Category: Physical Education

Back to School: Planning Homeschool Recess

8/31/2015

by Lyn Lomasi; Owner of Intent-sive Nature & Brand Shamans Content Community

Image © Wonderlane; Flickr.com

You have the learning materials ready, corresponding field trips planned out, and have turned your home into a classroom. Everything is perfect. But what about recess? For homeschoolers, back to school time means planning many things. But how do you fit in recess without having a fully stocked gym on hand? For me, it was all about figuring out which types of physical activities worked well with only one to five people.

Make a list of activities appropriate for the number of people in your family. Talk about activities that will work for the number of people in your family. Some easily adjustable activities include volleyball, bike riding, basketball, relay races, jogging or running, dancing, yoga, hiking, and swimming. Have everyone make suggestions and make a list of the ones that can be adjusted (if necessary) for the number of people you have. Take at least one suggestion from each family member to avoid arguments and keep things fair.

Make a schedule that fits all those activities. Now that you have your activities worked out, you need to figure out when to do them all. We like to rotate our favorites throughout the week so that we are never doing the same activity two days in a row. Typically, our school day would always start with yoga or Pilates. But recess time could be anything from basketball, to hiking the trails, or even dancing around the house. As long as the schedule includes doing some type of physical activity every day, that's a good thing. If one or more family members plays on a sports team or has other classes involving physical activity, those may need to go on the schedule. Consider the times they occur and where it would need to be allowed.

Keep a 'free day' where people can do solo activities. A free day where each person can do their own thing (within reason) for recess helps keep things fair. This makes up for the fact that there may be some activities that not everyone in the family wants to do. This way, one child could shoot hoops while another jump ropes and you do your power yoga. Sometimes, even on free days, we may choose to do something together, such as take an extra hike along the trails. The free day should simply be used however everyone agrees on said day.

Alternatively, invest in a family gym membership. If you just cannot keep it together or get everyone to agree on things, consider joining the gym as a family. Many gyms now offer classes for all ages. This means your kids could be exercising by doing the latest hip-hop dance while you attend an advanced yoga class. Younger kids could be doing beginner yoga or tumbling or babies can attend parent and baby stretch or yoga classes. There are likely classes you could all take together as well.

LAST UPDATED: 8/24/2022

*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Discuss favorites from your list. Now that you have a list, figure out what everyone's favorites are and narrow it down to a comfortable number for scheduling purposes. I find it helpful to take votes until the activities are narrowed down comfortably enough to not be overwhelming. If no one can agree via voting, stick a small folded note for each activity in a basket or jar and randomly draw them until you have enough. To make it fair, the basket or jar can be passed around so each person can draw something until enough activities have been fulfilled. Because we have a large family, I find drawing activities to be the most effective at keeping things equal for everyone.

0 Comments

Yoga For Concentration & Focus in Homeschool Classrooms: Why & How

12/4/2014

0 Comments

Why Yoga Helps Kids Concentrate, Which Poses Work, and Other Tips

by Lyn Lomasi; Owner of Intent-sive Nature & Brand Shamans Content Community

Yoga has long been known for calming and rejuvenating effects. But, did you know that many researchers and scientists agree about the benefits of yoga on memory, concentration, and focus? Because of this, my kids and I start the homeschool day with yoga. I feel that memory, focus, and concentration poses help to prepare the kids minds for lessons and learning. There are numerous scientific studies that state these benefits of yoga to the mind, including on Alzheimer's patients. According to Wired Science, yoga can increase GABA levels in the brain. These increased GABA levels can help counteract anxiety and other neuropathic conditions. TheABC-Of-Yoga.com goes into further detail about yoga and the nervous system.

Yoga Poses Beneficial to Memory, Focus, and Concentration

YogaJournal.com gives excellent instructions that include pictures for those not familiar with how to do each pose. I am listing here the poses that are the easiest for the homeschool children to do. If your homeschooled child is at an advanced level in yoga, there are more listed at YogaJournal.com.

Bridge Pose
Cow Pose
Easy Pose
Cat Pose
Downward-Facing Dog
Lotus Pose
Staff Pose

Tips on Using Yoga For Concentration, Memory, and Focus

Use Native American Music - We have found that combining yoga with Native American spiritual music adds to the effect of yoga. There are many studies that agree and music has long been practiced by the Native American culture as a way to heal the mind and body.

Do the Yoga Before Other Homeschool Classes - In our experience, we have found that yoga helps to enhance focus, relaxation, memory, and concentration skills. Since these skills will come in handy throughout the homeschool day, it is best to have yoga "class" before other school subjects.

Consider a Private Instructor or a Class at a Gym - Those who have never done yoga before or want to advance to higher levels may consider taking classes at a local gym or through a private instructor. This could be in addition to the yoga done during the homeschool day or the instructor may come during the homeschool session.

Use Yoga in Combination With Positive Discipline - If kids test you during homeschool, use yoga in combination with positive discipline. Learn more about using positive discipline here. Yoga is a great exercise to use when a child has lost focus during a homeschool class. Not only can it help the child reflect on any misbehaviors if applicable, but it can also help that child regain focus and relax the nerves to allow for concentration on studies.

Focus Less on How Perfect the Pose is and More on Relaxation - A child may take longer to get the pose right than anticipated. Unless the child is doing the yoga pose in such a way that he or she could get injured, don't worry too much. If the yoga is practiced as a daily homeschool routine, the child will eventually get the pose right. This homeschool time with yoga is more about concentration, memory, focus, and relaxation than skills or abilities.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Last updated on 12/11/2020

0 Comments

Back to School: Planning Homeschool Recess

Yoga For Concentration & Focus in Homeschool Classrooms: Why & How

Why Yoga Helps Kids Concentrate, Which Poses Work, and Other Tips

Heart 'N Mind Homeschool Journal

Get new posts by email:

OWNER

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

Archives

Categories

COMPANY & SUPPORT

ALL SITES