CIRCLE (Kansas City Children Involved in a Respectful Cooperative Learning Environment) is open to all current, paid LEARN families, regardless of educational choices, who seek a respectful cooperative learning environment and community. All ages are welcome, from infants through adults.
CIRCLE co-op is a centered around field trip style classes, one time classes, or small series classes that are coordinated and/or led by members.
This co-op runs four times a year:
- Fall: September – November
- Winter: December – February
- Spring: March – May
- Summer: June – August
Each family must offer a class/activity in order to enroll in any available classes offered for the quarter. Class submissions will be the month before the quarter starts. CIRCLE classes are different each quarter based on the offerings of participants. This is a fun way to bring variety to your homeschool.
Rather than a once weekly, one location setup like SCENE, CIRCLE allows each teacher to pick the topic, time, date and location of each class offered. Teachers may host one-day activities, or choose to teach recurring/multi-part classes (i.e. weekly throughout the quarter, three times total, etc.). Classes can be taught by a member or the member can coordinate options such as a museum tour, visit to a living history farm, tour of a local business… the possibilities are endless.
The majority of our classes tend to be in in Kansas City and its surrounding communities. If you are not in the KC Metro area, you are still welcome to participate. Our members will drive longer distances for classes they are interested in. Alternatively, you can look into reserving free space at area libraries, gather at parks, or you can host at another member’s home.
When you are a current, paid member, and after submitting at least one class, you and your family may register for as many classes as you desire that quarter.
Our families enroll for all co-op classes on Homeschool Life. To obtain an account on Homeschool Life with LEARN, you must be a paid LEARN member. For more on joining LEARN, please visit the Joining LEARN Page.
CIRCLE Planning and Scheduling
We start preparing for each quarter the month before the quarter begins. Planning months occur in August, November, February, and May. Prior to the planning month, participants are welcome to chat about the classes they plan to offer (we will e-mail an official class reminder prior to class submission).
Here is a schedule of how we plan for each quarter:
- Families make arrangements for classes, tours, and other activities
- Participants submit their class offerings online (we use Google Calendar and Homeschool Life to coordinate)
- Participants who have offered classes enroll in classes
- Invoices are calculated, then participants pay for any classes with fees
You can find more details & FAQs for CIRCLE Classes in the CIRCLE Manual and the KC LEARN Policy Guide.
Looking for class ideas?
Here is The Great KC Field Trip List, compiled by CIRCLE members several years ago!
- 1859 Jail and Marshall’s Home
- Agricultural Hall of Fame
- The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
- Alexander Majors House
- American Jazz Museum
- Andre’s
- animal shelter
- bakery
- bank
- bee farm
- Belton Railroad
- Bingham-Waggoner Estate
- Boulevard Brewery
- bowling alley
- Burr Oak Woods
- Cave Springs
- Cedar Cove
- Children’s Peace Pavilion
- chiropractor
- Deanna Rose Farmstead (guided tours)
- dentist
- Discovery Center
- doctor’s office
- donut shop
- Einstein Bros.
- Elbow Chocolates
- Ernie Miller Nature Center
- eye doctor
- Federal Reserve
- Fed Ex/Kinko’s
- fish hatchery
- F.L. Schlagle Library
- Fort Osage
- George Owens Nature Park
- Grinter Place
- goat farm
- Hallmark Visitors Center
- Harris-Kearney House
- Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
- Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
- Historic Lee’s Summit Train Depot
- HyVee or other grocery store (Hen House through fieldtripfactory.com)
- ice cream store (Maggie Moo’s or Coldstone Creamery)
- Jesse James Farm
- John Wornall House Museum
- kaleidoscope
- Kansas Deaf Cultural Center
- KC Museum
- Kemper Outdoor Education Center
- Lakeside Nature Center
- Legler Barn Museum
- Lee’s Summit Airport
- LEGO Discovery Center
- Liberty Corn Maze (seasonal)
- library
- Live Strong
- Louisburg Cider Mill
- Longview Mansion and Farm
- Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop
- Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary
- Missouri Town 1855
- Moon Marble Company
- National Agricultural Center
- National Frontier Trails Musuem
- Natural History Museum
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- Nelson Atkins Art Museum
- newspaper
- Orscheln Farm and Home store (available through fieldtripfactory.com)
- Oxford Schoolhouse
- Paradise Park
- Petco (available through fieldtripfactory.com)
- photographer
- Pioneer Ridge Science education Center
- pizza place (CiCi’s pizza does tours – small price)
- police station
- post office
- Powell Gardens
- Prairie Oak Nature Center
- Puppetry Arts Insitute
- recycling center
- The Roasterie
- Royals Stadium
- Russell Stovers
- Science City
- Sea Life Aquarium
- Shatto Dairy
- Shoal Creek Living History
- Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio State Historic Site
- Toy and Miniature Museum
- Trailside Center
- Vaille Mansion
- veterinarian
- water plant
- Wayside Waifs
- Weston Red Barn Farm
- zoo
LEARN 