Homeschooling families and co-ops

Your lesson plans, worksheets and practice decks are in one place. The co-op's days, trips and conversations are shared with the other families.

You plan in your own Personal space. Your co-op can be a Magpie team of its own, with a board for the families.

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A times tables deck in Flashcards: its description, the study progress with cards due today, and the ways to practise it: study, flip through, a quiz or cram.

This combination of six Magpie areas fits a homeschooling family.

Documents
Documents holds lesson plans and worksheets, to print or share.
Flashcards
Flashcards gives your children decks to practise, from a link.
To-dos
To-dos lays out the week's work, with lessons that repeat.
Notes
Notes keeps what each child covered, and ideas for next time.
Calendar
Calendar holds the co-op's days and trips.
Message Boards
Message Boards gives the co-op's families a board to talk on.

Lesson plans and worksheets are printed, or shared by a link.

Documents holds your lesson plans and worksheets, with headings, tables and pictures. Each one prints, or downloads as a PDF.

A link lets anyone read a worksheet without signing in. Another parent can be given one document to comment on.

Writing in Documents

Rebecca’s lesson plan open in Documents: the topic and the week’s aims, then the first lessons with what the children will do.

Your children practise from a deck, even without an account.

Flashcards holds decks of cards, such as times tables, spellings and capital cities. A deck can be shared by a link.

Anyone with the link can flip through, take a quiz or cram. An older child who signs in studies on a spaced repetition schedule.

Studying in Flashcards

The week's work is laid out, and the daily lessons repeat.

To-dos holds each lesson and project with its day. A lesson can repeat every weekday, such as reading time.

A List can be shared with another family, such as for a project you do together.

Planning and dates in To-dos

The co-op’s List for the spring science fair, shared with another parent: To-dos with their days and who is doing each, under the line that says who can see the List.

What each child covered is written down as you go.

Notes keeps your notes in Markdown, saved as you type, with checklists and pictures. A note for each week records what each child did.

Search finds a note by its words, such as a topic to come back to.

Markdown notes in Notes

Search results for “week” in Notes: Rebecca’s weekly notes on what each child covered and the co-op’s notes, each with where it is and when it last changed.

The co-op's days and trips are on one calendar.

Calendar shows the co-op team's events to every family in it, such as field trips. An event can take RSVPs up to the places on the coach.

Your own family's plans stay on your own calendar.

Team calendar in Calendar

The Oakwood Co-op Calendar for October: co-op days, a science day, a museum trip, a parents’ meeting and To-dos such as booking the coach.

The co-op's families talk on one board.

Message Boards gives the co-op a board, private to its families. Parents post, reply under each post and vote, so popular ideas rise.

A post can share a link, such as a museum's education page.

Message Boards

Five more areas cover sign-ups, reading, slides, records and lesson videos.

Forms
Forms takes sign-ups for co-op classes and trips.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks keeps resources from around the web, with tags.
Presentations
Presentations holds slides for a co-op class.
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets keeps a record of days and subjects, with formulas.
Screen Recorder
Screen Recorder makes a short lesson video, shared by link.

A topic goes from your lesson plan to the co-op's field trip.

  1. The plan

    You write the lesson plan for the Romans.

  2. The worksheet

    It prints, or goes out by link.

  3. Practice

    Your children practise the dates from a deck.

  4. The notes

    This week's note records what each child covered.

  5. The trip

    The co-op's museum day goes on the calendar, with RSVPs.

Setting up takes four steps.

  1. Make your first deck

    You add cards, or import a list. Help: Study with Flashcards.

  2. Write a lesson plan

    You can import one from Word. Help: Write documents.

  3. Plan the week

    Each lesson goes in as a To-do. Help: Use To-dos.

  4. Make the co-op's board

    You start it private to the co-op. Help: Create and use message boards.

Plans

The free plan suits a family, in Personal. A co-op team on the free plan has places for 3. Other families can join as guests, taking no place.

Magpie accounts are for people aged 13 and over. Younger children use the links you share. Prices are on the Pricing page.

Prices are on the Pricing page

Other people who teach and learn have pages of their own.

Students

A student keeps notes, flashcards and papers in one place.

Questions homeschooling families ask

Can my younger children use the flashcards?

Yes. A shared deck's link opens without an account, for flipping through, a quiz or cram. Their place is kept in that browser.

Can I print worksheets?

Yes. A document prints, or downloads as a PDF or a Word file.

Can daily lessons repeat on their own?

Yes. A To-do can repeat every weekday, every week or every month. The next one is scheduled when you tick off the current one.

Can our co-op have its own calendar?

Yes. A co-op team's events show to every family in it. An event can take RSVPs up to the places you have.

Can the co-op's families talk somewhere private?

Yes. A message board can be private to the co-op's team. Families post, reply and vote.

Can I keep a record of what we covered?

Yes. A note for each week can record what each child did. Search finds it again by its words.

Plan your homeschool in Magpie.

Create a Magpie account and make your first deck.

Create account