Can we play, too? How to develop a recreation activity program for homeschoolers.

According to Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, there were between 1.5 to 1.9 million K-12 homeschooled students in the U.S. in 2000. His research shows that this number is growing at a rate of 15 percent each year, which means that by Ray's estimation, there are currently more than 2.5 million young people being homeschooled in America.

At The CENTRE (a public health and recreation complex) in Rolla, Mo., the staff recognized that these numbers represent a target audience with the same need for physical activity and fitness as any other group of young people. Working with the local Christian Home Educators Support System (CHESS), we developed an activity program that would provide homeschooled students with a physical education/fitness experience.

Initially the program was to be just an eight-week volleyball class that would meet for two hours on Friday afternoons. Staff decided on a two-hour time slot once a week rather than a one-hour class two times per week, because some families would be traveling more than 60 miles round trip in order to participate. The scheduling of a weekday afternoon during the regular school year not only worked for the homeschoolers, but also allowed us to use our facilities at a lower usage time.

Our goal was to provide the homeschoolers with the opportunity to learn to play volleyball while getting exercise, improving their fitness level, making new friends and having fun--everything a recreation program is supposed to accomplish. Hoping for at least 12 students between the ages of 11 and 18, we attempted to recapture 100 percent of our expenses. We needed a fee that would allow us to recoup costs, but not become a barrier for large families.

The fee was eventually set at $2 per student per class. We decided to charge the fee per class rather than for the entire program, so that families would have the flexibility to send their children, as their schedules would allow. The program did require a parent or guardian to sign in each student for each class for liability purposes. An instructor was hired, and we were ready to begin.

The CHESS secretary helped us with pre-registration, and we had 17 students sign up the day before the first class. Because we had increasing numbers, we assigned a recreation aide to assist the instructor. There were 33 homeschoolers at the first volleyball class in late September, and the class size averaged 36 students through the course of the eight-week program. We had anticipated that participants would come and go, but the majority of the students consistently stayed.

As the volleyball program was winding down in early December, CHESS asked us if we could add a basketball class. The students were enjoying the program so much that they requested that we add other units after the basketball class to extend the classes into May. They also wondered if we could incorporate 7- to 10-year-olds into the program. In January, we started a basketball unit with the group divided into three divisions: girls 11-18, boys 11-18 and a co-ed class for 7- to 10-year-olds.

Participation numbers rose to the mid-40s. As the numbers increased, the sign-in lines became too long so we switched to a permission slip, which could be filled out and handed in for each class.

As the basketball class was being taught, we noticed a fairly large group of younger brothers and sisters sitting wide-eyed in the bleachers with their morns. They would sit still for as long as they could stand before getting down and running up and down the sidelines. Why not also add a class for these little ones? So, at the end of January we added a physical activity class for 4-to 6-year-old homeschoolers. The participation numbers jumped into the mid-60s.

After the basketball class ended, we taught the homeschoolers how to play soccer and then finished the program with a unit on large group games and activities. During each unit our goal was the same--we wanted to teach the homeschoolers how to play the game, provide an opportunity for exercise, help them improve their fitness level and have fun.

Of course, each time the program expanded, we had to hire additional staff, organize more equipment and schedule additional space. However, we found the homeschoolers' parents were one of our best staffing pools. Obviously they were available and many of them had educational backgrounds. They also had an established rapport with many of the students and shared a philosophy of how the program could best meet the needs of this group.

In our post-event evaluations, parents and students both reported that they really enjoyed the program. They appreciated the opportunity to come together in our gym and fitness facilities to participate in team sports and large group games. We asked them to list any benefits they thought the program provided. Those most often mentioned were learning new sports and games, getting exercise, making new friends and having fun.

One participant states, "I liked getting to play all the new games and getting to meet new people." These same sentiments were expressed by many students. One student reports, "I liked the exercise, competition and social time. I was able to build up my strength and lose weight." Another young participant tells us, "I like sports now."

We also asked the parents and students to give us suggestions for improvement. They asked if we could begin the program in August so that it would last longer, and if we could look into splitting the 11-18 age group. They thought smaller groups would be more effective for some activities.

In fall 2004, the "Homeschoolers Sports and Games" program began on Aug. 24 and ended on May 10. Each Tuesday, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., an average of 92.5 homeschoolers participated in this program. We split the 11-18 age group between 11-13 and 14-18. We also coordinated with the Rolla Parks Department to use its fields to offer softball and soccer before moving indoors to The CENTRE gym for volleyball, basketball and large group games. During the basketball unit, we divided the high school-age students by gender.

The first hour of class while the boys played basketball, we used our fitness equipment to teach the girls how to develop their own individualized fitness programs. During the second hour, we worked with the boys in the fitness area while the girls played basketball. On the last day of the program we hosted a field day with competitions in the standing broad jump, long jump, 100-meter dash, softball shot put, Frisbee disc throw, and swim noodle toss. The final event was the always-exciting 4 x 100 relay. Awards went to each age group and everyone enjoyed ice cream.

Homeschooled students represent a significant portion of our area's population. They also have physical fitness needs that can be met by structured play. It is often difficult for homeschoolers to find facilities and gather the large numbers necessary to provide sports and games experiences. This activity program enables The CENTRE to carry out our mission of promoting healthy lifestyles and gives homeschoolers the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits that come from playing, too.

Photos courtesy of the CENTRE