We meet on Wednesdays at local parks in the summer and indoor locales in the colder months. Our group ranges in age from babies to teenagers. Yesterday we met for lunch at Lion's Pub before the park. We took up two tables, all sixteen of us gobbling down yummy burgers and fries. After we went to the park and the kids played on the playground. One mom was kind enough to bring some balls and jump ropes. An older child organized a game of kick ball on the ball fields with teens and five year olds playing together. I overhead one preschooler ask a thirteen year old boy if he wanted to play tag. And guess what, the thirteen year old said "yes"! A mom will encourage her son to come over and meet a new boy who has joined our group. She'll ask her son to introduce him to the other kids and within minutes he's running around as part of the crowd. The moms lay down their blankets and we chat and eat. Some moms knit or catch up on paperwork as they talk. Yesterday there were piles of freebies set out in the middle of the blankets. Older kids donating clothes to younger kids, magazine exchanges, Avon beauty products. Kids bop over to get a drink from their water bottles, maybe complain about the heat, grab a book and plop down in the shade for a bit.
Critics of home-schooling worry about the socialization of children who do not attend school. These kids had four hours of time to actually socialize with one another rather than just sitting next to each other in class. It's great to see mixed ages, genders, and interests come together. One week certain kids may play together and then they switch it up the following week.
Socialization is the least of my home school worries!
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