LMD Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 What do you have them do in regards to PE/exercise? Especially for the upper primary/middle school grades, what do you do and how often? We don't do outside sports and have been fine so far doing family and incidental stuff. Now I'm having trouble making time in our schedule for that and wondering how it works in other families? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 What do you have them do in regards to PE/exercise? Especially for the upper primary/middle school grades, what do you do and how often? We don't do outside sports and have been fine so far doing family and incidental stuff. Now I'm having trouble making time in our schedule for that and wondering how it works in other families? My dds danced, first ballet, then Scottish Highland dance, then ballet. If they hadn't danced, I really wouldn't have put that much thought into it. Bicycling, skating, hiking...whatever. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Following, because my boys are getting to an age where they really NEED daily exercise to regulate emotions, hormones, and everything else. We do have an hour of PE weekly at co-op and on Saturdays they do swimming lessons, but it is not enough. In the summer or nicer weather, they get plenty of exercise playing football with friends outside or swimming daily, but during winter it is hard to get enough exercise here. No one wants to go outside in freezing temperatures and pouring rain and sleet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 We walk about a mile a day with the dogs, and when weather permits this spring I will probably teach both boys how to run for some basic distance races (5K training). They bike constantly. What's harder is teaching them some of the basics of popular sports in this area. They are not television watchers, so I've had a hard time getting them to pick up some of the rules of football and baseball. Although DH is perfectly willing to teach and throw the ball around. He loves to golf, and at least one boy has picked up the clubs and chips in his spare time. I'm thinking of putting in a little three hole course in the lower front yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 My oldest is 11, and I can see how it might get harder as he approaches high school, but I put "exercise" on their daily checklist and they can walk to the end of the road and back (about 3/4 mile total), ride their bike, run around the yard. They have neighborhood friends so they play outside and walk around asking to play, too. For the cold months I just got a small indoor trampoline and so far I love it! When the 4-year-old gets squirrelly or the 11-year-old gets ornery, I send them to jump to 100. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 When my kids were younger, we hiked together as a family every weekend. Daily outdoor play, biking and walking during the week. Rock climbing and mountaineering in the summer. Plenty. Occasional swimming, skating. Both started horseback riding at age 10. DS really got into martial arts around age 14. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. A Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 following. In desperate need of ideas here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 Thanks for the replies! Previously about 2 times a week we had been doing a walk/bike ride in the mornings, we'd go to the park and do a family time fitness lesson. Once every few weeks we'd meet up with other hs families one afternoon for a sport. Plus they generally run around outside, play kinect games and do physical stuff on our property. Now My kids are at awkward ages for bike riding, maybe I could send the older 2 on their own? The afternoon meet up is fine but gets expensive for every week. The park/FTf has been good but it takes a big chunk of day... Argh. Maybe I should angle for a trampoline at home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 DD used to do a lot of sports & fitness titles on the Wii but I think she got bored with our selection. I should see if there's anything recent that she might like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Do u have a ymca around? Ours have program targetting homeschool kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 following. In desperate need of ideas here! The last page of the Public Domain pdf contains a complete PE curriculum. It might give you some ideas. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Fvf4FXKZtoZmdHdlZ5UWU0SWc/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 My kids do martial arts now, so between class and practicing at home, they spend a fair amount of time on that. But aside from that, they swim in the summer when they can, and they take tennis with a free tennis program in the summer. They also ride bikes, hike, take walks, run around the backyard, climb trees, kick the soccer ball around, run around the house, run laps outside, do jumping jacks and push-ups and such. . . They're not often still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 We do swimming when it is not in the single digits (March through October). Ds took up skateboarding a year or so ago. If the kids are actively looking up how to do tricks on YouTube and practicing at the skatepark, it is definitely a sport. Competitions run three times a year here for youth. He is going to begin triathlon training in a few months. We long distance backpack and do mountaineering in the summer. He used to dance competitively when we lived in the Big City. Honestly, around here the winter months are times that most of our town hunkers down unless they ski/snowboard on the mountain. PE without a gym membership can be like that depending on where you live. I think it really becomes an issue of finding what your kids like to do to become active. To me the whole goal of homeschooling is to allow my son to find himself: his learning style, his interests, his passions, his personal character. PE is just an extension of that into the physical realms. What do they want to do or think would be a neat thing to learn to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 I like your point endofordinary, I hadn't thought of it that way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 Also, my oldest did an archery class last year, and dh takes them snorkelling in the summer. I guess I'm wondering if this random piecemeal stuff is enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 When I taught high school, 90 hours of physical activity was considered half a credit. For an independent PE contract all the kids had to do was log 90 hours in the year. For most kids it is pretty hard not to do that even if it is just walking the dog. Make sure they understand that being active is important mentally, physically, and spiritually. If they have health/weight issues, teach them about that too. In general, though, I did not learn much from forced PE. I can think of a few boys that really came into their own with an organized sport or weight training class. Two girls I know went on to get college sports scholarships and wouldn't have been able to go to college without them. However, all but one of those kids had been participating in their chosen sport long before high school, so it wasn't PE class that did anything. Maybe there are others whom PE was really a big deal. I could be wrong. I'm not stressing it with my son though, other than just "Go play outside!" or "You are very wiggly today, go run around the house a few times!" When puberty hits, "go outside and blow off some steam so we do not kill each other!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 There are lots of sports that can be done competitively without joining a team. Most areas have 5 or 10k runs (with short fun runs for your littles). Our community has weekly meetups for road biking, and there are (unaffiliated) bike races and charity rides around the state nearly every weekend during the summer months. If road biking isn't their thing, how about mountain biking? DS does triathlons--again, not with a formal group. If you have snow, snowshoeing and XC skiing are far less expensive than downhill and even the littles can participate. Biathlons are held regularly here too, and DS doesn't need to be part of a team to participate. If you don't have much ice, running can be enjoyed year round--maybe challenge the family to a Mile A Day for the month? Independent sports are limitless. I agree with a pp to ask your kids what excites them and allow them to research it. Regular, strenuous activity is vital for my son and he does enjoy being on various teams, but most can be enjoyed independently. The key is finding something you love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 DS plays tennis but it's only twice a week (3 hrs total) and I don't think it's enough exercise. In the summer, he also runs a couple of times a week. He ran three 5k races this summer, we will do more next summer. We hike as a family most weekends. We walk the dog for about 40 min to an hour. Winter is trickier.DH will do downhill skiing with him. I got snowshoes for everyone so I hope to do some of our hikes still. I'm also considering joining the Y and spending an entire weekend day there with the kids. They have a kid gym in addition to classes and such. I really think he needs to get more exercise than he's currently getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Mine don't do organized sports, neither are interested. Older does horseback riding, younger does vaulting. They both do musical theater, which turns out to be a ton of exercise! DD12 is playing Tigger, and is finding it pretty challenging to sing with great projection while jumping and bouncing! The dancing in general is pretty vigorous. So they are getting a daily dose of that currently. Other than that, they walk the dog with their dad almost every day, and my little one likes to exercise with me - yoga, Jillian Michaels videos, weights and stuff. Daily bike riding for her, too. They both climb trees and have great upper body strength. I haven't felt the need to schedule anything in at this point, but I am keeping an eye on it with my older - at some point if she stops playing so actively, I might need to. I want to keep daily physical activity as a habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 My girlfriend has a gym membership and they bent the rules to allow her 11 year old to join as well. There's also a girls only kickboxing gym not too far from me that allows 11 and up. We hike and will probably have our kids do workout videos and/or run. I intend to become a personal trainer and might run a co-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I firmly believe that physical Education for school-aged children and youth and not just physical activity is very important for the long and short term health and well being of every child, youth and adult. It doesn't have to be competitive sport, but a variety of skill sets should be included in an intentional program. I think that recreational programs are a great route, either organized by local community/organization or homeschool. This provides the opportunity to choose activities that are of interest to individual children, and they can be grouped with others at their own skill level. I think we do a dis-service to our children when we ignore the physical education component of education. Sorry, probably not the answer you were looking for. I'd recommend putting in the time and money and prioritize laying a positive and varied physical education foundation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 We belong to a very small, local gym- the kids work out with us, doing treadmill, bike and weights. When it's nice, the boys jog with dh several times a week and dd will ride her bike along with him They do floor exercises/ karate forms together. The boys go ballroom dancing every other week. They play volleyball in the summer (it meets weekly- they try to get there regularly). The boys often go on LONG walks in the hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Organized sports were not an option for my boys, for much of their childhoods. If they were not doing hard physical labor, then I did try and provide a comprehensive physical education experience for them, similar to the one in the pdf I posted above. I focused on four areas: Basic skills, activity/calisthenics, study/appreciation of a sport, and nutrition. The boys went for a walk every morning after morning worship and before they started math. If they were not employed, they had PE class several times a week, where they worked on basic skills and did calisthenics. We always had a sport of the month, and they at least read books and watched movies, but I also looked for books and videos that included independent drills they could practice. I spent very very little money, but PE was an official subject that I gave a lot of attention to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Lots of walking Royal Canadian Air Force Exercises 3x/week Swimming in warm weather One PE session w/ a trainer friend 1x/week Martial arts 2x/week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 When I taught high school, 90 hours of physical activity was considered half a credit. For an independent PE contract all the kids had to do was log 90 hours in the year. For most kids it is pretty hard not to do that even if it is just walking the dog. Make sure they understand that being active is important mentally, physically, and spiritually. If they have health/weight issues, teach them about that too. In general, though, I did not learn much from forced PE. I can think of a few boys that really came into their own with an organized sport or weight training class. Two girls I know went on to get college sports scholarships and wouldn't have been able to go to college without them. However, all but one of those kids had been participating in their chosen sport long before high school, so it wasn't PE class that did anything. Maybe there are others whom PE was really a big deal. I could be wrong. I'm not stressing it with my son though, other than just "Go play outside!" or "You are very wiggly today, go run around the house a few times!" When puberty hits, "go outside and blow off some steam so we do not kill each other!" Yes! This is very much how I think about it! I prefer to stress an active life, exercise through day to day work & living. Forced exercise is a little too hamster wheel for me... We bought 20 acres to solve the 3 teenage boys problem! Ok, thank you, a number I can aim for helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 None of you are suburbanites or urbanites in northern climates? Property is crazy expensive around here and most neighborhoods are paved with no trails. We make up for it with the amount of museums, activities, and opportunities available, but running free on the back 40 is not an option here. Heck, venturing outside the neighborhood without an adult supervising is not wise due to the amount of traffic. I am working on some solutions (another homeschooled friend might be converting her garage to run circuits with the boys) but what do other urban/suburban homeschoolers in cold areas do in winter? Are martial arts/YMCA/indoor gyms pretty much my options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 None of you are suburbanites or urbanites in northern climates? Property is crazy expensive around here and most neighborhoods are paved with no trails. We make up for it with the amount of museums, activities, and opportunities available, but running free on the back 40 is not an option here. Heck, venturing outside the neighborhood without an adult supervising is not wise due to the amount of traffic. I am working on some solutions (another homeschooled friend might be converting her garage to run circuits with the boys) but what do other urban/suburban homeschoolers in cold areas do in winter? Are martial arts/YMCA/indoor gyms pretty much my options? I don't like in a cold climate but I have a suggestion anyway: bodyweight exercises. Take a look at fitloop and You Are Your Own Gym. The latter is a book of bodyweight exercises and also has a women's version and DVDs. There are some Youtube videos you can check out. Basically they're exercises in which you use your own bodyweight to get fit, minimizing or eliminating equipment. A small indoor trampoline is valuable when you can't go out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I started my dd14 with a personal trainer once a week this year. It is the first thing that has worked for her since she stopped judo. She has started walking to the grocery store several times a week and is using my treadmill too. She wants to be stong enough to join me in krav maga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 There is a community center near here with indoor basketball courts. You have to pay to use it, but the kids are only $0.50 per day so I plan to head over there for physical activity (not necessarily basketball) a couple of times a week this winter. My kids do do organized sports / dance but they really need a couple of hours each day of physical activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Our TKD membership allows us to attend as many days as we want. It's a great workout and goal-oriented and all the other good stuff. We also have a membership to the rec center, which has an indoor pool among other things. My kids' horse riding farm has an indoor riding arena, so they can do that in all seasons. They muck stalls etc. in addition to riding. I found a nearby yoga place that has biweekly kids' classes for pretty cheap ($5-$7/class). We also have some kids' yoga videos which we can use at home, or they can follow my daily yoga routine if they want. The rec center sometimes has yoga classes that moms and kids can do together, but so far never at a time that works for us. They just started biweekly indoor archery today (I will soon hear how that went). Just a couple bucks a pop, but it's a long drive for us. We also have the mini tramp and an elliptical in front of the TV. They are members of The Little Gym, so they go there 2-3x per week, but that only goes up to 12yo. All of the above work no matter the weather. Besides these, they can play outside, bike, or go to the park; but it's nasty outside for half of the year, so that's why I sought out many indoor options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazzaroni Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I have an app on my phone called Workout Trainer by Skimble. I can choose cardio, strength or a combination. I can choose the length of time 15 minutes to 60 minutes. We do about 30 minutes every morning before school. I would prefer to run every am in public with my DS but we live in a community where people still look at you suspiciously if you have a kid with you during school hours. So app indoors until the rest of our community learns that there are valid reasons for HSing even in their "awesome" school district :( Oh and the app is free on Google play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 We do homeschool swim and tennis at our local fitness club. Each are once a week. He loves tennis a lot, so I signed him up for another hour of tennis a week on a different day. We try to go to the pool 3x a week on our own for an hour or so. Then outside playing, mini trampoline, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 1) We have had good luck with scheduling a non-class activity for one child while the other is in a class. Non-scheduled activities (with parental tag-along) have included:--shooting --hitting a few golf balls --walk around the neighborhood or at the local public gardens --hiking at the state park--weeding the flower garden--tossing some tennis ballsFor you, it may be a short bike ride, tossing a football around, a few holes of disc golf, or walking the dog.2) One local school system gave all the kids heart-rate monitors. As long as the kids logged 20+minutes/day of having their heart rate elevated, they met the gym requirement. This could encourage your children to be responsible for their own fitness goals (with some mentoring at this time).3) Do you have a game system in the house? We are stodgy and unhip people with just a Wii. I query the guy at the game store for recommendations on good exercise games to buy used. (He's lost 40+ pounds using one of the Gold's Gym games, so he's my unofficial personal trainer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 My son does TKD and my daughters do dance. As a family we try to take daily walks whenever the weather allows (I'm not a fan of going out when it is spitting cold rain or very windy especially with the baby). Most of the year we have type of family fitness activity at least once a week, biking, swimming, hiking, canoeing, etc. I'm always looking for ways to make activity part of our daily life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I like the idea of a personal trainer for older students. I think my two would probably enjoy that when they get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 30 minutes of physical activity per day. My oldest would get up early and do exercise videos. She might also do elliptical. for awhile she did couch to 5 K. Trampoline time counts, so does walking the fields or riding horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I asked my dh to take my older kids with them while he exercises in the morning (power walks and wood chopping/carrying). I really needed them to exercise, but was failing miserably at making it happen. Now the older 2 do runs and push ups and sit ups while dh takes the youngest ds. I work with the youngest child during htis time. My younger 3 have at least one outside play time during hte day. We have a co-op on Fridays that has an hour of PE. We do hikes as a family occasionally. Our fourth graders do skiing. We go ice skating once in a while and lots of swimming in the summer. If we didn't have Co-op, I would probably organize a once a month learn sports group. ETA: There is a HUGE difference in how school goes for my 14 year old based on whether he got his exercise or not. The day goes 1000% better if he doesn't skip exercise. I have just started a Leslie Sansone walking DVD and I am planning to do it with the kids on awful days. They key for us is having the exercise at a certain time daily. It becomes routine. Also, I have Home School Family Fitness which I have found helpful some years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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