I sort of laughed when I saw that the Homeschool Village had “What About P.E.?” as their question of the week. Physical education is definitely not optional in our house because my boy needs to RUN. I picked him up from camp the other day and the first comment that I got was “Wow! He has a lot of energy!”. I gave that one a hearty laugh and said “Really? I hadn’t noticed that!”
When you have a very active child, you sometimes need to get creative with schooling. I need to make sure that he has the opportunity to get that energy out or things can rapidly go down hill. We try to incorporate movement into our lessons whenever we can. I posted about our “Math Mat” early this week. That’s a perfect example of how we use movement to learn. Here’s Tornado Boy learning more about addition:
We love to dance if we can’t get outside. One of our favorite songs to “shake it” to is Get The Sillies Out from Yo Gabba Gabba.
Another indoor option for us is the Wii. We like the “Outdoor Challenge” game. The mat that comes with the game is split so that two people can play at the same time. Tornado Boy and I love to battle each other in the game where you sprint and jump over logs. We can also play cooperatively in some games. He is a worthy opponent and it always makes us laugh. This game has been helpful in teaching him sportsmanship. This game and the Wii Sports Resort are also good for showing that practice really helps to improve your game.
Tornado Boy has done some organized sport classes in soccer and gymnastics. He’s going to give t-ball a try in the fall. He’s not really a natural athlete, but we think it’s important for him to learn about team dynamics and to have some fun while being active. We’ve been long time members at our local kid’s gym. I’m very sad that he’s going to age out of their classes soon. Not only have we enjoyed them, but their “open gym” time has been a great option for us when the weather isn’t the best for being outside – like during the oppressive heat this summer.
For us, P.E. is a requirement of every day life.
what a great activity! Joining you from The Homeschool Village, nice to meet you! My son would love the Incredibles outfit! What a great way to learn math & get physical activity! Following your blog! It’s nice to meet other homeschool moms! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Nicole
psalms23and24´s last [type] ..Homeschool Village- What about PE
I love to make people laugh! Thanks for linking up today! I just love the photo of your little man in his Incredibles suit! (we’ve had Batman, Superman, and Transformers outfits that I thought would never come off! Even having a super hero themed birthday party so his friends could come dressed up too)
Love the math mat!! Great links – thanks for sharing them!
Stef
The Homeschool Village
Our daughter gets enough PE but it’s me I’m worried about! I need to shake it instead of being on the computer!
Same here! PE is part of our daily life!
Joy´s last [type] ..LENS Challenge – all about bokeh
Love it!!
I have never seen a Math Mat before! Have to look into now! Thanks for sharing.
Jessica S.´s last [type] ..Our PE activities throughout the Year
My grandson is very active too and my daughter tries to incorporate learning through large motor skills activities. Things like counting by 4′s while jumping on the trampolin. That’s the beauty of homeschooling. This summer we are trying to keep active in our local park. My favorite activity was an exploration day. The boys(I have four grandsons) walked, ran, climbed, jumped and stretched. Most important they discovered. They had no idea they were doing P.E. Thanks for the post.
I have girls, but things go downhill quickly if they can’t get some wiggles out. I understand about P.E. being a daily requirement. I’m right there with you!
Thank you for sharing the great ideas for indoor exercise, as well as the Math Mat. I hadn’t heard of that but think it might come in handy with my younger, who is starting Kindergarten this year!
(I really think we’re going to have to get a Wii!)
~Jennifer
It’s pretty neat that you join TB in Wii games. We have Wii, but truthfully it didn’t get a lot of use lately, and Anna has never even seen it yet. I can see that having so much energy can be a challenge for a classroom, and it’s nice that he gets to spend it productively in sports and games.
sunnyvale422´s last [type] ..StArt – Angelina of Italy
You’re little boy gave me such a laugh! I love to see young ones have such a good time with life!
It’s great that your son is having so much fun – and being active – while learning! The Math Mat looks fabulous!
Deb Chitwood @ Living Montessori Now´s last [type] ..Activity of the Week – Walking on the Line