PE and high school...and a non athletic kid

[ProudGrandma]

what do you do to satisfy the requirements?

[regentrude]

Log any physical activity and give credit after a certain number of hours.

Even a "non athletic" teen needs regular exercise: walking, bicycling, skating, swimming -whatever the student likes.

 

My DD satisfied her PE credit with hiking and rock climbing.

 

[Arcadia]

I looked at my district's high school handbook on PE credit as my kids loathe sports (ETA: organized sports). Any recreational sports satisfy like running, swimming, rock climbing, brisk walking, bowling, golfing, rowing, archery ...

 

I had to log PE minutes when my kids were with a public online charter for elementary school. The acceptable list included things like skipping, yoga, hoola hoops, zipline. It was easy to add little bits and pieces and hit the quota required.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Arcadia

[Alessandra]

https://www.presidentschallenge.org/

 

Go to Choose a Challenge and then Presidential Champions

 

This is a great way to track normal activities. There are a certain number of points for a wide range of activities. It is broken down by activity, level (say, walk, jog, run), and time spent. You keep track online. My kids found it very motivating.

 

I would say to try a range of activities. Some kids love social activities, such as tennis. Others don't want the bother of scheduling with other people. Outdoors may be magic for some people, while others want a treadmill in front of a tv.

 

Be creative! Bird watching hikes, archery, yoga, working for Habitat for Humanity, mowing a lawn for a home bound person... I remember going to a talk by NY Times columnist Jane Brody. She emphasized finding a niche that suits you, otherwise you will avoid exercise, lo..

 

If possible, a balance of aerobic, strength building, and flexibility is good. The PC website and others have benchmark tests for these. It can be motivating to retest at one month intervals and track progress.

 

A good, inexpensive resource is the Boy Scout merit badge booklet on Personal Fitness.

 

ETA

 

Sort of hate to add this -- but if parents are able, time wise and health wise, to exercise too, it can be a plus.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Alessandra

[ProudGrandma]

so then when she goes sledding with her brothers, that works? or rollerblading?  It doesn't have to be an organized sport of some sort?  That is good to know.

 

What a doing some sort of a health related thing...like taking a CPR course or First aid?  I remember that being a part of my high school PE options. 

[Alessandra]

Quoted myself by mistake, deleted

Edited January 26, 2016 by Alessandra

[Starr]

PE classes have some wait around time and change time included. It's not hard to calculate enough hours with just rough estimates of activity. Some schools include health related teaching as well. And it's a good opportunity to engage in more physical activity if they've been spending too much time on the couch. :D Some will need to record what they are already doing and others need a challenge set up for them.

[Loesje22000]

We use dds folkdancing as PE.

And any sportive activity she attend.

[cbollin]

oldest:  archery league

middle:  doing dance fitness videos at home

youngest: plan to count as many of her summer recreational swimming as possible, plus any physical activity.  may look into some basic strength training to some dance fitness.  definitely it will be a log the time on anything.  (planning use of materials from faithful workouts)

 

 

(edit to add: our cover school considers health class a different credit)

Edited January 26, 2016 by cbollin

[Arcadia]

What a doing some sort of a health related thing...like taking a CPR course or First aid? I remember that being a part of my high school PE options.

PE here includes Physical Exercise and Physical Education according to my state's guidelines. The local districts just interpret and implement PE credit as they wish. So marching band can count for PE too.

 

CPR and First Aid counts under Physical Education part of PE. Learning how to eat healthier/Nutrition lessons counts too

[GoodGrief]

If there aren't any state standards you are supposed to meet, I would just log physical activity. If you are anticipating having to describe the course for college, you may want to have a specific focus though. Hiking, maybe? Swimming? Depends on what is readily available in your area. In our area, health is separate from PE, but if you don't have any particular requirements where you are, you could toss some health activities in there too. I like the CPR and First Aid ideas, and that is normally available through the Red Cross.

 

My non-athletic kid did swimming, downhill skiing, indoor rock climbing, and figure skating.

 

 

[kiana]

You know, most universities that have PE will let a student satisfy their requirements with something like fitness walking. If the kid is absolutely and totally uninterested in any sort of physical activity, I'd just log daily walks and give credit for fitness walking. Very easy to count minutes, very easy to write a course description for.

 

But I'd really try to find SOME kind of physical activity that they could enjoy. Nature activities, yoga, rollerblading, martial arts ... even video games like dance dance revolution or whatever it is (being used in some high school PE classes as well!)

[bettyandbob]

The focus of public school PE has been more "lifelong" activities for fitness. Following that trend, you do not need to focus on things you think of as traditional sports or team sports. Keep a log of regular activity. Add in having the student plan activities that balance fitness needs, understanding cardiovascular and strength training differences. Walking, bike rides, hikes, sledding can all be logged.

[Guest]

....

Edited June 22, 2016 by Guest

[Alessandra]

Some of the posts above reminded me that our middle and high schools have family life for 1/4 of the required state PE each year. Drivers Ed also counts for PE. Like Family Life, it is 1/4 credit. So, for a few months each year kids are out of the gym and in the classroom. This is NJ.

[J-rap]

I would expose them to many things and log hours.  Try doing things they might enjoy, maybe things you can even do together as a family:  bike riding, nature hikes, long walks, archery, mini-golf, swimming (non-competitive), roller skating/ice skating, cross country skiing.  You could also spend an afternoon learning how to use equipment in a gym, or doing a low-key obstacle course at a local park.  

 

By gently exposing your child to those things, it can help build a habit of being active, and also, you just might find something they end up enjoying!  If nothing else, you are teaching them things that might give them confidence to pick up again someday when they are older and invited to do it with friends, etc.  

 

 

[MerryAtHope]

Our local Y offers homeschool PE for students. I use that and then log any physical activity (walking, biking, swimming, boating, games with friends, chores like raking leaves or shoveling snow etc...)