The Common Ground Collective is a space for students and parents to come together, connect, and grow. In a world often divided by differences, our mission is to create a joyful and supportive community where we celebrate what makes us unique and discover the common ground that unites us all.

Common Ground Collective

Through engaging discussions, interactive activities, and meaningful connections, we explore topics like empathy, critical thinking, and unpacking biases. Together, we’ll learn how to better understand one another, build kindness into our daily lives, and approach challenges with open minds and open hearts.

Whether you’re looking to foster stronger relationships, deepen your understanding of others, or simply find joy in meaningful conversations, the Common Ground Collective offers a welcoming space to grow, learn, and thrive—together.

Join us as we build bridges, spread kindness, and create a community rooted in understanding and joy!

We’re scheduling bi-weekly for engaging activities and games designed to spark joy, inspire creativity, and strengthen relationships. From STEM stations and dance parties to minute-to-win-it challenges and make-it-take-it crafts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy—fun for all ages! Beyond the fun, we’ll explore meaningful topics like empathy, kindness, and critical thinking, helping us unpack biases and build stronger, more compassionate connections.

Upcoming Schedule

Every other Wednesday of the month. At UU Congregation at 2701 Heyward Street. Register for each activity, so we can get a count of participants. 
January 8: STEM Stations Kick-off Party
January 29: Homeschool Spirit Day & Dance Party
February 5: Minute-to-Win-it Games
February 19: Make-it-Take-it Craft Stations
March 5: TBD
March 19: TBD
April 9: TBD
April 23: TBD
May 7: TBD
May 21: TBD

Let Grow Play Club meets on alternating weeks. It’s not just another playground meet-up group. It’s a new kind of play program. Intentionally designed to foster independence, social development, problem solving–for all ages.

Mark you calendar for Wednesday afternoons! 

Take Action Teen Club
by: Cola City Homeschoolers
Spring 2025
For tweens/teens 12+

Education is 2 parts: Learning about the world around us and learning about ourselves–so we know how we fit into the world.  We’ve been inspired by recent conversations about the pressures of achievement culture, the loneliness epidemic, and the fragmentation of community connectedness. We’ve found a vision for a world where service to others could take center stage in people’s lives, rather than the anxiety-ridden race for personal achievement.

A growing body of research has found that people with high levels of mattering—those who both feel valued by others and feel that they are adding value to the world—are more likely to thrive in adolescence and adulthood. Take Action club offers teens/tweens intentional activities:

• to learn about themselves and their personal strengths and abilities.
• to make meaningful connections to the local community–and the world around us.
• And have FUN!

Let’s inspire our teens into ACTION for the SPRING Session so they’ll be implementing projects and activities for each other and for younger siblings.

Each club session has a separate registration form and participation fee. Meets on 1st/3rd Wednesdays from 12:30-2:30 at the Unitarian Universal Church, 2701 Heyward St, Columbia, SC 29205. (Let Grow Play Club  on 2nd/4th Wednesdays ages 8+, various locations).

January 8: STEM STATIONS Kick-off Party, $5

January 22: Dance Party/Homeschool Spirit Day, $5

February 5: Minute-t0-Win-it Games, $5

February 19: Art Stations Make-it-Take-it, $5

March 5: TBA

March 19: TBA

April 9: TBA

April 23: TBA

May 7: TBA

May 21: TBA

Pre-registration is required for each activity. Click the links above to find more at the calendar event.
Questions, contact Kim at colacityinfo@gmail.com

The group is student facilitated with an advisor. They read and discuss diverse selections in a book club meeting. And they implement community service projects. Some of the projects have included:

• Collecting books for Little Free Libraries
• Teddy Bear Picnics to read picture books to younger children
• Writing Thank You notes to teachers and librarians
• Making/distributing Poetry Kits
• Supporting/promoting local, independent bookstores
• Contacting Legislators about censorship
• And more

Find out more about DAYLO Reads on their Facebook page: Click HERE

If your student would be interested in partipating in a homeschool chapter, fill out Cola City DAYLO Reads interest form below. The initial interest meeting will be facilitated by 4 DAYLO Student Leaders from Beaufort Chapter. Thursday, May 16 at 5 pm via Zoom. Then we’ll follow-up afterwards with plans for the first book club selection and details about the meeting time/location.

Submit Interest Form: 

This is not just another playground meet-up group. It’s a new kind of play program. Intentionally designed to foster independence, social development, problem solving–for all ages.

The Club is the brainchild of Let Grow co-founder Dr. Peter Gray, the eminent psychologist who has spent his life studying the crucial role of unstructured, mixed-age “free play” in developing children’s creativity, confidence, and ability to thrive. Click here to see more about Peter Gray’s explanation for WHY we need more play.

• By organizing their own games and learning to solve the inevitable spats, kids learn real-world social skills. You can’t solve problems if there’s always an adult right there at recess or in a play group, solving them first!
• Mixed-age play benefits all kids. Older students develop responsibility, leadership and empathy. Younger kids learn executive function by trying to be like the big kids.
• Kids who are allowed to take small risks and figure things out themselves at home will have more grit and determination at school.

We are currently revising and regrouping the Play Club initiative. If you are interested in giving our kids agency and autonomy, inspiration about the possibilities of helping build the Cola City Homeschoolers community, fill out the interest form below. If you’re especially excited about this goal, contact Kim text 803-307-4880 or email colacityinfo@gmail.com

Fill out this form to get started!

Teen Zone Club
by Cola City Homeschoolers
Teens 13+ — Online Chat
Winter Session open thru February 28

Introducing the brand new Teen Chat Zone: a set of channels in our Discord server just for 13 and up, with text chat categories in:

• YouTube
• Art and animation
• Crafting
• Foodies
• Music/movies/tv
• Writing
• Outdoor hobbies
• Geocache
• Plus access to gamers club channels for all ages

We are also offering regular Jackbox (trivia/party game run on a web browser) events hosted by one of our teenagers, and voice chat channels to use for any reason.

The rules are a little less strict for the teen zone to allow for older kids to explore and share and these channels will be lightly moderated by a parent volunteer. This is a good fit for teenagers who don’t like using the camera feature of Zoom, but want to interact with other teens with similar hobbies or enjoy Gamer’s Club but would like an exclusive area to talk with other teenagers.

Cost New Club Participants: $5/1 player, $8/2 players, $10/3+ players
Continuing Club Participants: $3/1 player, $5.50/2 players, $7/3+ players
Parent Accounts are free. Multiple students accessing the same account are one player.

Contact Club Moderators: Ray Vanderhoff or Kira Vanderhoff
Our private Discord server is monitored by local homeschool parents dedicated to social and educational benefits of this online community

Gamers Club
by Cola City Homeschoolers
All Ages — Online Chat
Winter Session open thru February 28

Gamer Club Only for participants who want to chat while playing various online games. It’s a chance to “meet” other local homeschoolers. Our dedicated Discord server is open to gamers of all types. Whatever games you’re playing–you can connect with other homeschoolers who share your interests.

Our Discord channels are dedicated for connecting local homeschoolers around their common interests. Currently have a number of channels set up, but we are willing to expand the channels as needed.

• Roblox, Fortnite (and other first person shooter games),
• MMOs (like World of Warcraft, Star Wars Old Republic, ect),
• Among Us (and other party games),
• Console gaming (xbox, PS, Nintendo),
• Tabletop RPGs (Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, ect),
• Teens ONLY channel
• as well as social channels open to all players

Sign up and we will start with an orientation to all new players requiring understanding of our code of conduct, as well as adult oversight of all channels.

Cost New Club Participants: $5/1 player, $8/2 players, $10/3+ players
Continuing Club Participants: $3/1 player, $5.50/2 players, $7/3+ players
Parent Accounts are free. Multiple students accessing the same account are one player.

Contact Club Moderators: Ray Vanderhoff or Kira Vanderhoff
Local homeschool parents, Ray and Kira Vanderhoff are avid game enthusiasts who promote the many social and educational benefits of gaming and gameschooling.

Geocachers of all experience levels (ages 10+ and parents) are invited to hang out together: learn more about geocaching, share favorite finds, and just have fun! Younger participants may attend with a parent. This club is hosted by Pamela Drayer (parent volunteer) and Elijah Drayer (student volunteer) on Fridays at 2 pm. It’s free to participate, but please register to get the zoom link via email. Note: younger paricipants may attends with a parent.

•  Where have you been geocaching?
• What have you found in the cache box?
• What about trackables?
• More tricks, tips and hints for success.
• Let’s inspire each other each week so you have more stories to share about.

Contact: Pamela Drayer padrayer6@aim.com

If you’ve never tried geocaching before, this is a great one to start. The Geocache challenge at Harbison State Forest is a series of seven caches to locate along the learning trail near the education center. The worksheet that goes along with it includes questions to answer with each cache. When you find them all, you can turn in your worksheet for a souvenir coin.

Birthday Month Card Exchange
By Cola City Homeschoolers
Monthly Card Exchange
All Ages — FREE

Let’s celebrate the fun of birthdays–together! Here’s how it works. Registrations for anyone who has a birthday coming up in May.

• We will send out a list of participants (up to 10 others) who are also having a birthday.
• You will send each of them a card…and each one will send you a card.
• Plus, you’ll get one from Cola City admins too!

We will try to group the lists by ages as much as possible. We recommend you make the cards personalized with a token gift inside–like stickers, temporary tattoos, a printable game or handmade note. Something that mails easily with a regular stamp.

Remember this is meant to be fun! So have your child do a reasonable part of the project. Young ones might put a sticker on the envelop or be able to sign their name. Older ones might be able to manage the addresses on the envelopes.

Contact Kim with any questions, colacityinfo@gmail.com
Sign up here for September birthdays only by September 6. We will send a list out to participants.

Are you interested in faciliating the Green Steps Environmental Projects? Great! Come join the Green Team.

We have ongoing projects already established. But we’re always open to more ideas–and even just a nature walk meet-up. The more time we can log out doors, the better for us all. So, if you’re willing to facilitate a project or just host an outing.

Previous projects we’ve established, and aim to continue offering:

• Solar Ovens
• Gardening Projects: Pollinator plants, Pollinator Nests, and Composting
• Litter Pick-up
• Cardboard Creations
• Seed Paper Valentines
• Shoe Recycling Project
• Science Share Fair
• Other field trips and virtual workshops
• Nature Walks–Rain or Shine

Sign up to get involved in planning our 2024-2025 projects:

Minecraft/Gamers Club
By Cola City Homeschoolers
All Ages — Online Playground

Note: Our private dedicated Minecraft server has been discontinued due to lack of interest. We are continuing the Online Gamers Club with private discord channels for our local homeschool community to connect safely online.

Gamers Club: Gamer Club Only for participants who want to chat while playing various online games. It’s a chance to “meet” other local homeschoolers. Our dedicated Discord server is open to gamers of all types. Whatever games you’re playing–you can connect with other homeschoolers who share your interests.

We offer Discord channels dedicated to Roblox, Fortnite (and other first person shooter games), MMOs (like World of Warcraft, Star Wars Old Republic, ect), Among Us (and other party games), Console gaming (xbox, PS, Nintendo), Tabletop RPGs (Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, ect), as well as social channels open to all players, with an orientation to all new players requiring understanding of our code of conduct, as well as adult oversight of all channels.

Contact Club Moderators: Ray Vanderhoff or Kira Vanderhoff
Local homeschool parents, Ray and Kira Vanderhoff are avid game enthusiasts who promote the many social and educational benefits of Minecraft.

Click here to join Gamers Chat Club: