Homeschool group endeavors can be a lot like baking. The elements are much the same – quality ingredients (people), good instructions (materials), and a good oven (environment). Stick with me on this analogy – it’s how our homeschool ASL practice group has done so well.
Over the years, Green Mountain Area Homeschoolers has spawned several smaller special interest groups. They’ve included our Green Mountain Youth Speakers group, our annual National History Day performance group, our yearly Roots and Shoots service-learning project, and our American Sign Language practice group.
Why Homeschool Special Interest Groups Work
Homeschoolers tend to have a bit of a maverick spirit. Where others might see roadblocks, homeschoolers usually see opportunity. In particular, homeschool parents and students generally have willing and open attitudes towards trying new things. This mindset opens up all sorts of possibilities for small group learning.
We just completed our sixth year of ASL practice group. The driving force behind its success was a few key individuals.
The People (Quality Ingredients)
Our ASL practice group was conceived by one of the moms in our group. She and her daughter took a community American Sign Language class. That initial class grew into much more when her daughter decided to pursue ASL for her high school foreign language requirement. (Not all colleges will accept ASL as a foreign language, but the numbers are growing.)
At her initiative, we formed our ASL practice group and were fortunate enough to have a deaf mom to give us some guidance as well. Her three children – who are all hearing – grew into leadership roles within the group and helped us as we learned.
The Materials (Good Instruction)
We met twice a month during the school year. While our adult and student leaders were awesome, we would be lost without access to good instruction between meetings.
We used asluniversity.com with Dr. Bill Vicars to practice and learn. His website has sequential lessons and is supplemented by YouTube videos. This can be used as a free resource, or you can pay to take it as a course for credit. I’ve included links for this and other resources at the bottom of this post.
We all like ASL University. Dr. Bill has a good sense of humor and clearly enjoys what he’s doing, so his videos are generally entertaining. As a side note, it’s worth it to read the occasionally hilarious comments he includes about different signs – sometimes they’re ASL related but often they’re a self-deprecating comment about his clothes, facial expression, etc.
A Good Environment (The Oven)
The longevity of this group is a testament to our lead mom’s ability to incorporate fun into learning. We started most of our meetings with new vocabulary and clarified any questions we had about specific signs. Then, we moved right into conversations and games. Conversations focused on vocabulary and seasonal words.
And the games? Here are just a few:
- An escape room.
- A white elephant gift exchange.
- A scavenger hunt.
- Role playing, like waiter and customer.
- Board, card, and dice games.
- Team competitions.
We took turns preparing short skits for our homeschool ASL practice group and also researched deaf culture through history as well as current events. It was interactive and engaging, even when we were on Zoom due to Covid.
The Takeaway
Homeschool parents have all sorts of skills to contribute and the drive to help make any small group venture a success. Once you’ve got a commitment from your key leaders, do some research to find community and internet resources, many of them free. These resources will supplement the work of your leaders and keep them from being overburdened. And then, with those first two ingredients in place – the people and materials, you can incorporate the third element by fostering a fun environment for learning.
If you have any questions or want to learn more about any of our special interest groups, let me know.
ASL Resources:
ASL University (Website)
ASL University/Bill Vicars (YouTube channel)
Other Green Mountain Area Homeschool Special Interest Groups:
Celebrating Seven Years of Youth Public Speaking (Green Mountain Youth Speakers)
Innovative Ways to Use National History Day for Your Student (National History Day activities)
Roots and Shoots: A Perfect Fit for Homeschoolers (Jane Goodall Institute service-learning projects)