Homeschool Field Day!

Back in January our family joined the South West Georgia Homeschool Association, a wonderful organization that takes homeschooling to a new level for us. The association offers Friday Classes each semester, and the classes meet twice a month. In the past few months the children have thoroughly enjoyed things like learning about the continents, playing the recorder, earning badges through the Keepers of the Faith program, and doing arts and crafts.

On the day we joined SWGHA, I made myself sign up for Field Day. Yes, it was a forced decision, not something I did because I like that stuff. For those of you who don't know me, I am the most unsportsmanlike person I know. I am not a couch potato, per se, but I prefer to putter around in my garden, read books, bob around in the pool with the kids, and ride my bike at a relaxing pace. Not a competitive bone in my body when it comes to athletics. I cringe when I think of competition or running for the purpose of getting to a finish line before someone else. I'd much rather just save the burst of energy and just let the other person win. Why compete for the prize when I really don't get any joy out of winning it anyway? Just never did like track and field in school, and I still get kind of freaked out when I think back to those days of being forced to participate in those events.

So I signed the kids up knowing that it went against my very nature. But my kids are (fortunately) a different breed than I am. Thus far in their short little lives, they've never been made to stand around waiting for someone to pick them for a team, only to realize that they are undesireable because they can't perform up to someone else's standards. They still look forward to competing because they've never been accused of being the one who made the whole team lose, and they're just not jaded yet.

Merrilee is our little athlete and I mean that wholeheartedly. She can nearly outrun Jay, has been an avid competitor since she was a toddler, and loves to expend her energy in very physical ways. She would gladly take on a cheetah in a race if she were given the opportunity.

Jacob is not quite the same. He loves to play games, participate in sports, and is a great team player. But he's not an athlete. He always puts forth his best effort, and has learned to lose graciously. Sadly, with Merrilee as his most frequent companion, he's had to do a lot of that. So today was a real joy for him because he and Merrilee were totally separated and they got to compete on their own.

I learned quite a bit about both kids today. The first morning events were team events, where the kids had to do silly relay events, like run to the other side of the field, complete some task, and return to the starting line so the next team player could go. Merrilee started out enthusiastic in her team effort and gave it her best shot, but slowly became disenchanted with the frivolousness of the exercises which required her to stand around waiting, watch other team members mess up, and have team members yell at her to hurry up so the team could win. She really didn't gel with the team or cheer anyone on. She just found the whole concept of team sports frustrating.

(Racing while trying to keep a feather on a paper plate was not her kind of fun.)

Jacob, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the team sports. He gave it his all and was ready whenever it was his turn. He cheered on his team mates, and really got excited when his team would win a race. The sillier the concept behind the race, the more he liked it. Passing a soaking wet sponge over his head was right up his alley. Merrilee, on the other hand, found a dripping wet sponge slopping up her hair and clothes to be absolutely lothesome.

As I was taking pictures of the kids, I saw that look come over Merrilee's face. She had reached her limit of "fun" and was starting to put up her wall. The "wall" look comes over her every so often, and it is easy to interpret it as "attitude". She sometimes gets in trouble at home because of this misinterpretation, thus I have to be careful when I see it. I knew she was very frustrated and was not processing it well. So I went over to talk to her and see if she was okay. After a little conversation she started crying and told me she didn't want to continue doing this. I was a little surprised that she would even consider giving up, since she's usually so eager to participate in anything, but I realized that team sports, especially "childish" ones, are just not what works for her. I knew she'd enjoy the individual competition more so I told the team coach she was leaving and I let her help me with my job as Popsicle Mom.

(Does this not look like teen attitude to the max?)

After the kids all had their mid-morning Popsicle break, the younger children moved on to individual competitions. They stayed with their teams, but became opponents instead of team mates. Right off the bat, Merrilee's attitude changed. She got her spark back and jumped right in. Her first challenge was the distance throw, which was actually a whiffle ball throw (on a windy day, nonetheless!), and she won first place. She was delighted with herself and enthusiastic to get to the next event.

Her next even was the long jump. She's never had to formally jump before, but she's kind of a pain in the butt at home because she often likes to run and jump when she's supposed to be somewhere. If we're going to the mall and we cross the parking lot to get on the sidewalk, she's going to run the last three steps and leap far into the air to make it up to the curb. She's definitely got a bent for jumping. But I was amazed at how much she looked like a natural for jumping hurdles. A little instruction in technique might be next on her sporting repertoir. Yep, she won first place in this event, too.

At this point she knew she had gotten another first place ribbon, and I was glad that she got to enjoy the moment. But once the ribbon was given to her I called her over and reminded her that I was one of the "losers" in my childhood and that she should be very careful of the motives of her heart and her attitude in front of the other girls. I didn't want to diminish her accomplishments, but I wanted to remind her that her athleticism was a gift from God and not of her own doing.

I missed her doing the sack race, but she did get a 3rd place ribbon in that event. When I was talking to her and another little girl, they both said they thought the burlap sack was disgusting and stinky, and they really didn't like sack races. Brought back some memories, and I really had to agree with them! Sack races are yucky!

When it was finally time for Merrilee to do the 50 yard dash, I was sure she was heading for another first place ribbon. But, much to my surprise, she didn't place! Not to be a biased mom, but I kind of thought she made it to the finish line in third place. The judge apparently didn't see it that way, though, and that was okay with me. I was glad Merrilee wasn't bothered by not winning, especially since she really believes she's a good runner. Part of the setback she had in the race was that she (and Jacob, too) took the instructions for the race too literally. The kids were told to run to the end of the field, touch the red line, and run back. Both of my kids ran the field, and then bent or squatted down to touch the red line, and then got back up to return. They are very literal kids and have been taught to pay attention to instructions. I guess that doesn't pay off when the rest of the kids just hit the red line with their feet and kept running. Oh well.

Merrilee got another third place ribbon in the target toss, in which the kids had to toss lawn darts towards a target area on the ground. None of the girls made it to the target, but the ones that were closest were the ones that got ribbons.

Katie Mei didn't participate in anything this year; she'll have to wait until next year when she's four. But she did ask if she could go to "school" since we were at the same church where the kids do their Friday classes and she had her preschool class. She's pretty much a wall flower anyway, and preferred to hang out with Daddy instead. She got a Popsicle, which was all the fun she needed today. Well, that, and a little time on the playground!

Back to the races: Jacob had a fantastic time today, and even though he didn't break any records, he gave it his all. This child has a wonderful attitude and I'm usually quite pleased to see his behavior when he's with a group. He's gracious to winners and losers, alike, and doesn't get down on himself when he doesn't win. He seemed to not even notice that Merrilee had won several ribbons.

I wasn't sure how he'd like racing with other kids, because he's really only had Merrilee as a competitor, and she almost always beats him. I was kind of afraid he'd shy away from racing. However, he smiled and laughed the whole time, and it made me so happy to see him having fun. He was in it for the good time, not for the prize.

He did his best in all events, and that resulted in a third place ribbon in the target throw. I was so happy he won that ribbon, and I thanked the Lord out loud! As much as we tell our kids it doesn't matter if they win or lose, I knew I'd hate to see him go home empty handed. The kid certainly deserved a prize for his great attitude. He never once mumbled about Merrilee's ribbons or the fact that he got nothing higher than third place. He was pleased with his ribbon and didn't make a big deal out of it. He just wanted to get to the next event.

I really wished I had seem him during the sack race so I could get some photos, but I was getting Popsicles out of the freezer at the time. Jacob in a sack trying to jump had to be a funny sight! I did get one really good picture of him doing the long jump. The kids were supposed to run to the red line and then jump, but he's got some coordination issues when it comes to jumping. I was afraid he'd end up on his face. But he took off well, and ended up on two feet. Technically, he did the jump much better than Merrilee. He had the right form for the jump and threw both his feet forward, while she looked more like a hurdler and landed on one foot first. He had fun and I got a great shot. He expended a lot of effort in that jump, and I had to chuckle when I saw the picture for the first time. See how close he is to the red line? Distance jumping is not in his future.

When it was all over, we grabbed some hot dogs for lunch and ate them on the sidewalk. The kids thanked me several times for taking them, and I am so glad they participated. Not only did they have fun, win some ribbons, and get to enjoy the company of their classmates before a long summer break; but they also gave me a fresh glimpse into who they are as people.

I hope I can take this new found insight and apply it the way I teach and raise them. Sometimes it's to easy as a homeschooling mom to try to put our kids into molds that don't quite fit their shapes. It doesn't take much effort to just use the same curriculum on the second kid if it worked for the first one. However, scripture teaches us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 .

It's hard work, teaching each child individually. That's one of the main reasons mainstream schooling doesn't always work. Kids are not cookie cut outs. We can try to mold them into what we think they should be, but it's not necessarily what God created them to be. My prayer is that I take what God has shown me today about my two very different children, and apply it in a way that glorifies Him and points them in the direction He has laid out for their lives.

I was very pleased with my two little winners today, and though the glow of winning lasted a moment, they came back down to earth pretty quickly. The thought of playing with their plastic dinosaurs out in the driveway was really more exciting, and all the hoopla of jumping, racing, and ribbons quickly faded.