Awesome! Right now I don't have to have PE, but I *think* they do once we hit high school. For me though PE is just as important as math and LA.... health isn't an optional subject.
This isn't so much a 'random perk' as it is a perk we often speak of, but it's been a big smack in the face to me right now. I'm working on my Masters and one of the classes I have right now is Theatrical Pedagogy (fancy word for teaching college theatre). We've been reading several essays about the sorts of thing the average Theatre Major does not know. These are the most basic things. For example, Aristotle wrote an essay called The Poetics. It is widely accepted to be the most comprehensive guide for any actor/director. It's really a BIG deal. It literally is a list of rules that, if followed, will result in great theatre. Here's the thing, though: many theatre majors have no idea what The Poetics is. And many, many more (meaning most) have never even read the essay. I never heard of The Poetics in my undergrad, except for a cursory mention in my theatre history class. I had no idea the magnitude of this essay until this year. I've been formally studying theatre since I was 12 (so for 20 years). This is one of those things that there just is no excuse for. So, on the topic of learning along with my kids: I get to teach them all the great works of art and writing and film and I get to fill in the gaps of my own pathetic education in the process. So I don't have to hope they 'get it in college', I can make sure they get it now.
Getting to spend the ENTIRE day with your children on their birthday!! And taking the day off school to have fun without worrying about an unexcused absence. My daughter turned 7 yesterday and we were able to spend the entire day together watching cartoons and playing at the park.. This would not have been possible if she were in public school!
To me PE is not about sports. PE is about living a healthy, active life. So I count any physical activity as PE. If we walk, bike, shop for hours:lol: (it is good on the legs), ride the scooter, skate, or play a sport; it is counted as PE. When Ems was in ballet I counted this as PE too. I do not know about all states, but in California a health class can count as PE credit. So if we are covering the human body, I also count this as PE.
Getting to do things like piano lessons, etc., during the day, or visiting places when all the other kids are at school and it's not crowded!
We're in desperation mode to sell the rest of our Scout popcorn before Monday. Thankfully, we were able to set up at my husband's store this morning and sell a bit more. We're now halfway there so hopefully we can sell the rest off. I do NOT want to have to pay out of pocket for anymore stupid popcorn this year, when I still have a bunch left from last year.
My random perk: Not having to wait to find time to fit in the fun educational stuff I want to do with the kids. I used to have to wait until a weekend with no other plans. My son was so stressed after all day at PS K, he didn't want to do anything remotely educational once he got home. Now, we do mostly nothing but fun stuff for school! 2nd random perk: One many people may not experience (if they never send their kids to PS) or one they may not expect if they are just considering homeschooling, I'm also enjoying way less attitude and tantrums since we said goodbye to PS. Stressed people are grumpy people! (I didn't even notice this perk until about 2-3 weeks ago)
For us, if we do anything outside or physical, we call it PE. Workout videos, running around the yard, free play outside, going for a nature walk (double duty-PE AND science! LOL), when we go swimming, a trip to the playground, playing team games at cub scouts, etc. all count as PE here. Come January, hopefully my oldest will be taking a PE class at co-op as well.
2nd random perk: One many people may not experience (if they never send their kids to PS) or one they may not expect if they are just considering homeschooling, I'm also enjoying way less attitude and tantrums since we said goodbye to PS. Stressed people are grumpy people! (I didn't even notice this perk until about 2-3 weeks ago)[/QUOTE] The change in attitude has been amazing! This is our 5th week HS. I have my son back!!! Whole new kid, entirely different attitude. I haven't seen this kid for almost two years. I didn't think he existed anymore. This is definitely a gift from God! Sorry, I didn't post this quote correctly! Still learning.
I GOT ONE!!! We had a camping trip planned this weekend with two other families. After it was established, we discovered that Carl kind of "had" to take a trip to Detroit with some people from church. They were leaving early Sunday, returning on Monday night. We decided to go camping anyway, and drove two cars so he could come home early Sunday while the kids and I could stay later with our friends. On Friday before leaving school, he arranged for a Personal Day and a sub. So we get up there, and the pastor called on Carl's cell phone. The trip was off, because the lady in charge was taken to the hospital. So the first thing he thought of was, "Do you want to stay an extra night? I've lesson plans laid out at school and have a sub coming...." We chose not to, but WE HAD THE CHOICE!!! Most other people wouldn't have been able to make that choice, because the kids would "have school" in the morning!
I know this is an obvious one, but this is really the first time I'm taking advantage of it... With the new math curriculum we're about to start DS tested at the 4th gr level (I think it's just a little behind, though he is good at math), and we're actually able to let him USE the 4th gr version instead of having to do 3rd like the rest of his school work! He's always been ahead of his birthdate-based grade, as he would be in 2nd gr if her were in PS, but we do 3rd gr this year bc we started early. Now we're taking real advantage of this perk by doing mixed-grade curriculum, too.
Today we were able to stop our lessons when my sister dropped in for lunch. It was a nice visit and Ems was able to play with her cousins who she hasn't seen in a while.
