Homeschool specific extracurriculars -- why?

[PeacefulChaos]

Help me understand.

Locally we have a regular youth baseball/softball league.

We also have a homeschool one.

We have a dance studio.

We also have people looking for specific 'dance classes for homeschoolers'.

I don't get it.

Recently, I saw a thing asking about swim lessons for homeschoolers.

Once again... I don't get it.

 

Why not take the classes, the lessons, be a part of the league with the rest of the community? Why try so hard to be separate??

 

If it's merely an issue of class time, okay, I can sort of see that. But often times the stuff I'm seeing (can't speak for swim lessons bc I don't know) is in the evenings or on the weekends just like everything else.

 

I don't get it. Am I missing something?

[Catwoman]

I think many homeschoolers are trying to connect with other homeschoolers in homeschool-specific activities because they're looking for friends for their kids, who may be on a similar schedule. In our area, most homeschool sports and clubs meet during school hours in addition to "ps-friendly" times, so ps kids wouldn't really be able to fully participate in the activities.

 

Also, there are so many activities geared toward the ps kids, that maybe the homeschool moms who are organizing the "homeschool only" events are trying to make sure their kids aren't lost in the shuffle of huge groups. Additionally, if a homeschool mom is organizing a team or event, it may be overwhelming to include "all kids," because there may not be room for everyone who wants to participate if it's open to everyone.

[Veritaserum]

In my area the homeschool classes are generally offered during public school hours. We are signed up for some classes on a morning during the week, which works better for us given my toddler's afternoon naptime. We do math and such while he's asleep.

 

I don't have a problem with my children interacting with public school children if the time and content of an activity is otherwise acceptable.

[justasque]

Homeschoolers can use facilities like dance studios at times when they're not normally in use, which can result in discounted prices. In addition, they can negotiate things like multi-age groupings, openness to toddlers wandering about, specific topics that relate to other things the group is doing, a more "academic" approach if desired (e.g. dance lessons wrapped up with dance history), and so on. They can also negotiate an ongoing activity time/place where the actual activity varies throughout the year, to facilitate scheduling - for example a Y class that does soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring, all in the early afternoon.

[Snow]

I agree, the only reason wee have thought about it is the more convenient schedule.

[Catwoman]

I only have one child, so I can sign him up for pretty much anything and the schedule will work for us. But my ds likes to do things with his best friend, and his friend's younger brother likes to be a part of things (and both boys want to include him.). That's not a problem in most homeschool activities, but it is in many "regular" programs, because they are age-restricted, and the younger brother wouldn't be able to be a part of the same groups as my ds and his friend. The mom could sign her younger ds up for a different "regular" group, but then she would have to get both boys to two different activities instead of bringing both of them to one place at the same time.

 

If you consider that many families are much larger, the inconvenience of activities that are strictly grouped by age becomes an even bigger issue.

[EndOfOrdinary]

Around here that would be code for "Significant religious content." Before we moved out into the sticks, it was a time/schedule thing when it said "homeschool -------". People homeschooled for a larger variety of reasons in The a big City. In our current rural location, people mainly homeschool because they are highly fundamentalist in their beliefs. Previous to living here, I would not have even thought it possible to heavily incorporate religion into something like beginners or toddler swim lessons, knitting classes, or MineCraft meet ups. Oh, trust me, it is possible!

[Tohru]

Personally, I prefer homeschool only classes because it's easier on the children to know that they aren't the only freaks that homeschool.

 

Whenever we've done stuff with ps children, it's all about grade level - "What grade are you in? Oh, you homeschool or you're in x grade, which means I'm better/worse than you" versus  "Oh, you homeschool too? Let's be friends!"

 

Why does it bother OP so much?  Homeschoolers can be their own community too. 

 

ETA:  Just another thought.  I think it is just human nature to want to be around others with similar values and interests.  Educational choice is a HUGE factor, right up there with politics & religion ;)

[bettyandbob]

The only homeschool classes I've seen are scheduled before 3 pm.

 

It's nice to meet people in similar situations. Years ago, the scout troop dd joined was not associated with just one school. It would have been difficult to interact with girls who were all in mrs. X's or Mrs. Y's third grade. She a troop where the girls attended 3or 4public schools, a couple of private schools, and there were homeschoolers. That's any easier situation to break into socially. If I had not found that I may have looked for a homeschool troop.

[DawnM]

Our scout troop is homeschool only.   We have many advantages over joining the local community scout troop.  One is that we can do things during normal school hours......we can leave for our camping trips on Friday around 1pm to avoid traffic.  We can donate time to a nursing home at noon because we don't have to be in school.  Our Eagle project hours can be afternoons instead of weekends.  Our meetings can go later because people don't have to get up at 6am for school.  AND, we all have very big things in common and can connect outside of scouts for friendships and activities.

 

We don't do everything with only homeschoolers.  My middle son is in a soccer league that is not homeschool specific.  

[....]

I'm probably going to offend people here...we've done a LOT of outside activities (probably too much).  And we've done both homeschool classes and classes in the evenings.

 

The homeschool classes:

 

1.  Are usually during the day, so traffic isn't horrendous trying to get to and from the activity (our traffic here in the evening is AWFUL).

2.  There are not as many kids in the homeschool classes (as opposed to the evening classes) and the quality of instruction seems to be better, because the kids get more one-on-one attention and the teachers seem much more relaxed.

3.  The classes tend to be more laid-back and quieter.  The evening classes tend to be much louder/chaotic, teachers yelling, waiting rooms crowded, parking lot crowded, etc.

4.  Having classes during the day means you are able to sit down together in the evenings and eat dinner.  We have 3 nights a week of evening sports and those nights can be really hard on the parents (who are exhausted from working all day, need to cook dinner, get their junk ready for work the next day, etc).

 

FWIW, I'm not opposed to my kids being around ps kids.  In fact, my oldest two have been helping teach a camp all week and are working an overnight lock-in.  All the kids are public-schooled, but mine.

[Carrie12345]

Schedule and age flexibility is a huge advantage.  Especially in our area, where many school kids get home quite late (some past 4:30) and almost all activities take place 30 minutes away or more.

 

My kids participate in Little League, which is wonderful. We've done it as a ps family and a hs family, and it's a serious pain both ways!  If we had a team that offered earlier hours, we'd snatch that up right quick.  I don't like throwing food at my kids at 4:45 and getting back home at 8:30/9pm (when games run smooth) several days a week for several months.  Their enjoyment is worth it, but I'd be thrilled with an alternative!

 

We've looked into homeschool gymnastics classes in the past, but the price didn't work for us.  If it had, getting 3 kids done in one trip in the middle of the day would have been SO much easier than chauffeuring 3 kids in different age groups on 3 different evenings during normal human meal times.  And saved 4 gallons of gas a week!

[TammyS]

The only homeschool ones I've seen are during school hours, which a lot of people tend to prefer.  Part of the reason that a lot of people homeschool is that they want to reclaim (or not lose) their family time to school + homework + extracurriculars = no home time.

 

My son is part of the youth orchestra at the local university.  It's a great program with a mix of home, private, and public school students.  BUT, he gets home from rehearsal at 9:45pm.  Ugh. Just ugh.  I can't imagine if that was everything in our life.

[kewb]

Around here the homeschool classes are during the day when ps kids are in school. I find them convenient and a way to connect with other homeschoolers in the area.

[KarenNC]

Around here that would be code for "Significant religious content." Before we moved out into the sticks, it was a time/schedule thing when it said "homeschool -------". People homeschooled for a larger variety of reasons in The a big City. In our current rural location, people mainly homeschool because they are highly fundamentalist in their beliefs. Previous to living here, I would not have even thought it possible to heavily incorporate religion into something like beginners or toddler swim lessons, knitting classes, or MineCraft meet ups. Oh, trust me, it is possible!

 

That's the case here for most programs run by homeschool groups, which can be very frustrating when you are not part of the dominant religion. When my daughter was younger, I strongly preferred extras that met before 5pm so that we could have some family time in the evening between my husband getting home from work and my daughter going to bed. It was easier to find that for preschoolers, but once we hit school-age many general community activities happened after 6. We tended to stick to homeschool activities run by our inclusive group or by the parks and rec program or library, because they were secular and met during the day. It was much more limiting, but fit our parameters. Now that she's older, we are able to do more general activities as we are more involved with schoolwork during the day (and bedtime is a whole lot later :) ).

[fairfarmhand]

It may be because of the times that they are scheduled. I prefer to be home in the evenings when my dh is. Also, sometimes, kids who go to school together can tend to hang with the kids that they already know and may be reluctant to allow an outsider in. Or at least it can be difficult for an outsider to penetrate that group. (I have a teen and a preteen dd and this dynamic happens a ton, and the kids who do this are really good kids. They just tend to cluster with the kids that they are used to hanging out with.) A homeschool group may not eliminate this, but can often help with it.

[happypamama]

My kids do martial arts once a week. Their instructor offers evening classes or daytime classes for the homeschoolers. We opt for the daytime one and love it. For one, their friends from our homeschool coop are in the class. For another, it's in the daytime! We live 40 minutes away, and we combine it with groceries, library, errands. Going in the evening means getting home late, messing up family dinner, etc. I used to do it when DD was in ballet, and we hated it. If we were five minutes away, that might be different. Also, the evening MA classes are segregated by age but for the homeschool classes, they just match up kids of similar size and level, and it works fine. One class, three of my kids, and it's lovely!

 

(When DD did ballet, the other kids were nice to her, but there were only a few homeschooled kids at the whole studio and so the other kids had friends from school in the class. It's just nicer for my kids not to be the unusual ones now.)

[Ellie]

Help me understand.

Locally we have a regular youth baseball/softball league.

We also have a homeschool one.

We have a dance studio.

We also have people looking for specific 'dance classes for homeschoolers'.

I don't get it.

Recently, I saw a thing asking about swim lessons for homeschoolers.

Once again... I don't get it.

 

Why not take the classes, the lessons, be a part of the league with the rest of the community? Why try so hard to be separate??

 

If it's merely an issue of class time, okay, I can sort of see that. But often times the stuff I'm seeing (can't speak for swim lessons bc I don't know) is in the evenings or on the weekends just like everything else.

 

I don't get it. Am I missing something?

 

I was not interested in homeschool-specific activities, either. Of course, when I started 30 years ago there wasn't any such thing as homeschool-specific activities, lol, but as the years went on and there began to be such a thing, I decided I preferred my community-based activities. I was glad that my dc had felt as if they were part of the greater community, and met people who were not homeschooling, because I knew that as adults, they weren't going to be sequestered with homeschooled people. Also, it seems to me that the quality and potential of community-based activities is just going to be better and broader, KWIM?

 

And furthermore, most homeschool activities are in the morning, and even though we were very relaxed, I just couldn't give up my mornings (or my Wednesday library, or my Thursday field trip, or my Friday-clean-house/park day). We did a "gym" class for one semester. Longest semester of my life. :-p

 

[73349]

Time of day is the big issue here. Most activities meant for PS kids take place five to fifteen miles from here and during rush hour, when I want to be cooking and eating dinner.

 

I'd love to find an elementary track club and swimming instruction in the afternoons. Right now DS is swimming on Saturdays in another town, and it's a nuisance. For September, I'm going to plan on crock-pot meals so he can be in a sports class one night a week, but if I could just get something at 3:30 or even 4, it would be so much easier.

 

I'm definitely not looking to avoid families with other worldviews, though some might prefer to avoid us while I'm working on DS's Keep Your Mouth Shut About Religion skills. ;)  Having attended public school and taught private, and with DS very happy at home, I don't have a need to avoid people with other educational choices, either.

[catz]

The homeschool specific classes here are run during the school day and are often at an introductory level at a nice price point. My kids for the most part do regular evening activities now. We do enjoy homeschool field trips and tours and the occassional workshop during the day though.

[Tammyla]

We've outgrown them, but for us it was a nice option for a few reasons, and we definitely were not trying to separate ourselves from our community.  (Both my dd and ds, participated in traditional classes, but we also enjoyed some specifically offered to homeschool families.)

 

The homeschool classes were more in line with our schedule (during the day) and we were able to connect with families who didn't wonder why we weren't in public school. 

[Pronghorn]

I try to strike a balance of activities with other homeschoolers and public school kids. We have had some social issues in certain groups dominated by public schoolers, though. Kids have tried to talk my middle-schooler into going to their school, where they will find her a boyfriend etc. (She has no interest in acquiring a boyfriend.) And sometimes they are very persistent, hassling my daughter about it every week. They just can't seem to accept that she is different from them. And when they are not hassling her, the conversation is all about school and sports. She also has been sometimes deeply upset by the school kids teasing other school kids about their academic weaknesses. However, other groups have a whole different ethos, and have worked out well.

[Zebra]

I've looked for homeschool specific activities because they are during the day and they are cheaper.  That is really the only reason.   Particularly when dd was younger.  

 

I've actually seen a few activities that were touted as "homeschool classes" and they were after school and the same price and I thought, "WHY?".  To me homeschool means during the day and cheaper.

 

This is the first year we aren't doing any homeschool specific activities.   Mostly because dd is getting older and there are less homeschool specific activities in my area, and dd has found herself wanting to specialize more in dance, which is after school.   Also, we're starting to get to that age where it is harder to go do things during the day.   I've also never been able to find a good dance class just for homeschoolers.   We're devoted to our dance studio, so even if I found one at this point we wouldn't do it.

[chiguirre]

For older kids, homeschool activities may be the only alternative. In Texas, if you're not enrolled in public school you can't participate in extracurriculars like band, theater or sports. If there weren't any homeschool teams or performing arts groups, we'd be out of luck. Most of the hs options are religious, but they're better than nothing or having to enroll in our local less-than-stellar public school in order to do extracurriculars.

[ocelotmom]

Some homeschool classes may represent a group that's gotten together and organized a class at a group rate, and that just happened to be the time that was available or worked best for them.

[HollyDay]

The times we have chosen "homeschool specific" has been for timing.  Homeschool classes are generally offered during the day rather than afternoon, dinner time, or evening. 

 

As my dc have gotten older, we have moved away from homeschool specific and more toward community classes.  Mainly this has been due to ability differences.  We have found that lots of homeschool enrichment opportunities have been for a wide age/stage/ability range.  That is not always a good thing depending upon the class. 

 

 

[Tammyla]

I also wanted to add, that the mix of ages allowed in many of the hs classes were very convenient and occasionally allowed for  $$$ savings for our family.

[MistiDelaney]

We don't only do homeschool specific things, but aside from his dojo, where discipline is emphasized, my son prefers homeschool oriented activities.  In our area, PS kids are evidently accustomed to being very rude and disrespectful of each other and of adults.  He finds that disrespect really irritating.

[rmtzc2009]

We like a mixture of both homeschool & regular activities.  In the evenings my kids are in non homeschool sports so no other opportunity for any other classes.  The homeschool classes during the day allow my kids to spend time with other homeschoolers as well as to take some fun extracurricular activities.  From my experience those worried about trying to remain separate from the community tend to stay away from all activities (including homeschool) and stick to spending time with the people they know and trust to have the same value system.  

[HSmomof2]

Homeschool classes here generally mean their offered during the day during PS hours. We've done both homeschool and community activities over the years based on what worked for our schedule. My dc have made friends in both environments....they actually have more PS friends than homeschooled friends. Which I am thankful for now, since I need to return to work part-time and they're going to ps this year.

[PeacefulChaos]

Interesting. (I'm the OP)

I get the schedule thing. Granted, that isn't the situation in our little town, but the only thing we have is the homeschool soccer league. The swim lessons were somewhere else and I know nothing about them. The dance classes seemed to be wanting to stay away from the studio, and I'm guessing cost is a factor - but IMO, you get what you pay for, so why bother doing it at all if you'd rather pay next to nothing to have a teenager teach a homeschool dance class on Saturday mornings? But like someone said above, these seem to be rather religious people and I highly doubt dance is very high on their radar as an acceptable activity anyway. :p

 

It annoys me because it comes off as exclusive. It's probably because of where I live - there is a very exclusive homeschool community here that I'm not a part of, nor do I want to be.

Here it's always initiated by a homeschooler, which I think is part of it. Things have literally been started as a way to keep the precious homeschool kids from having to socialize with the heathens who go to school. So yeah, it rubs me the wrong way. It's one thing if there is no other option or if it's all about scheduling - it's another if it's about homeschoolers being exclusive. :ack2:

[Cosmos]

The times I see homeschool specific activities as beneficial:

 

1. When the activity is one that typically would happen in the school and does not exist as a community activity. Perhaps a homeschool PE class (where they can try lots of sports, not just one) or foreign language classes. Personally I would love a woodshop class that meets once a week. If we did it through the school, it would meet every single day.

 

2. As a vehicle for getting homeschoolers together with their homeschool friends. In our area, the homeschoolers are widely dispersed. My ds participated in a homeschool theater activity last year primarily because his homeschool friends would be in it. There are other community theater options in it, and he's done several of them. But he doesn't get to see his homeschool friends very often, so this was a fun way to do an activity and see his far-away friends as well.

[justasque]

 

As to your local offerings, the dance and sports might be more "recreational", and more open to kids who are just trying out the activity rather than those who've been doing it for years. As kids get older it's harder to be a beginner. In addition, hs dance classes might be in 8-week sessions, rather than a full year's commitment, which is better for a beginner.

 

Your local dance lessons may have religious content, and/or may be more conservative in areas such as music choices, dance moves, and costuming.

 

Rather than a recital-oriented class, hs dance classes may be more of a "Lets put on a show!", DIY approach, where the kids can have more input in terms of choosing costuming, making props, etc., for an informal performance in the dance studio, a local park, or a large living room.

 

The time and place of some hs activities are specifically chosen to coordinate with others. For example, if you have a group of hsers who are taking an Algebra class, you might arrange a simultaneous dance class for their younger siblings at a nearby studio. Advertising the class to the hs community can bring in more kids for the dance class, thus often lowering the per-child rate. (Hs classes often hire teachers at a flat fee, divided between participants, rather than a set per-student fee regardless of the number of students.) And sometimes the younger dancers will have older siblings who need Algebra, which again ups the class size which lowers the per-student cost.

 

The more hs-oriented classes and activities there are in your area, the stronger the network of hsers, and the more likely any given family can find things that are a good fit. (That said, there are also all kinds of reasons a family might choose a non-hs-specific activity, but that's a whole 'nother thread.)

[stripe]

Around me, homeschool activities are uniformly held during the day.

 

I took my kids to a HS swimming class once, but it was to supplement their regular Saturday swim class. I also started taking my kids to a HS gym class, during the school day.

 

I have been invited to participate in a HS music activity, also during the day, and I know of a HS group that has some extracurricular type classes, unofficial sports, and social activities (for parents and kids) and meets in the early afternoons.

 

The reason I participate or would consider doing so are because the timing is helpful, the offerings are unique, and also because one of my kids has neighborhood kids telling her she is dumb because she is homeschooled, and I want her to have another friend (she has one at present) or acquaintance or just someone else to know who is homeschooled.

 

Other than that, I normally have had my kids do sport type things in the late afternoon or weekends, with other kids who mostly appear to attend local public schools.

[Tohru]

Interesting. (I'm the OP)

I get the schedule thing. Granted, that isn't the situation in our little town, but the only thing we have is the homeschool soccer league. The swim lessons were somewhere else and I know nothing about them. The dance classes seemed to be wanting to stay away from the studio, and I'm guessing cost is a factor - but IMO, you get what you pay for, so why bother doing it at all if you'd rather pay next to nothing to have a teenager teach a homeschool dance class on Saturday mornings? But like someone said above, these seem to be rather religious people and I highly doubt dance is very high on their radar as an acceptable activity anyway. :p

 

It annoys me because it comes off as exclusive. It's probably because of where I live - there is a very exclusive homeschool community here that I'm not a part of, nor do I want to be.

Here it's always initiated by a homeschooler, which I think is part of it. Things have literally been started as a way to keep the precious homeschool kids from having to socialize with the heathens who go to school. So yeah, it rubs me the wrong way. It's one thing if there is no other option or if it's all about scheduling - it's another if it's about homeschoolers being exclusive. :ack2:

 

:grouphug:  That is a bummer!  I'm sorry your homeschool community is, seems so,....gosh I can't even think of a proper word.  That just stinks. 

 

We are fortunate to live in town with a huge homeschool community, both secular and religious.  I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to homeschool for educational reasons and not find any common community in that or one that excludes others. :(

 

 

[maize]

I love homeschool extracurriculars that are scheduled during the day, it's so easy for our evenings to get filled up with activities for the various kids, and evenings are the only time the whole family can be together.

[Rockhopper]

For older kids, homeschool activities may be the only alternative. In Texas, if you're not enrolled in public school you can't participate in extracurriculars like band, theater or sports. If there weren't any homeschool teams or performing arts groups, we'd be out of luck. Most of the hs options are religious, but they're better than nothing or having to enroll in our local less-than-stellar public school in order to do extracurriculars.

 

I read through the responses looking for what chiguirre mentioned above -- especially by middle school/high school, in states where homeschoolers CAN'T participate in ps sports, homeschool groups/league/teams may be the only option for things like track, football, etc. 

 

There tend to be a lot of community options for soccer, basketball, football at the elementary level, but most of those seem to disappear and become school sports by the older grades.

 

Swimming and gymnastics are the only sports that comes to mind at the moment where the competitive action is not school-centric. I'm sure there are more...

[Dory]

We get in on a few homeschool specific extra curriculars such as gymnastics, swimming, basketball, and a few others just because my kids are looking for friends that are also homeschoolers, and I enjoy having my evenings a little more free so having the activities in the afternoon is better for us.

 

My kids are also involved in activities that are more community involved and have friends who go to the schools here too. When it comes to making friends with other homeschoolers, these extra activities are the easiest way to make it happen around here.

[ebrindam]

Because my daughter needed to know that there were OTHER kids out there not going to school. Her big brothers go and she needed to see that it was also normal NOT to go. Also, because homeschool activities frequently take place during the day rather than after school in the already hectic night time. I much prefer that.

[kbutton]

I only have one child, so I can sign him up for pretty much anything and the schedule will work for us. But my ds likes to do things with his best friend, and his friend's younger brother likes to be a part of things (and both boys want to include him.). That's not a problem in most homeschool activities, but it is in many "regular" programs, because they are age-restricted, and the younger brother wouldn't be able to be a part of the same groups as my ds and his friend. The mom could sign her younger ds up for a different "regular" group, but then she would have to get both boys to two different activities instead of bringing both of them to one place at the same time.

 

If you consider that many families are much larger, the inconvenience of activities that are strictly grouped by age becomes an even bigger issue.

 

This is what we are looking for. Unfortunately, we will by the wrong Y, lol! Our Y (one mile from home and used by us for more than just classes) offers fun stuff at the wrong time. Another Y offers tons of HS stuff during manageable hours. (DH's schedule means both kids need to be able to take stuff in the same location at the same time, or I can't physically get them there.) We can't manage two Y memberships and the class fees.

 

We do have one outside activity that has kids from every kind of school imaginable, and we're very pleased, but it tends not to generate outside friendships because it's not very local (45 minute drive).

[Slartibartfast]

We do participate in "homeschooling" activities but I live in an area with a massive and diverse homeschooling population. I would think it applied to the schedule and a chance for some socializing rather than religiously oriented.

[HS Mom in NC]

Usually activities for homeschoolers happen during school hours which can't happen for the community ones that cater to the ps population.  It's a way for a studio to make money during hours they would usually be closed and it dovetails nicely with homeschoolers who want an extra curricular activity during school hours like they do at ps.

 

When it comes to dance classes it's usually a matter of what kind of music is being played and what the dancers are wearing.  That can differ greatly from what the community classes offer in those areas.

[justasque]

We can't manage two Y memberships and the class fees.

Have you asked about the Y's AWAY program? (Always Welcome At the Y.) Every Y's policy is different, and some are quite generous. I recently visited one where folks who were Y members elsewhere could make 4 free visits a month, and pay $10 per visit after that. It's worth asking if the Y will work with you.

[Reefgazer]

In our neck of the woods, homeschoolers are not allowed to play school sports and activities, and are not allowed to participate in non-school activities held on school property.  Homeschool-specific programs allow homeschoolers to participate in sports and not be closed out/crowded out of a system that also accepts public schoolers

[Tutor]

For older kids, homeschool activities may be the only alternative. In Texas, if you're not enrolled in public school you can't participate in extracurriculars like band, theater or sports. If there weren't any homeschool teams or performing arts groups, we'd be out of luck. Most of the hs options are religious, but they're better than nothing or having to enroll in our local less-than-stellar public school in order to do extracurriculars.

 

In our area, there is a homeschool sports organization that has gone through some sort of vetting process with the private school sports board so that our teams can compete on the private school circuit. They provide JV and Varsity tennis, track, archery, basketball, football, and cheer and are eligible to compete in state-wide and national tournaments. It is the only place where the homeschooled kids could participate in these sports at this level.

 

Our children have participated in a local homeschool drama group because it was the only way for them to participate in theater here. (Th community theater here has very few opportunities for children and teens and the few they have are late at night to accommodate the schedules of the adults involved... which is fine, but just too late for us.)

[AimeeM]

I know that when my dd was on a "regular" soccer team, she had a difficult time making any "real" friends, because most of the girls went to school together (zoned area), and were already "clicked/cliqued". I want my child to have a diverse group of friends, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't also want her to meet other homeschooled children. Since most homeschoolers rely on extracurriculars to provide a majority of their child's "social network", I can consider many reasons why a homeschool specific sport/activity would be preferable. My daughter meets public and private school friends in our neighborhood, church, etc - it's nice to have a similarly minded group of homeschool friends, too.

 

So, I guess, the reason for preferring homeschool specific sports and activities, is often same reason why homeschool parents join homeschool co-ops and/or support groups, instead of generic "play groups" (which service everybody).

[PeacefulChaos]

Wow. I don't think anyone has said it's about keeping the precious homeschoolers away from schooled heathens. I really think that's reading too  much into it.

 

Of course homeschoolers initiate homeschool classes. Who else is gonna do it ?

 

My kids all have ps friends, so keeping them away from the heathens ( lol, which we are anyway ) has never been on my radar.

 

 

Oh I didn't say people here were saying that.

 

I said that is what happens in my town.  

 

Since all we have is ONE homeschool sport which is already MUCH better if you just keep with the regular league, and was started just for the reason I stated, I don't think that's reading into it.   :)  That's my personal experience.  We live in an extremely uber-religious, exclusive homeschooling community.  

 

So yeah, they end up coming off exclusive to me.  Like I said before, I'm not talking about something happening during regular school hours.  I'm not talking about a dance studio being asked to offer classes, or anything like that.  It's literally keeping their children from the rest of the population...

 

I do understand, now, why in other places it is something that is logical and makes sense.  Unfortunately, that is not the way it is here.  

 

 

ETA:  I have read through the replies and they make sense, but most of them don't apply where I live, sadly.  It isn't a homeschool (insert activity here) that just happens to be in different hours - we have none of that.  We honestly have nothing for homeschoolers, because we're so small.  Just crazy religious coops ;) , which I wouldn't be interested in anyway.  I'm sorry if it came across that I don't like homeschool classes or homeschool activities that are there to take advantage of during school hours, because there is an interest, or whatever.  That's not the case at all, and I think it's sad that we don't have more of that.  The thing is, with the way this community is, they wouldn't come to something that they hadn't vetted themselves and started themselves, with the appropriate amount of Biblical teaching.  

 

So yeah, maybe I'm a little bitter about it.  :P  Because of a few people's choices, there is nothing available for us.  We couldn't attend any of the homeschool stuff if we wanted to, because we aren't part of that 'crowd'.  But honestly, I don't see the need for a Bible at every single event, you know?  ;)

[PeacefulChaos]

Oh, and I am working on some ideas in my head to try to open things up more - start more inclusive homeschooling stuff.  But I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, you know?  

 

Just didn't want it to look like I'm just sitting around complaining about stuff without trying to find a way to take action on it.  I really am.  :) :D

[Cera]

All of the homeschool specific classes around here are during regular public school hours.  I have never seen anything for homeschoolers in the evenings or on weekends.

[trulycrabby]

We do both, actually. Club aoccer is after school, chess club is in the early evening and has both ps and hsers, but we also do activities and field trips with hs groups.