VIDALIA — For a group of Miss-Lou students, school this semester will not only include reading, writing and arithmetic, but also lessons on how to get out of a submerged car and how to start a fire with a flint.

The Homeschoolers of Purposeful Exploration co-op kicked off its fall semester Friday, and this semester will offer classes in survival skills, creative expressions, creative writing and science experiments.

The goal of the co-op, vice-president Merisha Gore said, is to provide an opportunity for homeschooled children to explore things such as drama training that they might not otherwise get at home.

“Homeschoolers tend to be an island at times, and so this is really an opportunity for them to have the advantages of (traditional) school and the advantages of home school,” she said.

That’s part of why Susan Rickman sought out the co-op when her family moved to the area from Baton Rouge earlier this year.

Having the opportunity for homeschooled children to meet other homeschooled children is important, Rickman said, as well as giving parents the opportunity to meet other parents and discuss different areas of education.

The co-op isn’t intended to replace the schooling students receive in their homes. Instead, it’s meant to supplement that learning.

Creative writing teacher Danielle Saxon said the goal of her class is to get students to exercise their writing skills.

“I won’t be focusing on syntax and grammar, because their parents will be teaching them that at home, but I want them to get excited about writing and flexing that muscle — no matter what job you do, you’re going to use writing and need to be able to clearly express a thought,” she said.

But the offerings from the co-op are also meant to appeal to student interests beyond what they would learn in their home classroom settings. Gore said that’s why she chose to teach a class on survival skills, in which students will learn wilderness survival craft, basic CPR, fire-starting techniques and even how to escape a car submerged under water.

Some of the lessons will have another element, Gore said — for example, the lesson on how to start fires will also have a presentation from a local firefighter who will discuss fire safety.

Creative expressions students will develop a character over the course of their studies, and at the end of the semester they will present a monologue they have developed to a final assembly.

The co-op also has three field trips planned, the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans and the Port Hudson Battlefield.

The group meets every week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Cornerstone Church in Vidalia. Each session opens with an assembly that includes singing and an exercise memorizing Bible verses.

Because the co-op is a Christian group, members are asked to sign a statement of faith, though the statement says it is not necessary to believe the statement, only that those who participate in the group will not teach contrary to it and will not teach anything controversial or denomination specific.

Gore said anyone is welcome to visit the co-op and see what is happening, and that after the second visit parents are asked to commit to teaching a class or providing other needed help. The cost for membership is $10 per child.

For more information, visit misslouhomeschoolcoop.weebly.com