject.
It's all about cheerful teamwork, where we joyfully share the load of educating our wonderful kids together. So, while we understand certain situations and illnesses arise, to keep the knowledge flowing consistently, build strong relationships, and empower our children to thrive, we do ask for regular attendance.
Does it feel like a financial burden to add on a co-op? Several hundred dollars plus supplies, and everything else?We understand the importance of making quality education accessible to all families. Charlotte Mason’s approaches were historically used by the wealthy and royal families to provide the best education possible to the “upper class.” Thankfully, times have changed, and now these principles and methods are available to everyone. Accordingly, thanks to careful planning and community support, we've been able to keep our costs reasonable.
These initiatives not only contribute to our budget but also strengthen the sense of community within our group. We believe in everyone playing a part, and these efforts allow us to maintain an inclusive and affordable co-op experience. Additionally, our commitment to financial responsibility extends to our curriculum choices. By revisiting different curriculums in rotations year-over-year, we ensure a dynamic and engaging learning experience while keeping costs down. This thoughtful approach allows us to provide a high-quality education without breaking the bank.
If the financial implications of a co-op are a concern for you, please privately contact one of our directors so we can figure it out together.
We keep our class sizes small so the children receive individual attention and ensure that all classes have two adults to make classes even more individualized.
learn moreCharlotte Mason philosophy depends on the books that feed the mind and teach the child how to think, not what to think. The books are conversational and offer and experience instead of just a bunch of facts and dates that may be found boring. Instead with living books, the children can become immersed in the topic and feel part of the adventure. Maybe sailing the river with Huck and Jim or fight along side Napoleon.
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Charlotte Mason summed up her teaching in three words, beautiful, expansive, and efficient. We begin our day with the beauty of the riches of composers, artists, poets; and fill the day with a living education. We strive to build a community and to give everyone the opportunity to fellowship and build friendships.
learn more Excited about joining our awesome group? Fantastic!
Please fill out the information form below. One of our directors will contact you shortly to go over our policies and expectations and answer any questions you might have. We look forward to talking with you!
