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Keeping Kids Busy
I thought it might be interesting to see what everyone's kids do as extra cirricular activities. How do you keep yours busy?
I'll start with:
DS11 loves sports. Baseball is his summer activity. He also hunts and is a crack shot. He has a deep interest in Civil War history which make museums with things from that era interesting to him. He is also an avid reader. . .has practically worn out his set of Harry Potter books. . to the tune of having read them about 5 or 6 times each. Animorph books are his current choices.
DD just turned 14. She is an avid horsewoman/girl? Participates in rodeo playdays, running barrels, poles, and other events. Horses are her passion. All her spare time is spent riding or grooming, petting or simply talking to her horses. Her favorite reading material is SaddleClub series. She has helped me in the baseball concession stand and became comfortable with doing that, so is quick to volunteer for other jobs of that sort, such as working in 4-H booth at school functions or the 4-H concessions at County Fair, etc.
What about yours?
Comments
Not too busy...
My DD8 is not involved in any extra curricular activities. I have not been able to find any that are not tailored towards working parents. In other words: Everything around here starts at 5:30 pm or later. It would put us rather late getting home. I take her to the library a couple of times a week (including story time) and that's it. She loves to read. She has read pretty much every book that is geared towards her age group. During summer break, she gets to go to a few camps, though. Otherwise, she has to make due playing games with DD2 and me. Sometimes, she has to figure out on her own how to keep busy, but usually there is some kid in the neighborhood who comes over to play. I wouldn't mind taking her to do some sports once a week but I don't want those activities to take over our lives. I have run into too many rushed parents. They no longer have a life, they have kids that do sports
mine
my DD16 is in band,,they do go on trips and have regular concerts,,she loves it. She also is a reader,,she has bought with her own money around 40 hardbacks and many paperbacks. If you see my DD shes reading or listening to her cds with her headphones on.That is if she is not doing her homework. She usually has 3 to 4 hours every night..she is in a few honors classes and I swear the teachers think the kids have no lives outside school work. She is going to minor in music in college. She loves stuffed animals too. Has more than I can count.
DD13 is going to be in track.She will start monday. She is very thin and so I think I will have to have her eat a little extra with all that running she will be doing. They have practice every day after school and will have around 9 meets. She is also in honors classes but unlike her DD16 she gets her homework done fast. Next year she will be a freshman and in 4 honors classes...I hope it is not too much stress for her. She unlike DD16 HATES to read,,,she can read at senior level but hates it,,its a bear to get her to read a book for a report and such. Her big thing is COOKING. My DD made dinner every night this week while on school vacation. She hopes to be a computer specialist with a catering minor.
to speak about kids in too much,,I know of a few families that {in my opinion!!} do way too much. I feel the kids do not get a chance to sit down for one enjoyable minute. Plus in one family the parents are also involved in sports and so the whole family is in a constant run to meets and practices. When my DD needs this girl to get together for a school project WE have to work around her very very tight schedule.[drives me bonkers}. My DD and her it seems have to do alot together. When my DD asks this girl about her life and such the girl say if she was not at a game or practice she WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO..now maybe I'm crazy but I think this girl is over worked. ??Every minute of her life is scheduled. I just don't get it.
I am not saying to be in nothing as that would make for a boring person but I do think that there is a limit . We are suppose to enjoy our lives on this planet not run around it like a chicken with our heads cut off.
Anja,, is there a park district around you? if there is they have programs for little one during the day. If they don't sometimes they will start one if you show them there would be interest in it...give it a try
sounds like Fern your kids are happy!!
so lets get our kids interested in things but not stress them out in the process...yes I know each child will have thier own level of what they can handle but we need to ENJOYYYYY
sorry
hope I didn't kill thread,,, I 've got it back up here
Glad you found the thread. I
Glad you found the thread. I noticed it had slipped off the front and was going to have to go dig it up again.
I am in agreement with you both about the too much thing. I'm a firm believer in a kid needing some "growing" time. . .time to just sit and daydream, use their imaginations in entertaining themselves, etc. On the other hand, being involved in these activities have been a wonderful confidence booster for my children. Especially DD. She is very shy and she is like a different person out there on that horse.
The actitivies we do are something the entire family can get into and they also give some Dad/kid time for each of the kids. Dad helps coach DS's team or plays catch with him at home, to get some practice in. He rides with DD, at home or takes her on trail rides, etc. in addition to her playdays. We don't do the "drop'em off" "pick'em up" thing. At least one of us, sometimes both, are there for every practice or event. We also look at it as a way to keep in touch with parents of our kids friends . . .learn what kind of people they are, hear whats going on at school, that sort of thing.
Your kids sound pretty well rounded themselves, kittykat. Its wonderful to hear about a 16 year old who spends her money on books! And a 13 year old who loves to cook. Funny how kids interests crop out early on.
Anja, sounds like summer sports may be more fitting for the schedule you like. I know here the summer sports practices, etc. tend to be earlier in the day than the ones that are happening while school is in session.
Not yet!
We don't do too much, yet. Both my DD6 and DD4 were cheerleaders this year. They just cheer at home games, 1 game a night (there are usually 2-6 games, depending on whether the other school has enough kids for a JV or Jr. High team, boys and girls). And to elaborate a little more, they cheer at High School games. This is the Elem. squad. The varsity girls still do all the main cheering). Anyway, in the summer, we have Vacation Bible School and storytime at the library.
But, we are planning on them getting more involved as they get older. They will have basketball and football games to cheer at next year (and I'm cheer sponsor for the elem. squad next year, too). DD6 is begging for me to teach her to ride, but I need a gentler horse, my two are too crazy for her. I hope for her to do 4-H and Little Wrangler Rodeo one of these days. She loves to watch Saddle Club on TV. DD4 wants to do ballet, they both want to do tumbling.
Of course, most of these means trips to town, and I try not to go more than twice a week. I guess I'm not very good at Extra Cur. activities yet. But once they get in Jr. High and High school, it will be Volleyball, cheering, basketball, track, 4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America). Add football and baseball for DS19months (minus the volleyball and cheering, of course). We will be busy soon enough, I'm just going to enjoy them while they are home.
This summer will be spent being a go-fer for DH, with kids in tow. Lots of picnics on the tailgate, too.
Fern, email me about your horses! I would love to hear all about them! I'm a horse freak myself, just wish I had time to ride them.
ess227@yucca.net
no male cheerleaders or volleyball players?
My high school didn't have any cheerleaders or volleyball team, but at the one where my mom taught, both were co-ed. I thought they were co-ed everywhere now.
Male Cheerleaders
Not in the sticks, they aren't! A male cheerleader here would be the laughing stock of the community!
As for volleyball, it's strictly a female sport when it comes to having a school team. Boys of course play it during PE, but in compitition, just girls.
male cheerleaders
My high school had male cheerleaders -- they tossed the girls up in the air for flips, made pyramids, stuff like that. Usually it was guys in the off season for their regular sport (football players did basketball cheering, e.g.).
I don't think they would have minded people laughing at them -- they had their hands all over those girls!
For the record, I lean towards lots of activities -- that's what I did as a kid, and I liked it. Though right now DD just has preschool and piano lessons, we will be adding some dance to the mix, and some summer day camps (though we are purposely keeping it light this summer, before KG starts).
I think things have changed, especially with sports, however. So many more very competitive traveling teams than there used to be.
"football players did basketb
"football players did basketball cheering, e.g."
Our school is so small, the football players ARE the basketball players AND the baseball players! LOL!
The girls are amazing, though. During basketball season, the girls have to first play their basketball game (except the 2 that don't play basketball, they cheer), then they have 20 minutes to shower and change clothes so they can come out and cheer for the boys game.
I really just can't picture the boys here cheering. I think it would really hurt their ego to be "cheerleaders". Afterall, when they aren't playing sports or studying, they are helping their families with the farm or the dairy. "Cheerleader by day, plowboy by night". LOL!
That is why my school had no
That is why my school had no cheerleaders, because we were so small--the football players were the basketball and baseball players, and the same went for the girls-- the field hockey players were the basketball and lacrosse players, so everyone was playing a sport, so no cheerleaders. What they do at Jenny's school where the girls play a game, shower, and cheer, would not have worked for scheduling reasons.
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