Stick Ball

It's amazing how different adults and children are. For a p.e. activity, I plan and search books and gather equipment. The kids, on the other hand, just simply PLAY. They make up rules and strategies as they go, and the play evolves into their game. It's a privilege to be included in THEIR world- in their ideas and abilities, in their simpleness and their fun. And it was. . . FUN!

So, stick ball was the game we played today and it was the kids invention. A variation on kickball/ baseball, this game was full of variation possibilities.

We had 4 players. One pitcher and 3 kickers. First we marked bases on the driveway with chalk. The bases ended up amazingly even - about 8 steps apart. We also marked a pitcher's spot - about 6 steps from HOME.

The pitcher stands on their spot with a play ball and a 4' wooden dowel (the stick). The pitcher rolls the ball to the first kicker who kicks it. The kicker runs the bases, as in baseball. The pitcher chases the ball and tries to get the kicker out by touching them or their base with the ball. The biggest rule for the pitcher: NO HANDS! They can only use the stick to control and maneuver the ball.

A kicker gets 'out' if the pitcher touches the ball with the stick after it's kicked but BEFORE it has hit the ground, or if the pitcher hits the kicker with the ball (driven by the stick). After 3 points or 3 outs, we switch pitchers.

This activity gives players a challenge when they're the pitcher and trying to maneuver such a long stick to get the ball where they want it. It's not as easy as it sounds!

Variations:

• invite more kids to play so you can actually have 2 whole teams and keep score more like baseball
• use a bigger 'diamond' so making a run is more challenging
• use a baseball bat instead of a stick

Estimation of calories burned per hour: (using calculations from this site)

• 3-5 year old (30 pounds) - 85 calories
  
• 5-7 year old (45 pounds) - 114 calories
  
• 8-9 year old (65 pounds) - 171 calories
• 10+ (90 pounds) - 205 calories

Final Score - Five stars. Lots of fun, good exercise, a good time was had by all.

Competition: The Two Edged Sword

Just by way of introduction, my name is Marion Jensen, I’m Suzanne’s husband. While I probably won’t post as much as my wife, I will throw my thoughts in here and there, where she allows. :)

I wanted to share a few thoughts I’ve had on competition. There are several trains of thought on the value of competition. One train of thought is that competition is bad. If we allow kids to compete, if we keep score, then only one person or team wins, and the rest lose. Should we be teaching kids that they are losers? Can their fragile self esteem handle it?

The second train of thought is that competition is good. It should be encouraged. We should pit our kids against one another, and let them deal with it. What doesn’t kill them can’t hurt them, right?

These are probably extreme examples, though I’ve met people who believe in these ideals just as strong, if not stronger. I tend to fall in the middle.

I don’t believe it’s healthy to protect kids from competition. The idea that everybody is a winner isn’t what the kids are going to find out in real life. Sometimes, most of the time, you don’t win. Most of the time you come in behind somebody else. The reason I support keeping score is because it gives you an opportunity to teach your kids two things. First, it teaches them how to win/lose gracefully. Both need to be mastered. When the game is over firm, handshakes should be shared by everybody. My favorite part of any little league game is when the benches clear, the teams give each other a cheer, and the kids all give each other five. Look at the faces when they do it. Everybody is happy.

The second thing it teaches them is that losing does not equate to a loser. I can lose a game and not be a loser, or at least not what they think. One of our sons feels bad about himself when he loses. He’s ‘no good’, and he will ‘never get better’. We could deal with this problem by not keeping score, but I don’t believe that those feelings will go away when he gets older. Instead, when he gets sad I sit down and remind him that he is still young. I remind him that the best way to learn is not by winning, but by losing. You learn things when you lose. You learn how not to do things, and you learn what you need to work on. Losing is just a part of the game, and it’s only when you give up that you have ‘lost’.

On the flip side, while we keep score, or time our kids, we don’t dwell on the competition. If we handed out medals or ribbons for all of our games, our oldest son would likely be the winner every time. That will give him a big head, and make the other kids feel bad. Instead, we focus on the game play, the lessons learned, and fun times, rather than the winner. Who won is not important, what is important is did everybody play by the rules, try their best, and have fun. If so, then in that case, the activity was a success.

Tetherball

This activity involves a small investment, which has been WELL worth it in our family. The tire for the base came from a local tire shop. It was used and they gave it to me for free (after I explained what I needed it for). Next I purchased four, 80 pound bags of cement, a chain link fence pole, a pole cap that I attached to the pole using JB Weld, and a tetherball and rope from a sporting goods store. With my son and his friend, we mixed cement, filled the tire, stabalized the pole in the cement, and let it dry.

On 'Tetherball Day', we learned rules and variations of tetherball described on Wikipedia.

• We used white spray paint to mark a middle line so that each player had a 'side'.
• Next we used a measuring tape to measure our rope, our pole, and to mark a 'winning line' (which we marked with masking tape) on the pole. In order to win, the ball must be wrapped around above this line. We wanted to see if our tetherball pole was according to regulation. It wasn't. But that's ok because my kids are smaller and the size of our pole and string are perfect for them.
• Last we practiced! Serves, hits, and the game 'Pole' (from the Wiki) a couple of times. To finish up we played three or four short games of tetherball according to the rules we had discussed.

Variations
- Play at a school playground if you don't have or can't build your own.
- Involve other children so you can have equally matched players. (height wise)
- Have the children try right handed and left handed and switch sides of the court to analyze their preferences and abilities.
- Try the variations listed on the Wiki, such as a smaller ball.

Estimation of calories burned per hour (using calculations from this site)

• 3-5 year old (30 pounds) - 66 calories
  
• 5-7 year old (45 pounds) - 102 calories
  
• 8-9 year old (60 pounds) - 136 calories
• 10+ (90 pounds) - 205 calories

Final Score - 5 out of 5 stars. Our tetherball pole is a hit! It's used daily, usually more than once, and the boys have been using the rules and game variations we learned. True success!

Track and Field Day

I took my 4 boys outside with plans for the 50 yard dash, hurdles, 4 man relay, 2 man relay, water balloon toss, and discus throw. The first activity was such a hit that we just touched on the others. It was a very fun activity, and my children learned things they hadn't known before. So. . .

(equipment used is in red)

• 50 yard dash: With our tape measure we measured off 150 feet on the sidewalk in front of our house, marking a start and finish line with chalk. I stood at the finish line holding one end of a piece of yarn while a child held the other. With my timer in hand, I yelled 'ready, set, go'! On index cards labeled with each child's name we wrote their times. They ran again and again and again trying to beat their previous times.
• Hurdles: Using the same markings from the 50 yard dash, I placed 2 dump trucks (about 1 foot high) equally along the route. The kids ran and jumped over the trucks. I used the timer to time and record their times on their cards.
• 4 man relay: Using the same markings from the 50 yard dash, I stationed the kids in spots of equal running length. At 'go' the first man ran with the paper towel tube to the second man. After passing off the 'baton' #2 ran to #3, passed it off to #4 and #4 ran to the finish. Using the timer, we recorded the times of each relay on their cards.
• 2 man relay: Pretty much the same as the 4 man, just using 2!
• Water balloon toss: I filled just 3 water balloons each so we wouldn't end up with a water fight! With a partner, the kids stood across from each other and tossed one balloon at a time to each other, counting the catches. The number of catches was recorded on the cards.
• Discus throw: Standing in a chalk drawn circle on the driveway, the children took turns throwing the Frisbee. They had 3 or 4 turns, trying to throw it further each time. We started out measuring the distance of their throws and writing that down, but ended up just eyeing it (the tape measure was inconveniently short for these measurements!).
  

Variations
- Add any other track and field activities you think of or have equipment for. Javelin, shot put, other distance runs, etc.
- Go to an actual track.
- Invite another family to participate. With more children and more parents, you could do rotations so each child had a chance to try each event.
- Have awards (medals).

Estimated calories burned per hour (using calculations from this site).

• 3-5 year old (30 pounds) - 66 calories
  
• 5-7 year old (45 pounds) - 102 calories
  
• 8-9 year old (60 pounds) - 136 calories
• 10+ (90 pounds) - 205 calories

Final Score - 4 out of 5 stars. Our track and field day gets 4 stars because it got a little long and hot, and we weren't able to spend as much time on the later activities as we did on the first one. It might be good to spread it out over a few days. Maybe 2 events a day.

Welcome!

I am the mother of 5 wonderful boys whom we homeschool. We're always looking for ways to put our boys' energy to good use, help them be productive, and especially, to keep them happy. I've been thinking about how I could do more physical education with them, and decided that if I post what I do it might help others and will give me more of a reason to do it! So, I hope you use and enjoy what you find here! More to come. . .