I teach a variety of subjects to my children throughout our homeschooling year. I taught them to math, so they know when I shortchange them in their allowance. I taught them how to spell, so my husband and I can no longer stealthily communicate. I taught them how to read, so they can hang over my shoulder while I blog. Which is why I now blog when they are fast asleep. But one subject I feel I have been grossly negligent in has been P.E.
I have issues with P.E. In my youth, I called it PU.
When you say P.E. to me, all I can think of is my straggly 14 year old self, wearing knee socks, standing alone with my hands on my skinny hips after everyone else had been picked for teams. To say that I was not athletic was an understatement. How I ever managed to balance AND walk in my platform shoes without breaking a femur is nothing short of miraculous.
One advantage of homeschooling is that my children are not subjected to P.E. However, I’m quick to admit that they not only need exercise, but they also need to be able to navigate group sports.
Enter The President’s Challenge, home of the President’s Physical Fitness
Awards. We have a local homeschool group that meets weekly to encourage the kids to work towards the goal of physical fitness. The President’s Challenge recognizes students for their level of physical fitness in 5 events: curl-ups or partial curl-ups, shuttle run, endurance run/walk, pull-ups or right angle push-ups, and V-sit or sit and reach. None of which I can personally do, but I hope to help my children attain this goal.
AND, as a bonus, our group divides the kids by age and they are taught a different sport each month. Our first meeting was this week. My daughters, ages almost 8 and almost 6 (the almost is very important you know) are very excited. Although to different degrees. The 8 year old, Emme, emerged from her room dressed like the jock she hopes to one day be. Wearing a sports jersey, running shoes, and hair pulled back with a bandana on her head, she was ready for action.
The younger sister, Cailey, skipped out of her room dressed in bright pink floral capris, pretty pink sneakers, a hot pink sequined tank top, and sparkly lip gloss.
Okay.
I just go with the flow around here.
At days end, everyone had a wonderful time. Emme made some impressive time during the 1/4 mile run, while Cailey sort of joined the run, already in progress, when she felt like it, and frolicked merrily trailing behind everyone in the group. Making lots of new friends in the process.
And that’s okay.
I even got in a good workout by chasing my two year old away from the relay events when he started stealing the blocks used by the runners. As an additional bonus, all three children went to sleep immediately that night. Emme requested the bean bag heating pad for her sore muscles, and Cailey asked for the cold pak for her sun burn.
Her mother, it seems, forgot that she sunburns when she merely walks by a window. I’m still in the running for that coveted “Mother Of The Year” award, as you can see.
Check your local area homeschool groups to see if you have a President’s Challenge meeting in your area. I think it’s a wonderful addition to any homeschool curriculum.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
My children earned this award several years when they were in charter schools and I was happy this year to see our homeschool group offereing it too.
A few years back, my husband was deployed and I was walking 3 miles everynight. My youngest (7 at the time) loves physical activity and begged to walk with me. At first I was afraid he couldn’t keep up but it was the other way around…LOL. He told his teacher he walked 3 miles with his mom everyday and she did the “yeah right” thing with him. She and I were talking after school one day and she slyly brought it up as if to say he was lying to her. I explained we REALLY did walk EVERY night that far and she looked dumbfounded! He won the award that year for the first time
God bless,
Sallie
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As a Canadian, I don’t think the President’s Challenge is an option for us. However; as a community VCHS (Victoria Christian Home Schoolers) has established a yearly track meet (we actually compete againt other schools). We also have yearly soccer, homeschool swimming, gymnastics & ice skating to name a few. As a family we walk, hike and cycle. The kids naturally enjoy these types of activites and have never had to view exercise as a “subject”.
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Great idea! I actually printed out an invitation one year to do the president’s fitness challenge… I think it was 2004? I filed it in my “to-do” field trip file and forgot about it.
That’s how athletic I am.
No, really… this year we’ve participated in a park day. A park day, like… one. They were learning soccer. I actually had to let my daughter wear MY tennis shoes because she came in open-toed sandals. Yeah, I’m right on your tail for that “mother of the year award”. They had to tell me that you can actually break your toe if you kick a soccer ball with open-toed sandals on. Go figure!
Kaden had a few turns with the ball and then came to sit out with his non-athletic mom. In the shade. That’s my boy!
I would have those extremes in dress between my two oldest girls, too! Our former homeschool group had the President’s Fitness Challenge, but our new one doesn’t. I miss it!
Loved this post. How fun! We don’t do a formal PE class either. I figure we get plenty of exercise chasing horses, chickens and goats around, and running down to the barn! -not to mention Caleb (2yo).
blessings!