Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesdays

Wordless Wednesday

Keys Atheneum's Extra-Curricular Activities

Is it already mid-April? My oh my it's been busy. We kicked off our extra-curricular activities this Spring. My rule: three activities max per child at a time. I want to expose each of my children to many different things so they can get to know them and pick one or two or three they want to specialize in. I had wanted Son to get into karate (self-control and self-defense -- what's not to like?), but he had other plans. Knowing he wouldn't apply himself and I would be wasting money, I listened to him. He wants to learn how to play the trumpet, play tennis and ride horses. Okay. 

I want him to learn to play piano first, to learn the basics and about notes before he ventures off into piano. We already have a piano at home, and I think it's a good idea to start with piano. He agreed, as long as Ms. Jan is going to teach him. I can live with that. We all like Ms. Jan a lot and she has a knack for teaching kids music. Now I drop him off at a local church once a week on Tuesdays at 11 and pick him up half an hour later. He feels like a big boy, being dropped off.

Husband has stepped up to the plate to teach Son tennis lessons. Having had two years of lessons and being a good teacher, Son is excited to spend one-on-one Daddy and son time with him. He's doing wonderfully, serving and hitting over the net already. Not easy for his height. Sometimes Daughter and I come too, Daughter picks up the balls and I practice my serves.

I also arranged for Son to get riding lessons at a farm an hour away. We live near the water, with no stables nearby. At least it's only an hour away and we can make a trip out of it whenever we go. In the beginning the plan is to just go weekly until he gets the hang of it and thereafter to go once every two weeks. In July we're going to take a break from riding lessons and focus on swimming.  We'll try with Daughter too. In September we'll resume horseback riding, take a break from tennis, keep on swimming a bit more until it gets cooler and keep on playing piano. Ideally I want him to play piano for at least three years. Thereafter he can decide to either continue with piano or learn to play the trumpet instead. In September he's also going to start CCD so I may want balance everything out so Son doesn't burn out. He will be starting First Grade after all (we call it First Year), and this is more important than the activities. I love the unscheduled hours too, where he can learn and discover. After all, this is one of the many reasons I'm homeschooling. I'm finding more as I'm actually homeschooling.

He's enjoying everything immensely. It was wonderful to see him so happy, grinning from ear to ear during his first riding lesson.