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No matter how long we've been homeschooling, we are curious about how other homeschoolers do things. And homeschoolers who are newer to the game obviously have lots of questions! This series will try to answers some of the questions homeschoolers ask each other. Questions about how we handle some of the little details and about our opinions on different aspects of homeschooling. Questions that we all might answer differently because what works great in one family might not work at all in another.
How do you do Phys.Ed.?
This can be a practical concern. We know it's good for kids' health for them to stay active, and if they want to play sports, we'd like to give them that opportunity. And in many places there's a grad requirement of at least one Phys.Ed. credit during high school. So how do homeschoolers make it happen when they don't have a school gymnasium and twenty other kids in the class?
There are plenty of opportunities out there for kids to participate in sports, and homeschoolers can usually find the options that work for their families. And like so many other "how do you homeschool" questions, this one has many possible answers! Here's how we've done Phys.Ed. over the years.
In our school district, homeschooled students may not participate in high school team sports. I've heard that in other school districts, that may be different. There are now some teams in different sports that are made up of primarily homeschooled students. My kids have played team sports, but we chose community based teams. All three of my boys played community league baseball for five to nine years or so. My daughter played community softball for nine years. We also have had volleyball, hockey, lacrosse, and soccer teams that the kids could have played on. We probably would have been even more open to sports if we didn't live so far away from everything! But regardless, that counted as Phys.Ed. Kids that play team sports during their high school years can definitely count that towards their Phys.Ed. credit.
The biggest contributor to my kids' Phys.Ed. grades on their report card, and their Phys.Ed. credits in high school was the co-op style gym class our homeschool fellowship group has operated. One day a week, we rented space at an indoor sports facility, and our kids could play football, soccer, basketball, badminton, volleyball, field hockey, and many other sports and wide games in appropriate age groupings. In fact, this gym class was the highlight of my kids' week for many years! Even when they weren't crazy about whatever sport they were currently playing, they loved getting together with their friends.
The homeschool group also had a Field Day in the spring, and we tried to participate in that. Track and field events, perhaps a soccer game, and a tug-of-war with the parents were featured events.
Other sports opportunities that were part of our Phys.Ed. classes included archery classes, basketball tournaments, bowling, paintball tournaments, and weekly gym nights hosted by our church. Landon was a member of Civil Air Patrol during his high school years, and the physical training and activities were counted in his Phys.Ed. credit as well.
Before the kids were high school age, I just gave them a grade on their report card for Phys.Ed. and didn't worry too much about how much time they were spending. They were active and had engaged in physical activities and sports, so they got an A! During the high school years, when the grade was for a credit, we based the credit on hours. So I calculated the hours they were in the gym class, and had them log the time they spent at paintball or football or gym nights. None of my kids had any trouble at all coming up with enough hours to equal at least a half credit during each year of high school, and that was without playing organized sports!
See my related post: Middle School Monday - Phys.Ed.
How do you do Phys.Ed.?
This can be a practical concern. We know it's good for kids' health for them to stay active, and if they want to play sports, we'd like to give them that opportunity. And in many places there's a grad requirement of at least one Phys.Ed. credit during high school. So how do homeschoolers make it happen when they don't have a school gymnasium and twenty other kids in the class?
There are plenty of opportunities out there for kids to participate in sports, and homeschoolers can usually find the options that work for their families. And like so many other "how do you homeschool" questions, this one has many possible answers! Here's how we've done Phys.Ed. over the years.
In our school district, homeschooled students may not participate in high school team sports. I've heard that in other school districts, that may be different. There are now some teams in different sports that are made up of primarily homeschooled students. My kids have played team sports, but we chose community based teams. All three of my boys played community league baseball for five to nine years or so. My daughter played community softball for nine years. We also have had volleyball, hockey, lacrosse, and soccer teams that the kids could have played on. We probably would have been even more open to sports if we didn't live so far away from everything! But regardless, that counted as Phys.Ed. Kids that play team sports during their high school years can definitely count that towards their Phys.Ed. credit.
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| softball champs! |
The biggest contributor to my kids' Phys.Ed. grades on their report card, and their Phys.Ed. credits in high school was the co-op style gym class our homeschool fellowship group has operated. One day a week, we rented space at an indoor sports facility, and our kids could play football, soccer, basketball, badminton, volleyball, field hockey, and many other sports and wide games in appropriate age groupings. In fact, this gym class was the highlight of my kids' week for many years! Even when they weren't crazy about whatever sport they were currently playing, they loved getting together with their friends.
 |
| 2011 - Kennady placed fourth in the football throw, not far behind the boys that took the top three spots! |
Other sports opportunities that were part of our Phys.Ed. classes included archery classes, basketball tournaments, bowling, paintball tournaments, and weekly gym nights hosted by our church. Landon was a member of Civil Air Patrol during his high school years, and the physical training and activities were counted in his Phys.Ed. credit as well.
Before the kids were high school age, I just gave them a grade on their report card for Phys.Ed. and didn't worry too much about how much time they were spending. They were active and had engaged in physical activities and sports, so they got an A! During the high school years, when the grade was for a credit, we based the credit on hours. So I calculated the hours they were in the gym class, and had them log the time they spent at paintball or football or gym nights. None of my kids had any trouble at all coming up with enough hours to equal at least a half credit during each year of high school, and that was without playing organized sports!
See my related post: Middle School Monday - Phys.Ed.
How do you do Phys.Ed.? Leave a comment and let me know what works for you - or leave a homeschool question you're curious about.
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This post is part of the March 2019 Homeschool Collection on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
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This post is part of the March 2019 Homeschool Collection on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
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