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PE

Throwback Kids Activities for Summer: Badminton

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I have to admit that I have not played badminton since junior high school PE. Our gym teacher was determined to teach us girls some basics of a handful of sports including football stating that if we knew something about more sports our future boyfriends would be impressed. I didn’t learn anything about football but my husband could care less about the sport so I still won out in the end, lol.

Throwback Kids Activities for Summer: Badminton

Summer is a great time to learn a new sport like badminton. It’s a great addition to any list of kids activities for Summer. Add in an uncle or two and the game is even more fun.

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Indoor PE with Exercise Stretch Bands

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As the snow continues to fall and temps stay below 20 degrees here in Ohio, we need to become more creative in expending energy. Our Indoor PE choices are quite limited but can be extended with the use of exercise stretch bands. My kids love trying new things and these bands from Fitteroy are great. They come in three different weights: Light, Medium, and Heavy and can be used even by our 4 1/2 year old with supervision.

Fitteroy Exercise Bands Great option for Indoor PE #fitteroy

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{Spice Up Your Homeschool} PE: Try Tennis

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{Spice Up Your Homeschool}

Try Tennis

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links within this post. The links provide a way for us to support our site and provide great ideas and content to you! Thanks for your support.)

We recently (okay, a few months ago, lol) had a homeschool gym day through our local homeschol group that taught tennis and badminton skills. Both Eldest and Princess really enjoyed learning how to hold a racket and practice keeping their eye on the ball. They both did very well during the gym day and were excited to learn a new sport. I was glad they had fun and were learning new skills that they could help each other out with.

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} Try Tennis

They begged to play tennis again as soon as we could! We only owned one racket so we set off to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. We found a racket with a bright neon pink handle and it was the right tag color for 50% off! Total score $1 for the racket plus tax. This week we headed to our local community college that has unused courts. Riley met us between work and college classes for an hour of tennis practice but with only two rackets and three tennis balls it wasn’t much fun. We once again stopped at the Salvation Army Thrift store on the way home and scored more sports equipment. Three more rackets for $1.99 plus tax each. A very frugal deal I say!

tennis rackets

 

We found a local Tennis Center that was offering Tennis Camp three times a week for 1 hr. for 4 weeks at only $30 through a local city’s Summer parks program! Since Tennis lesson’s are normally $30 per lesson we signed Princess up for the Beginner Class. She has had so much fun meeting new friends. She loves it and has learned some new skills in a fun way. (Funny thing is she is almost 9 and she is one of the smaller kids in her class.) They play all sorts of games and do fun things to practice basic skills! The coaches are High School students or recent graduates who seem to have lots of knowledge and patience.

Youtube Videos- Watch these BEFORE heading to the court!

Tennis Lessons for Beginning Players : How to Grip a Tennis Racket

Tennis Lesson for Beginners ; First Time Ever ( Scoring ) Part 2 of 5

Tennis Lesson for Beginners ; First Time Ever ( Actual Game ) Part 3 of 5

Tennis Lesson for Beginners ; First Time Ever ( Basic Strokes ) Part 4 of 5

Tennis Lesson for Beginners ; First Time Ever ( Racquets & Shoes) Part 5 of 5

Beginner Tennis Lesson – Coordination and Ball Control

ABOUT.com and other videos-

Tennis Videos Index from about.com

Best Tennis Racquets for Beginners

Beginning Tennis Tips & Techniques

Instruction: Learn and Improve Tennis Strokes and Strategies

Now that you have learned all about this new sport, what are you waiting for? Go find a local court and hit some balls!

Great PE Supplies on Amazon:

United States Tennis Association Facebook

Find a Kids’ Tennis Facility

10 and Under Tennis Guide for Parent’s

Check out all the {Spice Up Your Homeschool} posts:

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} Science: Nature Journals

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} History: Penny Collecting

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} Geography: State Quarters

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} PE: Pellet Guns

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{Spice Up Your Homeschool} Series

Got the homeschool blues? Need to spice things up a bit?
Have you been homeschooling for awhile and want to try something new?
Maybe you are new to homeschooling and still trying to figure things out.
If you need a break from your “typical” day or routine then check out
{Spice Up Your Homeschool} for valuable tips and ideas!

Eldest with Pellet Gun {Spcie Up Your Homeschool}

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} PE: Pellet Guns

This post has been scheduled for over 2 months, just so you know. We also feel that proper gun safety and usage is a key component to raising responsible adults. Guns and weapons on are the cusp of controversy among many families not just the homeschool community. I realize this may be a sensitive issue, but please remember there are many people who use guns and arrows as a source for food.

I know adults who flinch at the site of any weapon even a water pistol nevertheless a pellet gun. My husband took point on this activity with regards to setting up a safe area to shoot in our backyard. We went over safety precautions, rules, and what equipment is REQUIRED to be worn each and EVERY time the pellet gun is in use.

Do not think pellet guns are just for boys. Princess enjoys shooting just as much as Eldest. Lil’ Red will have to wait until ODNR Skills Day next September to have a chance to shoot again. (This event was sponsored by trained and certified professionals in a controlled environment for learning and safety exploration.)

pellet gun, target shooting, safety

 

What are the benefits of owning or using a pellet gun?

Well, a huge list of great skills but here’s just a few of them. First and foremost SAFETY and responsibility. Teaching proper use of any tool or equipment foster a great sense of pride and allows the child to take responsibility for his/her actions. Second, hand/eye coordination which is important for writing and doing well in school and life.

Does your local Natural Resource office offer classes for hunter safety that your child might like? What about learning shooting skills for a 4-H project? Do you know of people who hunt for food? What great opportunities to talk with your children about proper gun care and use.

 

 
Check out all the posts in this series:

{Spice Up Your Homeschool} PE: Disc Golf

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{Spice Up Your Homeschool} Series

Got the homeschool blues? Need to spice things up a bit? Have you been homeschooling for awhile and want to try something new? Maybe you are new to homeschooling and still trying to figure things out. If you need a break from your “typical” day or routine then check out {Spice Up Your Homeschool} for valuable tips and ideas!

{Spice Up Your Homeschool}Disc Golf

disc-golf-education
photo credit: Disc Golf Association

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