input needed re: class day and Omnibus

[laughing lioness]

I've been part of a class day for a couple of years and we are making significant changes this year. They are offering Omnibus I and II for high school in the mornings with bio, elementary Latin and an art program in the afternoon. The afternoons hold no appeal to us.
I would much prefer to do Omnibus III with my rising 9th grader and 12th grader so I am compromising on that if we continue.
The down side is that my 8 & 5 year olds have been with this group for the last 3 years and if we don't participate that takes out the one day a week of friends (we live way off the beaten path so we don't get much "socialization"- ;). Also, the elem. is academic rather than enrichment so I'm not "losing" that day of classes with them.
The people tutoring the high school aren't my first choice either so that's another comporomise - they don't push the kids, they don't interact didactically- and they'll both have their own kids in their classes. There are dynamics there that I'm not thrilled about either.
I am really concerned about not staying the course we've decided on about our older two but I also know how lonely our little will get- but that's probably another post.
What to do??

[Chris in VA]

I guess I'd need to know what they are going to do in that one day a week Omnibus class. Seems to me it'd be difficult to either save up all the discussion for that day, or go over all the material in one day. For my money, I'd nix the whole thing.

Could your littles go to the co-op for the morning, and your olders just stay home for that morning, doing independent work until you get home in the afternoon? Or go with you, but do their own work at a table or desk out of the way somewhere?

[Jan P.]

I'm cutting out our Club Tuesday with our co-op next year. I haven't felt that the time taken away from my kids regular academic time justifies it. I had a child in Shakespeare and logic this past year, and another one in a composition class. I do think they learned quite a bit, but not enough to justify my spending so much time on the road and paying for expensive gas. My dds will stay home next year and will get more academics done in a timely manner. My dds get plenty of socialization from ballet, horseback riding, and art lessons. These are afternoon activities, so I don't have the need for the co-op class time. I also live way out from town, so I do understand your situation. I have had to make extra arrangements for people to come visit or I visit them.

FWIW,
Jan P.

[Maverick]

Can you leave the big kids at home and just take the littles to class day?

[laughing lioness]

I can leave my older kids home. That is an idea to consider. My older ones just get so starved to leave the house- we live waay north and by November we are in for the winter-kwim. It just gets isolated between the weather and the distance from town.

[Chris in VA]

Is your 17 yo driving? Perhaps she could take the littles twice a month, and spend some time exploring by herself (or with her brother) in town. Or you could just drop off the littles and go exploring with them. Or is it more of a co-op that you have to attend? If so, perhaps you could stay with the littles at co-op, and Queen and the 13 yo could hit a museum, a library, a movie, do some math at the store (my favorite kind of schooling...tee hee!), visit a pet shelter, or even take the time a couple of times a month and volunteer for the hours your others are in the co-op.