We've been enjoying some amazingly warm weather here in the UK recently, and being homeschoolers we've been doing lots of nature walks and reading books in the garden. It's wonderful to have the freedom to do that, which is a point that I'll make in a future post. Today, however, I'd like to talk about extra curricular activities.
When we lived in Russia there wasn't an awful lot for the kids to do, really. They enjoyed local art and dance lessons, but those had to be twice weekly. You see, when you committed to doing something, the ethos was that it was 'all or nothing'. Music lessons, for instance, were a five-day-a-week commitment at the special music school. Even swimming lessons were three times a week, with floats tied around the child with rope and an instructor with a stick (no parents allowed near the pool). We decided against the swimming!
Back here in England a whole host of possible activities opened up: Brownies, street dance, trampolining, choir... There was less pressure, but they were more expensive, and the kids were tired after their day at the local school.
Now that we're part of the homeschooling community even more possibilities have opened up. There seems to be something you could do in a homeschool group pretty much every day of the week. So far we've done a fantastic weekly art class, archery, meet-ups in local parks and a series of 'forest school' afternoons, where the kids learnt to whittle wood and toast marshmallows over a fire. Being homeschoolers we can also get a cheap rate at the local swimming pool during school hours, which we take advantage of regularly, and our local tennis courts have very few people around then either. In addition the kids have kept up their other 'after-school' activities: Brownies, Guides, Boys Brigade, football and gymnastics.
Homeschooling has allowed us freedom to chose from more activities, often at cheaper rates, at times that suit us best as a family, and the children are generally less tired and able to enjoy them more.
I suppose this isn't really a 'con', but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing! When we first got back into homeschooling I felt like I ought to be going to lots of homeschooling activities simply to meet people and for the kids to make friends. I used to check the facebook pages all the time to find out which events were on, who was organising a 'meet up', what new activities were being offered, and to be honest it was making me a bit anxious. It's never good to compare yourself too much to other homeschoolers -we're all different! Eventually I realised that our homeschool ran better, and I was much happier, if we didn't try to do too much. The kids still seem quite happy with their other, non-homeschooling friends, and we're not blowing our budget. I'm also learning to spend less time on facebook and more time just enjoying being at home with my children!
Do you have any thoughts on getting the right balance with extra curricular activities? Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.Pro: The Freedom to Choose From a Large Number of Extra Activities
When we lived in Russia there wasn't an awful lot for the kids to do, really. They enjoyed local art and dance lessons, but those had to be twice weekly. You see, when you committed to doing something, the ethos was that it was 'all or nothing'. Music lessons, for instance, were a five-day-a-week commitment at the special music school. Even swimming lessons were three times a week, with floats tied around the child with rope and an instructor with a stick (no parents allowed near the pool). We decided against the swimming!
Back here in England a whole host of possible activities opened up: Brownies, street dance, trampolining, choir... There was less pressure, but they were more expensive, and the kids were tired after their day at the local school.
Now that we're part of the homeschooling community even more possibilities have opened up. There seems to be something you could do in a homeschool group pretty much every day of the week. So far we've done a fantastic weekly art class, archery, meet-ups in local parks and a series of 'forest school' afternoons, where the kids learnt to whittle wood and toast marshmallows over a fire. Being homeschoolers we can also get a cheap rate at the local swimming pool during school hours, which we take advantage of regularly, and our local tennis courts have very few people around then either. In addition the kids have kept up their other 'after-school' activities: Brownies, Guides, Boys Brigade, football and gymnastics.
Homeschooling has allowed us freedom to chose from more activities, often at cheaper rates, at times that suit us best as a family, and the children are generally less tired and able to enjoy them more.
Con: Learning When to Say No and Stay At Home Instead
I suppose this isn't really a 'con', but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing! When we first got back into homeschooling I felt like I ought to be going to lots of homeschooling activities simply to meet people and for the kids to make friends. I used to check the facebook pages all the time to find out which events were on, who was organising a 'meet up', what new activities were being offered, and to be honest it was making me a bit anxious. It's never good to compare yourself too much to other homeschoolers -we're all different! Eventually I realised that our homeschool ran better, and I was much happier, if we didn't try to do too much. The kids still seem quite happy with their other, non-homeschooling friends, and we're not blowing our budget. I'm also learning to spend less time on facebook and more time just enjoying being at home with my children!
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