We’ve done a lot for P.E. this year. Most of it has come from activities done with our homeschool support group in casual group activities. Some from things we’ve done on our own for fun. In this area, we’ve had a lot of variety this year mostly because of our homeschool support group that’s grown more organized, with more volunteers, over the years.
Our group’s soccer meets twice a month usually for at least an hour and a half, though often it’s closer to two hours. A homeschooling dad coaches, having them do warm-up exercises, a variety of drills, and then they play the game. The coach volunteers his time so soccer is free to members of our group; our group offers a variety of similar activities for free because we ask all of our parents to volunteer in some capacity over the course of the year. I really appreciate this as our funds are limited and I’m not a sports person who’d feel comfortable teaching a variety of sports. Soccer is casual, with no uniforms or requirements other than coming dressed in appropriate clothes for running the field. The kids’ skills have greatly improved over the years, and now they’ll often start up their own casual soccer game at park meetings.
Similarly, another dad in our group ran a Golf Club and a Tennis Club that each met monthly. In the Golf Club, we’ve met at a public golf course and the kids have learned to use the driving range and practice putting on the putting green. They’re working up to playing a round of golf together. Clubs purchased from a thrift store have kept this sport inexpensive and I like the idea that my kids will have a working knowledge of golf, even if they aren’t passionate about the sport, so that if their future involves someone who wants to chat about business over a golf game, they won’t be totally out of their element. Likewise, for the Tennis Club, we’ve used rackets bought from the thrift store to minimize the cost. When a neighbor was cleaning out his garage, he gifted us with a ball holder and a plethora of tennis balls; in my experience, it really helps to chat with the neighbors about what the kids are doing. A mom in our group ran a fitness club that met twice a month the first half of the year with calisthenics and lessons in nutrition and other aspects of health. Now a teen is running a twice-monthly basketball fundamentals clinic. Since he’s being scouted by college basketball teams, he knows his stuff and has helped the other kids learn a lot. When all of these activities are put together, the kids have had some form of organized physical activity at least once a week, sometimes twice, for one to two hours at a time.
In a local public high school P.E. class, which is usually about 45 minutes long, a good portion of the time is used for changing clothes, showering, and taking roll. So two hours a week of organized physical activity is about what a public school P.E. course would offer. With the activities listed above, my kids are doing close to that amount of activity, but they do a lot of other activities as well.
My son wanted to learn archery, so together, he and I went to a 4-H training session and became 4-H certified instructors (well, Junior Instructor in my son’s case). Together with some other moms in our homeschool support group, we started a 4-H Archery Club for other homeschoolers. The 4-H group gives us insurance, some equipment, and a place to meet free of charge. We meet twice a month at the local fairgrounds and have been teaching about 20 students, ranging in age from eight to eighteen, to shoot with bows and arrows at targets.
If you throw in the biking, running around at the park, swimming, and other activities, along with some lessons in health and safety, we’ve done a lot more than the 120 hours that are usually cited as the minimum for earning one high school credit. If you add in all the P.T. (physical training) my son’s been doing with his Young Marines group and the workouts he’s done on his own, he’s definitely earned more than one credit in P.E. this year, but one credit of P.E. seems enough for the year to me.
Cheryl
homeschooling again 