The Plan For Extracurricular Activities

"But homeschooled kids don't get the social interaction that publicly-schooled kids do. And it's very important that kids learn those social skills."

I've heard those arguments before when I've told people about our desire to homeschool. And in my defense, I'd just say that school is not the only place for kids to have social interaction. In fact, it seems to me that those kids who do try to be social in the classroom are labeled as disruptive or even ADD.

Just because our children are homeschooled, that does not mean that they will be totally isolated from the world. I feel that we have enough "outside" interaction and that Madison and Noah have no problem with their social skills.

I do realize the importance of extracurricular activities, though. They teach important skills such as teamwork, good sportsmanship, encouragement, perseverance, dedication, etc. I do plan on having Madison get involved in some activities outside of the homeschool environment:

• She loved participating in Awana last year, so we were really excited to learn that there is a church here in town that offers Awana. Her Awana verses and lessons will also be a part of our daily Bible lessons.
• She has expressed an interest in gymnastics so I think we are going to sign her up for the beginners session, beginning the end of September. This class only meets once a week and goes for 8 weeks. There are three of those 8-week sessions throughout the school year. We'll see how this first session goes for her before determining if she'll continue on the rest of the year.
• We like to go to the public library quite frequently and they will be starting up their weekly Story Hour again beginning September 1st. They have a great program that includes reading books, making crafts, and doing other activities, and the kids both really enjoyed participating in it. This will likely take the place of our Reading lesson once a week.
• Our pastor and his wife also homeschool their children, and they informed us that there is a local homeschooling group that meets on a regular basis. They are going to help us get involved with that. I'm not sure how often they meet, but I know it will be a great time to get together with other families that are homeschooling.
  
• And of course there is our regular Sunday church and Sunday School time, which provides good, Christian fellowship.

So that's my plan right now for allowing our kids to have their social interaction time. I think it is a good amount of extracurricular activities that will allow us some time outside of the house, but still not feel like we are overstretched and always on-the-go.