Homeschooling P.E.

I'll be honest, I hated P.E. in school.  I loved recess, but I hated being forced to participate in the activity of the day.  I'm sure I learned a few valuable skills from it, so it wasn't completely bad, but I actually do things differently now with our P.E.

Our family is just not into organized sports.  I'm not here to knock on sports at all, I'm just saying it's not our thing.  We don't watch sports & our boys aren't particularly interested in them.  I'll admit, I'm more than slightly relieved just because I see the schedules of their friends who participate in organized sports & it's intense.  We did karate a few years ago, and while it was enjoyable, it tied up our evenings & didn't work well for our family.

That being said, I am a huge believer in getting active & being outside in nature.  Our P.E. tends to be more natural & organic - at least as I see it.  I like it to be something that they can still enjoy & participate in as an adult.  That's not to say adults can't play 4-square & kick ball, but you get my point...

So what does it look like for us?  Kayaking, nature hiking, swimming, snorkeling, bike riding, rock climbing, running around & playing with their cousins in the woods, playing at the playground, jumping at the trampoline park, etc.

We love finding new nature trails to explore.  We are so fortunate to live next to several really neat parks including Pocket Wilderness, Big Soddy Gulf, Greenway Farms, Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, and even the Cumberland Trail.  We haven't done any crazy long hikes yet, but we can usually do a couple miles without too much effort.  And we always look pretty impressive taking all the kids out (5-8 kids ages 10 & under, depending on when we go).

The cool thing about nature hikes is that it naturally piques their interest in other things - science, specifically.  When we are hiking & we find a weird looking bug or flower or rock, it gives us something to research at home later.  It helps with the interest-led approach to learning we take.  "Why do the leaves change colors?"  "Why are there different layers in the rocks?"  "What happens when it floods?"  "What happens to the environment when it drops below freezing?"  These questions naturally come up & lead to more learning.

When the weather is warm, I love hiking somewhere, taking a picnic lunch, then spending the day swimming & exploring.  But even as the weather cools off, it's a good excuse to get outside with the right cold-weather gear.  Last year, on one of the coldest days of the year, we hiked a trail & saw giant icicles along a frozen creek.  It was a sight to see & the kids had a blast!

I want my kids to enjoy being outside & enjoy being active.  So for us, one of the ways we do that is by hauling the kayaks to the lake.  I have a kayak rack on my vehicle, but it's too high (and the big kayaks are too heavy) for me to load by myself.  My boys each have their own smaller kayaks (similar to this one, affiliate link - kids' kayak).  They are easier to transport & maneuver, and cost less than $100.  I'm seriously thinking about buying myself one of those, too, because I can throw all three in my vehicle easily, by myself.

In short, our P.E. mainly involves exploring nature together as a family.  It get my kids physically active, makes being outside fun, gets them in the fresh air & sunshine, makes other learning come naturally, and enriches their lives overall.