Baseball

Steve and I are not huge sports fans, but we do love going to the minor league baseball games a couple of times each year.  This year the boys got to be in the kids club and run the bases after the game.  They had so much fun that CJ is ready to join a baseball team now.  Too bad the season is over.  I guess we can keep practicing until baseball season starts up again.

Dance Party

I have a unique family full of energy and craziness! While we were visiting in July my sister put together a dance party.  Each person was assigned a character from the Wii dance game and had to show up in character.  We had such a fun time dancing to all the different styles of games and earning points to see who would win.

Rock Climbing

Today we went on a new type of adventure.  We went to a rock climbing gym.  We have a rock climbing wall on the side of our garage that we built a year ago.  I'm certain I took pictures of it to blog about it and just never actually wrote it down.  But trust me that it's cool.  It is 16 feet wide and 8 feet tall.  It's actually a traversing wall, though I didn't know that until our climbing gym lesson today.  Anyway.....

We set up a mom and kid homeschool lesson at the climbing gym to learn the details of what they have to offer and how to climb with ropes safely. The first action of business was to warm up and get an idea of what we'd be doing.  We learned about traversing, in basic terms: going across the wall rather than up it.

 Just a side note: CJ walked into the climbing gym and the first thing he said when he saw the 40 foot climbing walls was "I'm not doing that!"  However, the instructors were awesome and made it fun step by step.

 Next we learned about harnesses and how to put them on correctly.  At that point one of the instructors took the kids to an auto-belay and let them take turns climbing.  My friend K and I sat with the other instructor and learned how to tie all the ropes and belay correctly.

 It was very exciting then to have the opportunity to climb the wall next to CJ.  One of the instructors belayed me and CJ was on an auto-belay.  He made it pretty far and I was able to make it to the top.  Super fun and honestly very scary.  I hid all my fears because I didn't want to pass them to the kids.  I made myself keep going up and make it to the top, though I'm sure if it were just Mr. Steve and I, I would have been a little more vocal about my nervousness.

We had a wonderful time taking turns climbing and belaying the kids.  They LOVED the experience and even though CJ thought at first he wouldn't do it he discovered that it was an activity that he loved.

Actually, he loved it so much that he started asking to go back before we even left the gym.  I think we may have found a new favorite sport and way to get PE credits.  Climbing, here we come!

A Love and Logic Roller Skating Experience

Picture this: each morning you get up to the regular routine.  You make sure the kids have a good breakfast, you attempt to get school work completed and you try to get out the door in time to go to a scheduled event.  All the while you are nagging, stressing, doing things for your children that you shouldn't have to (like dress them) and overall it's a really stressful experience.  Sound familiar? This is the story of my mornings.  Every morning.  Until today.  

Today was a Love and Logic training day.  I was set up and prepared.  I woke as usual and let both boys know that my car would be leaving with the children that were ready and had completed their school work at 9:45.  Any child that wasn't ready should consider how they will pay the babysitter to watch them while I was at skating lessons. 

Then the hard part began.  We went through the morning with me requesting things only once.  I did slip up and ask them to start considering how they would pay the babysitter.  I'd like to cut those reminders out of my vocabulary next week.  I didn't nag.  I had to force myself to breathe deeply and accept that each child will make their own choices this morning and regardless of the choice we will all learn and be happy in the end.  At 9:30, 15 minutes prior to departure the doorbell rang.  Our babysitter entered and sat at the kitchen table.  At this point in the morning I was still uncertain about if any or all children would be staying with the sitter while I enjoyed my morning at skating lessons.  I finished getting ready and amazingly so did the boys.  It was recommended to them that the car was then leaving in 5 minutes and if they didn't want to miss their opportunity that they go ahead and get their seat belts on right away.  I paid the babysitter for the full 2 hours that she could have been at my home and then went to skating with a light and happy heart.  The key for me was to have it planned and arranged that I would pay the babysitter for the 2 hours regardless of if she stayed with my children or if she went home after 15 minutes.  That way I was happy about the outcome regardless of how the cards fell.

What happened at skating was amazing.  The first thing out of EMan's mouth when I first told him we were going skating today was that he does not like skating and will not be joining us.  As the morning unfolded and he decided that he would in fact be joining us he joined the skating group happily.  You see, it was his choice.  And best of all?  Both boys actually skated today!  Rather than spending the majority of the lesson on their hind ends or dragging down a teacher they were skating.  Skating.  Not even "very carefully walking" on skates.  Skating.  

That, my friends, was an enjoyable morning for all.  I'd call it a Love and Logic Training Session win.

Trees Remain a Passion

It was a lovely 70* day that deserved a walk to the park, where we spotted our favorite climbing trees.  Yay!  I think climbing trees simply doesn't happen enough in the lives of children today.  I wrote a whole post about it just short of a year ago.  Find out why we climb trees here:  http://nexushomeschool.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-we-climb-trees.html 

Roller Skating

I remember when I was a teenager and roller skating was the cool thing to do.  Was that the same for you as well?  For the 2013-2014 school year CJ went to a roller skating class once a week (most weeks).  He progressed from not wanting to put on skates to skating around on the carpet in about 3 months time.  He eventually would try to skate on the rink but was quite nervous by it.  So we took a break for about a year and now we're trying again.  Today was the first day we got to go and, as pictured, both boys (and many of their friends) spent the majority of the class on their hind ends.  It wasn't easy but I still hold onto the hope that one day their large motor skating skills will kick in.

Ice Skating

How much fun was that?  We had such a great time going ice skating with our friends today.  We talked about talents in preschool this week and we have a cute little sweetheart who is very talented at ice skating.  She's the one in the pink helmet.  The one who didn't need a "walker" all the time.  The one who was able to get up on her own if she fell and had the confidence and love to make it an awesome time.  I hope my boys find a confidence and love soon! 

Tennis Lessons

One of the moms in our LEARN homeschooling group loves tennis, so it makes sense that that is what she is sharing with our children.  I've never remembered the rules or details to the game (I do believe I learned them for a week or two in high school).  It is so much fun to go and actively participate in the learning with my kids.  Today's lesson included the names of the lines.  The back line is the base line, the outside lines are the doubles lines, the inside lines are the singles lines, and the center line is the service line.  I'm learning all sorts of things!

 We yelled the names of the lines while running on them, jumping like frogs on them, and even tiptoeing and sashaying.  We practiced a fun gamed called applause where your drop the ball and try to catch it, or drop the ball, clap, then catch it. It was a great skill building game for all ages!  We also played a few games with our rackets and beanbags, including: passing the beanbag and tossing it and catching it on our rackets.

One of the last games we played involved tossing the ball over the net to each other.  It was so much fun!  I'm so glad I get to be part of a group that values sharing what we love with each other and our children.

Why We Climb Trees

Do you climb trees?  Do you let your kids climb trees?  We do.  Sometimes, as the mom, it makes my heart nearly pound out of my chest to see my boys climbing in their rubber boots higher than is comfortable for me.  If only they'd love their tennis shoes as much as their rubber boots.  However, I know that by climbing trees they are developing skills throughout the whole experience.  They are working together, making personal judgments on how high is too high and making plans to accomplish their goal.  In the picture below, CJ's goal was to pick a pine cone.  If you've ever learned anything about pine trees you may recall that pine cones only grow in bunches at the top of the tree.  *Insert heart pounding for mom here.*  They are testing their own strength and their limits. They are building their confidence as independent thinkers and achievers. They are developing their coordination, problem solving skills and strength. They have direct contact with nature and are experiencing a sensory activity that changes with every tree.  They are accomplishing everything a TV cannot provide. This is why we climb trees.  Sure, there may be several scratches along the way and a broken bone is always a possibility, but if they don't test their own limits they won't know for themselves what they are really capable of. 

In my yard there isn't a great climbing tree.  We have one ash tree out front that would be okay, if only we could reach the first branch (about 9 feet up).  Through the winter we tend to make it to the park less (mom hates the cold) so we rigged a climbing rope to the tree and aim to try climbing whenever we can.  We had our friends over the other day and everyone decided they wanted to give it a try.  A helmet is required for this type of climbing since the tree hangs over the sidewalk and street and swinging into the tree is true concern. It was interesting to watch how they all saw the first person try it and they all tried the same way.  They would stick their foot in between the two sections of rope and stand on the first knot.  No one made it past the first knot.  Something about gravity pulling down the rope messed that one up.  :) But they all tried it none the less.  We keep practicing and as our muscles begin to develop the strength needed I hope someone will eventually make it to the first branch and be "King of the Tree!"  Wouldn't that be encouraging to the rest?