Nobles County Homeschoolers find support in working together

Mar. 5—WORTHINGTON — When Sally Enderson and her family moved to Worthington from the Twin Cities in 2019, she intended to continue homeschooling her four children, but didn't know if there were other homeschoolers in the area — or even an organized group.

"We had a really good community of homeschoolers in the Twin Cities," she shared.

A call to the local Chamber of Commerce yielded little information — yes, there were some homeschoolers in the area, but no, there wasn't an official group.

Two years later, separated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Enderson's continued quest to meet other homeschooling parents led her to Alecia Gronewold of Rushmore, who was homeschooling her two daughters. Together, they and Worthington's Katie Kouba collaborated on a way for homeschool families to connect, where their kids can make more friends and where families can come together for shared learning experiences.

Nobles County Homeschoolers officially formed in the fall of 2021. The group's first event — a visit to Ocheda Orchard — had 32 children attend, a number that nearly doubled to 60 kids when they next stopped at Grandpa's Fun Farm. Both sites are south of Worthington.

"We were just blown away that there were so many people and so many were interested in it," shared Enderson. "I just wanted to connect with other moms. You really need a community around you."

Today, the Nobles County Homeschoolers consists of 106 families (members of the Facebook group), about half of which reside in Nobles County. Other families come from southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa.

"If everyone came together, it could easily be 300 to 400 kids," Enderson said. "For a lot of our field trips, we have to RSVP so we can cap field trips or find extra dates."

While they have had activities at the Nobles County Library in Worthington, the space isn't large enough to accommodate their group.

"We are constantly growing," added Gronewold.

Having a Homeschooling group is something she appreciates.

"Starting was rough because I didn't know any homeschoolers," said the mother of two girls, ages 10 and 13. "It's really inspiring to have other families with shared experiences."

Enderson said about 20 core families attend most of the functions and that those families have anywhere from two to five children, from infants to high schoolers.

"When you homeschool, your babies come to all of the things," she said, noting that a majority of the kids who attend group activities are elementary- and middle school-aged. "A lot of the high schoolers are home and working hard on school."

Enderson's four children range in age from six to 14, so she's teaching both a kindergartener and a high schooler this year.

"I've always homeschooled my kids," she said. "I just thought it was a calling I had.

"I've never homeschooled a high schooler before, so it's nice to have other moms to bounce things off of," she added.

Homeschoolers have numerous resources available to them in teaching their children, but having parents get together has been a tremendous help. They share information about curriculum that has worked for their children and ideas for learning opportunities.

Both Enderson and Gronewold use the Charlotte Mason style of teaching but other families may opt for one of the other six main styles of homeschooling.

"It's a whole world of homeschooling," Enderson said. "I'm more eclectic — we like this math, this kind of history, this music. You can build your child's education around their needs ... which is why finding people is so helpful. You might have a kid struggling with math and you can ask other parents what they use.

"The curriculum choices out there are so phenomenal in aiding and helping your children to learn the best way," she added.

Gronewold said when she began homeschooling in 2019 she discovered Heppner's Legacy Homeschool Resources in Elk River, northwest of the Twin Cities. There, she said, homeschool parents can get help with everything from curriculum to requirements and laws — "pretty much anything you need to get started."

Enderson said the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators has a conference each year that showcases vendors and curriculum, which is also a good source for information. There are other statewide homeschool groups as well, and through District 518, homeschool families can enroll in VIBE. Meanwhile, older homeschool youths have the option to attend PSEO through Minnesota West or another college.

In addition to curriculum options, the Worthington Area YMCA offers its HYPE program — homeschool phy ed — which has had up to 25 attendees, Enderson said. And, the JBS Field House and Worthington Ice Arena have each set aside one day a month for homeschool families to use their facilities free of charge.

"The city has been really great," Enderson said.

Also a great help have been the businesses, organizations and people who have offered tours, educational opportunities and shared their talents with the homeschool families.

The Nobles County Homeschoolers group activities have ranged from history walks and historical society visits to touring the Fox Farm maple syrup farm, Bioverse and the Worthington Airport, learning about science on the Prairie Ecology Bus Center, and exposing students to careers through visits to local companies.

This month, middle and high school students will visit Bedford Industries in Worthington for a career panel.

"We try to have something educational lined up each month, on top of something fun," Enderson said. Those fun events have included Skyzone, in addition to the local JBS Field House and ice arena. They also participate in Art Club once a month.

"We want to know what other businesses would let the kids tour and see what they do for their job," Enderson said. "Kids want to know what you do every day. (They) grow up thinking they can be a doctor or a nurse or a policeman, but what are people passionate about? That's what kids want to learn about."

She also said if there are people with a specific skill or hobby, they would love to have volunteers teach the students — anything from sewing to science or even woodworking.

"That's our next step — to provide more educational opportunities in those areas," shared Gronewold.

They are also working on a website to better inform homeschool families and the public about the resources and activities available through the Nobles County Homeschoolers. Kouba is creating a website, but they are seeking business sponsors to help pay for it.

For more information about the local homeschooling network, visit locallifemn.wixsite.com/nobleshomeschooling/