Homeschool Activities in Central Oregon

This is a comprehensive list of all the activities available to homeschooling kids in Central Oregon as shared by homeschoolers who live here. I've included links, where available.  Below the list I've also included a wish-list, and a listing of the co-ops and active support groups here in Central Oregon.  This information was gleaned from a survey of nearly 100 families in Central Oregon who currently home educate.  If you see anything I missed, please comment and I'll add it in!  Enjoy!   These are all Local Resources, except one or two that are online only, but important enough to include, here.  I hope you will share this list with others!  Enjoy!

Activities:

• 4-H
• Animal husbandry
• Art Shows
• Art Station
• Audubon Society classes/programs for kids
• Awana
• Bend Science Station
• BLM classes
• Book Club
• Boy Scouts (and Cub Scouts)
• Business Operation (family or personal)
• Campfire USA
• Cascades Mountaineers
• Central Oregon Community College (many homeschoolers attend some college classes in high school)
• Church Activities
• Dance - including ballet, tap, jazz, flamenco, Irish dancing, hula and many more- (there are several studios throughout Central Oregon and a few private classes offered to home schooling families available through the co-ops or the online groups- contact me for more info)
• Equestrian activities (many options here as well including camps)
• Foreign Language study (there are many local group classes available through the online groups or in the co-ops)
• Forest Service classes and opportunities
• Gardening
• Geo-caching
• Girl Scouts
• Gymnastics
• High Desert Museum (volunteer opportunities abound for homeschooled children)
• Homeschool Field Trip Group
• Homeschool National Honor Society
• Homeschool Ski days (group rates)
• Individual sports (mountain biking, trail running, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, etc.)
• Khan Academy (online only, a great resource for learning math concepts)
• Knitting and sewing groups
• Language Studies
• Lego Robotics
• Library- Deschutes County, Crook County
• Loyal Sports
• Martial Arts
• Marksmanship (rifle, archery, etc.)
• MBSEF (Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation)
• Music classes/lessons- various sources are available for all types of instruments including voice (contact me for more info)
• The Nature of Words -literary event
• Observatories (Pine Mountain and Sunriver)
• Online resources (too many to list- whatever you’re looking for it is probably out there- there are forums, discussion groups, blogs, teaching resources, free online curricula, etc.)
• OSU Extension Services
• Parks and Recreation activities (available in various towns and cities throughout Central Oregon)
• REI classes
• Roots and Shoots
• Science Fair
• Speakers for Jesus
• Speech Competition/Judging Competition
• Sunriver Nature Center
• Theater Programs (The Bridge School of the Arts in Redmond is geared towards home educating families but there are also several other community theater and children’s theater groups in Central Oregon)
• Wild Heart Nature School offers outdoor experiences for children, teens, and adults.
• Winter recreation- Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling...

Wish List (as wished for by my local home educators):

• Gathering space (specifically for homeschool events)
• Homeschool Resource Library
• Homeschool Resource Store
• Math Club (my husband tutors upper-level math and may be interested in getting this started)
• Museums (more and better)
• State funding for the arts
• Support groups for specific styles of teaching (I.e. Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, etc.)
• Symphony Halls (more and better)
• Tutoring Center

Local Coops and Support Groups:

• The Bridge School of the Arts and the Bridge Co-op Classes (Redmond)
• Central Oregon Christian Home Educators (COCHE)
• Central Oregon Homeschoolers of Redmond (COHR)
• Central Oregon Open Learners (COOL)
• Classical Conversations (Redmond and Bend)
• Crook County Home Educators
• LaPine Christian Home Educators
• Friday School Co-op in Bend