EAGLE Homeschool Group parties for Valentine’s Day
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .Rachael and Megan McGuire, both 2, enjoy a snack with their dad Tom during EAGLE Homeschool Group's Valentine's Day party at The Old North Church on Feb. 12.
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .Sarah Donkin (left), 12, and Callista Pyatt, 10, help each other unwrap a piece of chocolate during a Valentine's Day competition. The EAGLE Homeschool Group's Valentine's Day party gave kids an opportunity to spend time with their friends and families.
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .Laini Bondi, 7, puts one of her valentines in a Valentine's Day mailbox made of Legos. The kids in EAGLE Homeschool Group made the mailboxes for the group's Valentine's Day party on Feb. 12.
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .Brode Hoffman, 3, and his sister Maya, 6, compete against another team to unwrap a Hershey's Kiss using just one hand each.
By GRACE WYLER
gwyler@vindy.com
Families from the EAGLE Homeschool Group enjoyed some holiday fun at the group’s Valentine’s Day party at The Old North Church on Feb. 12.
Kids played Valentine’s Day-themed games and indulged in sweet snacks as part of the group’s monthly “Friday Fun Day” event.
Children from the group brought homemade Valentine’s Day mailboxes and Valentines to the party. All kids won prizes for their boxes and voted for their favorite creations. Later, the students exchanged Valentine’s by putting them into one another’s homemade boxes.
The party also featured holiday games, including a Hershey Hug competition where the students teamed up in pairs to unwrap a Hershey kiss using only one hand.
Families later shared homemade Valentine’s Day treats.
“The group gives us the opportunity to get together to provide support for one another because homeschooling can be tough,” Tom McGuire said. “We meet together so we can get that social interaction with other kids.”
Tom and his wife Laura have run the EAGLE — Educated As God’s Living Example — Homeschool Group for three years. The group, which is loosely affiliated with the Old North Church as a small group ministry, includes homeschooled children of all ages, from preschool through high school. The McGuires have seven children in the group.
There are currently 20 families — with 50 children between them — from Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties involved with the EAGLE group, Laura said. The group has included as many as 40 families and 150 children in the past, she said.
Families in the group have chosen to homeschool their children for a number of reasons, Tom said.
“Some people feel like God is not involved in public school, so they have as part of their education. Some people feel like they can move at their own speed,” he said. “You can also explore lots of interests that kids might have.”
The EAGLE group gets together for field trips and a monthly fun day that gives the children an opportunity to socialize with other Christian homeschool students.
For information about the EAGLE Homeschool Group, email eaglehomeschoolgroup@gmail.com.