There are many types of exercise...
Leaf Jumping....
Bike riding...
Leaf raking...
Playing games...
These are all great forms of exercise, but...
1. They are typically unplanned
2. There is little opportunity for learning new skills
3. The girls don't have to work together
I'll be honest...I'm not really a physical education kind of girl. I dreaded PE when I was in school and the thought of actually forcing them to do PE within a homeschool context didn't even enter my mind. To be honest, I was glad the girls didn't have to go through some of the annoyances I did.
Maybe you can relate to some of these...
Chosen last when picking teams
Your team getting upset because you didn't run fast enough
Having the kickball rolled at you repeatedly because you missed
Secretly being thrilled your doctor's appointments overlapped PE class.
Most of my trouble with PE came because I would get really, really nervous whenever we had to do anything in PE. My strengths lied elsewhere...like in music or academics...really anywhere that didn't require athletics or competition.
So this is my background...then one day I saw an add for Family Time Fitness. I was intrigued by the name and that it was on a homeschool blog I was visiting. After taking a look at the program I wondered if maybe there was more to this PE thing than I thought.
I love that the program comes as a pdf. I use it on my kindle and it has been so easy to take wherever we decide to exercise. Although the font is small, it is readable and the best part is I can access the sample videos at the same time!
Each day begins with warm ups...Then there is an indoor activity...
After several warm up activities there are a few indoor activities. They are quite varied and the girls have had so much fun playing them! One of my concerns was space. I wouldn't say our home is small, but there isn't a lot of open space for activities, but even the small area of our living room that is open provided plenty of room.
The girls really liked the jump the river game in particular. They have asked to play it over and over again. They have even set up their own river and took turns jumping over it!
I could keep writing a whole lot about how great these are, but I think you'll see how much fun the girls are having if you watch the video.
Next is the cool down...
I wasn't sure how much the girls would enjoy warming up and cooling down, but they really do! They see each stretch as a challenge and the results can be hilarious when directions get lost in translation...
Finally there is an outside activity...
There are usually a few minimal supplies needed, but they are typically thing we have around the house already and even if you don't, you can easily modify with what you do have on hand. One example was for a game that suggested using cones. I didn't have any cones, but I do have sand buckets! Turned upside down, they were just the the thing!
Using Family Time Fitness I've realized a few things...
1. My girls enjoy more structured playtime!
2. I'm teaching my daughters healthy habits about exercise.
3. My girls like encouraging one another through a team effort.
Are you ready for the giveaway now?
The prize is the complete Family Time Fitness - Fitness for Homeschools Core 1 for K-8th grade.
You can enter several ways through rafflecopter.
The prize is the complete Family Time Fitness - Fitness for Homeschools Core 1 for K-8th grade.
You can enter several ways through rafflecopter.
I wish you all could win, but if you aren't the blessed one I still have some great news! Family Time Fitness has generously given me a coupon code to share with you to get 20% off your order!
Coupon Code: LCC20
Coupon Code: LCC20
Expiration: November 9, 2012
*I recieved Family Time Fitness in exchange for an unbiased review. No other compensation was received.
*I recieved Family Time Fitness in exchange for an unbiased review. No other compensation was received.
I've seen the ad in several places too but never checked it out. Looks fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by :)
DeleteI recently looked into this program for my girls. My oldest in particular (13dd) has a sedentary lifestyle. Much like you her skills are not in the physical fitness realm. How much time are we talking about? I have 6 kids, but would be using this with my 5 girls (3-13) so not a whole lot of extra time. Course, your girls look like they're having a blast! Makes me think anyone would love to exercise.
ReplyDeleteI would say on average we spend about 30 minutes on everything unless my girls are really into what we're doing. We only do this once the rest of school is complete so it's also a good incentive for them to stay focused on their work! My girls are genuinely having so much fun!
DeleteI think one of the benefits of structured physical education is being able to challenge kids to do new things/movements that they may not experience in day to day playing.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. There are definitely some skills my girls are learning I hadn't thought of teaching them. Thanks for coming by!
DeleteThe advantage of a structured program would be learning new skills.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! Thanks for coming by!
DeleteHi, I haven't commented on your blog before, but I wanted to say that I have really been enjoying it. My girls are still little but I am planning to hs them and love seeing what other people are doing. I think the benefit of structured physical education/playtime is that it challenges the kids to do activities that they might never have thought of during unstructured play time. Also, I think if you live somewhere with long winters like I do, having structured pe time ensures that your kids are doing a variety of activities and getting enough excersize. - helps with cabin fever :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's great for you to be thinking ahead and planning like you are! Since homeschooling wasn't originally in our playbook I didn't do that, but this past summer I spent a lot of time looking for ideas :) Thanks for coming by and for your encouragement!
DeleteFor me, one benefit would be the fact that my kids would have something to challenge them. They play outside, but its just running, climbing, and jumping. Nothing is structured.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much what my girls "PE" was like before FTF. Now there is structure, but they are still having so much fun!
DeleteThanks for hosting this give away!
ReplyDeleteTo me, some benefits of having a structured p.e. time would be the challenge of learning new skills as well as encouraging a healthy focus on physical fitness.
You are so right :) The "challenge" part is what melts my girls into giggles most of the time. They love it!
DeleteThe advantage is having kids learn how to follow directions.
ReplyDeleteName on rafflecopter: Mary Happymommy
That's something I hadn't really appreciated the need for until FTF. My girls are learning to follow written directions and are already expected to follow oral directions, but following physical directions like this is actually very different!
DeleteSounds like something we would enjoy. I love fitness activities!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you would! Even though I knew it would be good for my girls I was quite skeptical of how much fun I would have. I was pleasantly surprised!
DeleteI think its good for my son and I to do physical activities together because it helps me to fit in a mini-workout and him to burn off some energy! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt is SO very hard to include exercise in my day. This has really gotten me to be active again! The kids still definitely do more of a workout than I do, but at least I'm moving!
DeleteI think an advantage of structured activity is that you can learn new skills.
ReplyDeleteI agree! My younger girls are definitely learning some new skill I hadn't thought to work with them on yet. Thanks for coming by!
DeletePhysical Activity tends to provide fresh thoughts for me. I seem to handle many other challenges throughout the day way better after a good workout. Now, if even a little of that cleared, crisp thinking happens for our littles by incorporating PE then we've succeeded in teaching them the benefit of exercise and how to better prepare ourselves for daily obstacles (or in their world, grammar and math)!
ReplyDeleteIt is very true. God designed us to function better with active bodies. Thanks for reminding me of this great benefit!
DeleteI love that physical activity is a natural stress reliever. It helps us all stay in shape, and it's a great way to model a healthy lifestyle for your kids.
ReplyDeleteYou're very right :) The kids are so much happier when they have this outlet!
Deletehaving structured activities ensures it gets done!
ReplyDeleteOh my yes! I have so many good intentions for various learning experience, but what actually gets accomplished is the structured stuff!
DeleteMy girls are very sedentary and they follow my example all too well. Structured fitness is important for developing a daily habit. I really hope to change our sedentary lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to be active when we have so much going on. FTF has really helped me change that about our family too!
DeleteThis looks like a great tool to get my girls moving. Their Idea of paying outside is sitting on the chairs outside reading!
ReplyDeleteHa! You are so right :) My oldest daughter has a book with her everywhere...outside, shopping, in the car...she feels empty without her book!
DeleteI think a structured program will get me active too, with my kids, rather than just sending them outside while I stay inside with the baby.
ReplyDelete