Co-Op Lesson Plan, My First Time Teaching at my Homeschool Co-OP
- Kathleen Ordinario
- Oct 2
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 3
This week marked a little milestone in my homeschooling journey, my first-time teaching at our homeschool co-op. Even though I’ve been homeschooling my own kids for five years now, stepping into the role of “teacher” for a whole group of children felt new and a little nerve-wracking. When I was trying to decide what to teach, I went looking at Gather 'Round, a curriculum I had been wanting to try, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. As I was browsing the website I saw the Recipes Around the World, a cookbook full of recipes shared during the celebration of Christmas. Well, that was it for me, as someone who loves to be in the kitchen, this made me excited! I ordered the teacher's guide from the Christmas Around the World curriculum along with the cookbook and I was off making my co-op lesson plan for the next nine weeks! Week one, Iceland!
Co-Op Lesson Plan
I have fourteen students, and our lesson is one hour long. I also have two helper teachers. As all you moms out there know, keeping the attention of fourteen 5–7-year-olds is a big challenge in itself. So, I deiced to break the lesson up into three parts, geography, Christmas traditions, and craft time. Each child would also take home the Christmas treats I made for them. Here is the co-op lesson plan I made, I hope you find it helpful!
I start every lesson with a name circle. Each student says his or her name and we repeat their name as a group. Hopefully we all know each other's names by the end of the semester!
Geography:
Look at the map of the world and ask, "how many contents do we have?" Sing the content song. Link to my world map
Give hints about the country we will be learning about. Challenge one of the students to find the country on the map.
Christmas Traditions:
Pick out three to four Christmas traditions unique to that country.
Read from the curriculum and ask question comparing to our own Christmas traditions.
Show videos if appropriate. I showed two videos for Iceland, scenery and the story of the 13 Yule Lads.
Craft:
Christmas theme craft, provided by the Gather 'Round curriculum or something that I came up with.
Iceland craft: decorating our own wrapping paper. Link to brown paper I used.
Curriculum:
Week one was the beautiful country of Iceland, and I’ll admit, I had butterflies as the kids filed in bright-eyed and wiggly ready for the lesson. But once we got started, something shifted. Teaching in a co-op isn’t about trying to replicate a traditional classroom, it’s about connection. About meeting kids where they are, sparking curiosity, and letting them see how much joy there is in learning. I dived into the Iceland curriculum telling the kids all about the magic of the Icelandic countryside. How it's a place that you can see an active volcano, the beautiful northern lights, rolling green hills and shifting ice bergs. Man, I want to take a trip to Iceland next year! My favorite Icelandic Christmas traditions are the jolabokaflod, the Icelandic book flood, and the story of the 13 Yule Lads.
I loved watching the kids engage with the lesson, asking questions, sharing their thoughts, and working together. The best part? Seeing my daughter look at me in a new light, not just as “Mom,” but as a teacher too. It was a small moment of pride, a reminder that homeschooling is as much about my own growth as it is theirs. We decorated our own wrapping paper using Christmas cookie cutters as stencils and markers. The kids spent a lot of time adding details to their paper, drawing pictures of their families and Christmas trees. I ended the lesson by handing out the Icelandic Christmas treat, laufabraud, leaf bread for the kids to take home with them.
Recipe for the laufabraud (leaf bread):
Makes about 40 mini leaf breads
Ingredients:
543g (4 cups) all-purpose flour
320g (1 3/4 cups) milk
32g (2 tablespoons) butter
17g (1 tablespoon) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Coconut oil for frying
Sugar for coating, (optional)
Method:
Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and set aside.
If using optional topping, place the sugar in a shallow bowl to use later.
Heat the milk and butter in a small pot stirring constantly so it doesn't burn, do not let it boil.
Pour the hot milk and butter into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface dived the dough into 4 portions. Work with one portion at a time. Cover the remaining dough with a damp towel so it doesn't dry out.
Divid each section into 10 balls weighing about 23g each. (because the kids were taking these home, I made mini leaf breads)
Roll the dough out until it's about 1/16 inch thick. Use a knife or razor blade to cut patterns into the dough. Traditional shapes include many V shapes.
Check out my video to see what I did.
Fry the leaf bread in the coconut oil until golden brown and coat in the sugar.
What I learned from that first teaching experience is that co-ops are a gift. They give us the community we sometimes long for in homeschooling, the chance to learn from one another, and the reminder that education truly is something we build together. As we drove home, the kids chattered nonstop about what they learned and what they loved most about the day. My lesson wasn’t perfect (I stumbled over a few things and definitely talked too fast at first), but it was real, and it was good. And that’s exactly the kind of learning I want to model for my children. Trying new things, even when it feels uncomfortable, can lead to something beautiful. Here’s to many more co-op days ahead, more laughter, more learning, more shared community. And maybe a few less butterflies next time.
I hope you found this co-op lesson plan helpful! Stay tuned! Next week, I'm teaching about Christmas in Brazil! Brigadeiro (Brazilian chocolate truffles) are on the menu, and we will be learning about a spectacular floating Christmas tree!
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