Travel, Trust, Technique

Recently, I traveled to Nashville to retrieve my youngest, my daughter, the dancer. She attended Nashville Ballet's summer dance intensive. Beginning her dance training "late" in her young life, she is working hard to catch up with her peers. So being away from home for over a month to focus on dance technique was a part of her plan.

For our family, sending a teen off for so many weeks was a huge first! For myself, it was a sudden transition, a preview of what is soon to come in my own life. I see my future and I am actually excited about the possibilities. First up there will be quiet time, with the possibility of uninterrupted thoughts convening in my mind and coming to fruition (or not) based on my own inclinations, not those of others in our household. There will be more travel with my husband and on my own. We will both be able to work more on our own creative pursuits. We will also have the awesome joy of  watching as our young adult children follow their dreams and goals, taking the road to enter the big world as contributing members of a larger community.

For each of us, myself, my husband, our two sons and our daughter, the possibilities are wonderful and exciting. I am thankful that we made the decisions and sacrifices that we have to spend many hours, days, weeks, months and years together developing strong bonds with each other, growing and learning. There were days of questioning ourselves and doubting our decision to home school. We had to trust again, and again that we knew our children and what worked for our family. We did make the best choice for our family by taking advantage of the option to home school. We aren't quite done yet but it is right around the corner. I caught a glimpse of the future and it is good!

Not Taking the Field - This Year

This is the first spring in many years that no one in our family will be taking the field to play a season of baseball (little League, travel team, high school or otherwise). This is the first spring in many where we are not discussing the upcoming practice game schedule, not hearing the team roster or even the new jersey color and design. I will not be watching from the bleachers, wrapped in blankets, because early spring weather is the most unpleasant at our local fields.

Our middle child and youngest son is a young adult, freshman in college and though initially it looked like he would continue to play baseball at the community college where his is doing his first years of higher education, he has decided not to take the field with the team.


He determined that though he loves the game and though he is actually pretty good, his future is not as a professional, big league, minor league or even college player. He is a smart pitcher, long and lanky, he does well on the mound. However, he evaluated his plan for college and realized continuing to hone his baseball skills there, while personally rewarding weren't the skills he needed to focus on, to become equipped to earn and contribute in our society. He determined that an increased focus on his academic goals is more important for him to grow into the adult he wants to become.

After years of investment as parents; of time, money, emotion, teaching and coaching (on my husband's part), learning (on my part), we are done with the game, as parent spectators of our own children. They are all are done as full out, committed training players. Despite our awareness that this day would come, it is bitter sweet. And in all honesty, a few hopes of our own are being set aside. So much attention is given to highly talented and skilled athletes in our culture that it is easy to hold the dream images, of full ride college scholarships or a pro athlete careers, as a justification for the time and energy spent on the activity of sports with our children.

Every family goes into sports participation with different ideas, dreams and goals. Dreams for our children's future are important, so is their developing useful skills. Factors in ours son's choice, as he began training with a higher level team, was his understanding of what it takes to excel and his recognition of the team expectations and culture. For obvious and valid reasons, the college team focus was athletic skill. The expectation was that players make their team participation their top priority. He recognized, that his long term goals required him to make academic achievement his top priority. Doing everything well at the same time isn't always possible. His decision to prioritize his time to accomplish his academic goals and to surround himself with support for those skills was a smart and mature one for him to make.

The awareness of what it takes to truly be excellent in a chosen area of study or skill development was in no small way, made possible by his participation in sports. To achieve what he did as a baseball player, routinely featured on the pitchers mound on a high school varsity team, took many hours of practice beginning at a young age. There was much fun and many rewards along the way but there were also sacrifices made, on his part, to achieve that goal. All three of our children have acquired the knowledge of what kind of commitment it takes to achieve excellence in any given field through their development of skills as athletes. That knowledge will serve them well.

As a family we also gained; many special memories, community connections, time and new experiences together. We all developed friendships with coaches, mentors and peers. We gained relationships and goodness and joy that we continue to value.

We are letting go of some dreams and the pre-organized ongoing summer family activity.
I will miss; the regularly scheduled time outside, watching my son on the pitchers mound, watching him grow and develop that specific skill. I will miss the opportunity to observe first hand as he excels. I will, especially miss, seeing my husband teaching, working with, encouraging and enjoying his children at the park and on the field.

As much as baseball interfered with plans and ideas I may have had for other summer family activities, there was also the up side of having so much of that planned and organized for us. It may have not been the longed for trip to the beach or Disney but it was something we all attended together, outdoors, with each other, friends and community.

Our family will continue to follow baseball at a few levels. When the Little League World Series comes around we'll probably watch a few of the televised games. We'll reminisce about our own trips to Williamsport as spectators and the seasons we had high hopes of being one of those accomplished and very lucky teams. Favorite college teams will be on our radar and the local pro teams stats (Cubs or Socks?) will provide conversation fodder over a family meal.

But as for active, get your gear ready participation, for Run Ran Fam, that's a wrap.

For a continued worthwhile read with more on the benefit of community team sports participation, read high school senior, John Pesce's award winning essay recounting his Little League experience. Play ball!

Savoring the Last Sweet Days of Summer & Not Back to School

One wonderful advantage of homeschooling that we have always enjoyed, is the freedom to begin our "school year" when we determine it's beginning. It is clear that learning is constant and continual, an ever developing and deepening activity for humans of all ages. Determining a start and end to it, even when referring to academics, is arbitrary. So this year as my youngest begins homeschooling another year of high school, we are calling another day trip to the beach, the start of our school year.

A day of relaxing and enjoying is a beginning as much as an ending. Switching up our own perspective on it; we are reflecting, thinking and planning at a favorite place of ours. One season rolls right into another as we celebrate accomplishments and embark on new adventures.

 Fading fast the last sweet days of long summer daylight.

Thank you for visiting and allowing me to share a blog bit of our lives as we continue the last few years of our homeschooling journey and launch our children into the lives they determine for themselves. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a homeschooling parent of these three. There has not been a moment of regret. If anything I write about our own experiences, discoveries or memories encourages or inspires another parent, it is likewise, an honor and a privilege to be in your circle of awareness as you do the most important work of raising your children. Angie Runyan

Learning In Every Season

In the late days of summer, conversations with other homeschooling parents often include the questions of "Have you started school?" or "When do you begin the school year?" During the spring, conversations usually include questions and discussions regarding the completion of a school year. For us, conforming to the established school year has been secondary to living our lives together as a family, in rhythm with the natural seasons of the year and of the developmental stages and activities of our children.

The beauty of homeschooling is defining our own lives as a family. Humans, especially young humans, learn all of the time. If a family supplies a child with the basics; a physically safe environment including good nutrition, a nurturing home with adults who care and if those adults pay attention, are responsive and interact, they will all be learning. Conversations will encourage development of vocabulary and communication skills, a print rich environment will foster an interest in reading and encouraging responses from each family member will help a child develop self motivation to be an active participation in his or her own learning. However it's labeled, whatever the time of year, these are the basics of human development and learning.

It is a wonderful thing as a homeschooling family to have the ability choose our own schedule. Our "school year" of focused academic learning happens mostly in our own time frame. For us "schooling" follows the seasons more than it follows the standard public school calendar.

Energetic children need plenty of physical activity all year. That activity is easily pursued in the great outdoors. Where we live, the summer months provide the opportunity to spend significant amounts of time outside being physically active. During the beautiful days of late summer restricting outdoor time to begin intensive academic work has always seemed counter productive to learning.

Summer

When our boys were young, baseball participation dominated our summer days. Many years we capped off their baseball involvement with a trip as spectators to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. After following local teams to their final games we watched teams from around the country advance to the popular tournament to complete the season. The Little League World Series extends into the accepted school year with player participants usually missing their first week of school to complete the series. As spectators, we enjoyed the final playoff games as well.

Fall

Enjoying summer has naturally led us into an appreciation of the beautiful crisp days of autumn. Following the harvest, we gained an understanding of the cycles of nature and how it influences food production and food availability. Learning to appreciate the harvest lends itself naturally to increasing our knowledge of nutrition, biology and economics. Gratitude for the abundance we enjoy brings it home to our own family table, to the farmers of our region in the mid-west and growers of our food world wide.

Winter 

As the temperature cools, we settle into the coziness of winter with lots of reading. This is the time of year when we really dig into the academics. Reading together or individually on a cold winter day is a pleasure. A cup of hot chocolate and it creates a comfy cozy atmosphere with a warm memory of time learning together. We have included academic activities like learning to play chess. Winter focus on at home academics has also allowed me to avoiding driving on snowy or icy roads unnecessarily. Physical activity is never gone completely from our agenda. The DIY backyard ice rink still has it's fair share of activity during the winter months.

Spring

Spring always feels like it includes new beginnings even though it as frequently for wrapping things up. We are often planning for summer activities, recitals, travel and baseball practice. There are frequent reminders that in Northern Illinois spring holds onto traces of winter weather long into the spring. Despite anticipation for warmer weather most outdoor activities are rainy, wet and chilly. Early in the season, baseball games are usually uncomfortably chilly for spectators and provide an annual reminder that sometimes there is a need to review what we have learned in the past.

Happy learning to you and yours, no matter the season or calendar you enjoy!

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

What do teen athletes do for fun?

More sports of course!
Believe it or not, the young athletes I know continue to be physically active during their off time. Like all teens, they do their fair share of video games, texting, social media and just chillin' but it seems, the norm of physical activity they are used to, continues even into the off times when they are not scheduled to practice or compete. Movement is their norm, too much sitting still just doesn't feel right to them.

A few of the recent off season activities that have been engaged in by the non-stop movement people in my life.

• Hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range.
• Badminton in the yard.
• Spikeball at the beach.
• Rock climbing at the climbing gym.
• Beach volleyball.

Having a wide range of movement opportunities allows a young athlete to use different sets of muscle groups, try new things and actually have a little down time, The variation in mental attention also gives them a break from the intensity of focus required if they are engaged in a highly competitive sport. All of the above activities have also offered an opportunity to include friends or family members for some fun and casual social interaction. 

We love Spikeball!

Try Spikeball at the beach, at the park or in the yard.
Amazon affiliate link.

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Sharing the Shining Summer Season in Rhyme

The Wind by Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies' skirts across the grass--                   O wind, a-blowing all day long,                   O wind, that sings so loud a song! I saw the different things you did, But always you yourself you hid. I felt you push, I heard you call, I could not see yourself at all--                  O wind, a-blowing all day long,                  O wind, that sings so loud a song! O you that are so strong and cold, O blower, are you young or old? Are you a beast of field and tree, Or just a stronger child than me?                 O wind, a-blowing all day long,                 O wind, that sings so loud a song!

Or if you'd like to hear an arrangement of Robert Louis Stevenson's poem The Wind set to music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76YWxHrG34Y

Here's another lovely one about the windy summer fun of flying kites. Hold tight to that string!

http://www.daphnelister.com/about.html

Another great poetry resource with a home in Chicago: The Poetry Foundation

Are You Sharing Poetry with Your Young Ones?

In no way shape or form am I an expert or even a connoisseur of poetry. I can't tell you about or name more than a couple of the many forms of poetry, without doing a little research - haiku and limerick are two I know, for example. However, I know what I enjoy when I read and am often inspired to read something aloud to enjoy it more fully. Reading poetry aloud increases the understanding and appreciation of a poem for both the reader and listener.  Give it a try!


I own an old set of Child Craft books, my mom bought them when I was a child. I poured over each volume individually as a child myself and I remember my mom reading to me from them when I was very young. The one I most remember being read to me, was the one filled with poetry for children.



I have and am still trying, on occasion to share a bit of rhythmic and/or rhyming verse with my teen children, usually at times when I have them captive; at the dinner table or while doing homework in a common space in our home. They may roll their eyes and and grin at each other when I do but there are times when a little poetry reading fits the occasion. Something might still sink in and quite possibly bring them a new insight or appreciation of rhythmic verse.

The poem below is delightful and perfect for reading following the common midwest summer experience of discovering a milkweed plant. If you are really lucky, you'll find a beautiful monarch butterfly on the milkweed and you'll be able to turn the experience into a unit study or you and your children will be inspired to write a few summer poems of your own!

Dainty Milkweed Babies

Dainty milkweed babies,

Wrapped in cradles green,

Rocked by Mother Nature,

Fed by hands unseen.

Brown coats have the darlings,

Slips of milky white;

And wings - but that's a secret,

They're folded out of sight.

The cradles grow so narrow, what will the babies do?

They’ll only grow the faster, and look up toward the blue.

And now they’ve found the secret, they’re flying through the air,

They’ve left the cradles empty, - do milkweed babies care?

First two stanzas found in STANDARD CATHOLIC READERS BY GRADES SECOND YEAR by Mary E Doyle. (page 28)
The third stanza not attributed.
If anyone knows, please comment.

Based on personal experience, I have learned that most poetry is best enjoyed by hearing it or reading it out loud. The rhythms and collected together sounds of the words bring new appreciation when heard. Doing a few poetry readings or listening together can be lots of fun.

Enrichment Studies offers excellent resources for engaging children in the arts including poetry. The packages they offer are clear, easy to use and visually appealing. Check out what they have to offer by clicking on the image below.

The book Poetry Speaks to Children is wonderful collection of poetry meant for children that comes with a CD for listening. It includes poems by Jane Yolen, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni and other great wordsmiths. If you don't feel like reading, just listen to a few from the CD together. An excellent activity for a little quiet time on a summer afternoon. 

Available form amazon.

Last Days of Summer

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
                                               L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

We have had a wonderful summer. Beyond the regular summer routine of work, at the Reading In Motion office for my husband, continued classes at summer school for our oldest and continued practices of baseball and gymnastics for our aspiring athletes; there were days of tournament baseball, there were mini family outings, (the city, the dunes, the zoo), weekend trips and one longer vacay. There were opportunities to enjoy friends from both near and far. There was fun with local friends, visits with dear long time friends from Germany and new friends from Mexico. Many just plain ol' good times together.

It's hard to give in and give it up.

So here's a few photos in honor of letting go, savoring the last few days of summer and looking forward to the new season to come.

Enjoy the last lovely days of long light!