Just in case you might be interested in knowing more about 4H, here is the link: hht://www.areyouintoit.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.areyouintoit.com/

I do believe that school activites for children are very helpful. But children need some free time to themselves. Some children are just -overscheduled-with baseball-softball- soccer, dancing, that they don't have the time to use their imagination and have free play time after school.
This is very true of many grammar school children.

Even though I think that extra curricular activies are a + some children have several activities they are involved in and can become tired-after all they have been in school all day-and they usually have homework to boot.

As teens these activities many times do help fill their time and can be helpful to keep them out of trouble.
But then again do think about rest time after school for the the teens also. And don't overschedule them. It would be great for them to take their rest time at home.

But activites as I said before are very important at this age, and also they can help with younger children socially and learning to get along with others in a group as a team . But do remember that young children especially need some rest and play time without it being organized play(as in playing sports etc.)after school.

I agree, there is a trend to overschedule kids these days, especially elementary age when they are just too young to handle it. It's a competitive drive in the parents, in my opinion, they want to make sure their kids get every "advantage" and in doing so cheat them out of time to learn how to occupy themselves. I know a couple 6 year olds who are so booked with different activities that the schedules overlap, leaving the child to choose which one he attends. To me, that seems ridiculous! It's not only too much for a young child to be involved with, it's failing to keep a commitment to one team or the other! It all has more to do with the child's wants than his/her needs.

But I also agree that the right amount of activities, especially when approached as a family, provide memories as well as skills and life lessons. As a kid, for our family the dominant activities were baseball and boy scouts for my brother, and mostly music for myself. If it had to with band, I did it: took (and later gave) lessons, concert band, pep band, marching band, solos, competitions and performances, camps, fundraisers. I know there were times when my parents had to be going nuts with my band schedule! But it gave me very good friendships, goals to work toward, and a life skill that I still use as a hobby today. We also dabbled a little in gymnastics, girl scouts, and 4H off and on. As a high school student, I had a part time job and did volunteer work on a crisis hotline, as well as the band stuff.

My own kids are still young, my oldest two both play soccer right now. DH helps coach the team. I think one activity is enough for them right now. But in the near future I would like my oldest to participate in some sort of community service program. I am considering 4H, or maybe he and I volunteering together on weekends at an animal shelter, something along those lines. As he gets older, I am open to whatever interests him, sports, music, academic teams.
To keep busy during the week days, though, I take my littler ones to activities with a moms group (parks, museums, etc), toddler gym classes, and library story times. I like all their activities, and with going on 4 kids, it won't take much to fill my schedule! But sometimes I just like it to all slow down, I won't even let the neighbor kids come over to play. I like them to play together sometimes, just the siblings. I think those times will stick in their memories forever and also be times of learning life lessons. I love to see them "negotiating" with each other, creating their own games together, and caring for each other. I remember times like that with my brother, times when we got into and out of trouble just the two of us. We fought a lot, but we still had a good time together and the memories from both the fights and the fun provide our families with hours of entertaining stories at every get-together!

Softball now, basketball in the winter, piano, and cheerleading when applicable. Church.

I don't have kids, but I can't believe all the activities kids have going on these days. When I was a kid, my activity was playing in the woods or on the beach with my friends, or reading stacks of books. Well, dance classes too. But I never liked structured activities with one or a few grown-ups bossing around a bunch of children. Too noisy. Too much like school. Kids need more peace and quiet IMO. It might teach them to be more peaceful and more quiet.

Also, I didn't have homework until sixth grade. I can't believe they give such young kids homework. If they did a better job of teaching, they wouldn't have to. When several of my classmates and I switched from our (non-rigorous, non-elite, non-homework-assigning) private school, we were well above the public school grade standards for all subjects. Good teachers don't need to assign homework, until high school at least.

I have a lot of testosterone in my house with a husband and three sons!

The older kids (6,8) like football (July-Nov) and lacrosse (Jan-April). That's quite enough for me. I am not sure how I would go about scheduling more activities for them. I would drop from exhuastion. I am sure they would too. On the weekends we spend a lot of time in our pool. I am fine with the neighborhood kids being here all weekend. We have fun with the kids. I like for them to have some time to play together or with their friends.

But-like Stephanie I like for them to spend time together as brothers. I don't allow any other kids in the house after 6PM all week. That way the boys spend every evening with each other. They spend early weekend mornings together also. Even if they are only watching tv together while I cook I think those are the moments that they bond the best. Last week I found my 2nd grader sitting on the sofa in my bedroom helping by K'er with some "hard" words in a book the yonger one was trying to read. It was very sweet and unless you allow time for them to be brothers they never will. Aaron was trying to explain to Zack about what happens when two vowels come together in a word.

The younger one (3) spends a lot of time at the park during his brothers' practices. My little one loves to go out to the park and play with the sisters and younger siblings of the lacrosse/football players. Sometimes I feel bad because on days that I work and then we go straight to practice my youngest eats his dinner out of plastic bags (sandwiches, sausages anything else that I can take with me) but he looks forward to those days in the park. The other day he asked me "Do we have cross today?" He looked crushed when I said no. I guess I don't have to feel guilty. His brothers both dote on him so he has plenty of attention even though he has 2 older brothers.

Mommabear

My DD loves her dance class. So far, it's a pretty low-pressure activity, and she looks forward to it. But there is one mom who says her DD begs not to have to go every week but she makes her go. I think you should not give in the first time they do this, but if it's persistent, then find another activity they like better.

DD is interested in soccer, but I see the other soccer moms in the neighborhood, and they are up and at matches all the way across town by 8 am every Saturday and sometimes have 3 matches spread out thru the day. That doesn't count weeknight practices.

My DD is also interested in tumbling and gymnastic activities, which they do a little of in dance class. I may look into adding a tumbling class next year.

She and I also enjoy gardening, she loves helping me in the kitchen, she is great at puzzles, and we love reading and going to the library for a new selection of books. She and DH love to kick the soccer ball around the yard, and play computer games together (so far, just disney and sesame street games).

In my city, the parks & recreation department has THE BEST programs for kids. They teach "clinics" for 4-8 year olds in soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, football (I'm sure there are others, those are the ones we've done). They are teams, but one hour a week classes where an instructor teaches the kids the rules of the game and how to play. The run for 8 weeks, and towards the end they do divide up the class and play games, but it's all focued on teaching and having fun. I love it and my older boys (5 & 7) do, too. I have so many friends with young kids on soccer teams, baseball teams, etc - where there are 2 practices a week plus a game every weekend. I think kids below 4th grade or so are too young for all of this running around, that's why I love the rec clinics.

I also take my boys to swimming lessons at the YMCA on Saturday morning, and to church and Sunday school on Sunday, plus children's choir practic on Sunday afternoon. The oldest is also a Cub Scout, which meets twice a month on Monday evenings. Scouts usually has a field trip sometime during the month, too.

I don't think my kids are overscheduled, they have plenty of free time to just play. They also have daily chores at home - feeding the cat, foling & putting away laundry, washing dishes, loading the dishwasher, picking up their stuff.

My friend told me story about 2 families she knows, both with 15 year old sons. One boy is involved in sports, scouts, band, church youth group. The other's mom says it's "too much stress" on her to run him around to activities, so he's not in anything. Guess which one has spent a night in jail for possession of drugs? That's right, the one who is not involved in any activities. That first-hand, true story scared me to the core, and makes me realize even if I get "stressed" running the boys to activities, there is a bigger payoff in the end!!!

My boys have also tried other activities and I've let them drop out after a few months if it's just not their interest. The older one did karate for 4 months and when it was time to re-join the studio, we let him "quit". He also took piano lessons for 6 months, but when my husband lost his job, we had to stop. DS asks for piano lessons all the time, so once DH is working we'll re-join that activity, but he hasn't missed karate at all.

My oldest son plays baseball now, and he will start soccer this fall. My youngest son who is 5 wasn't interested in playing baseball, so we didn't push him at all. I agree that too many kids are overloaded with activities, family time is an important event in our house, and we frequently spend time together playing in the yard, gardening, practicing baseball, or playing games like checkers and monopoly, and UNO! :) I am so glad that my husband and I agree on the activities issue, we do not want to force our kids into things just to keep them busy or even to expose them to new things if they are not interested. My sons and I also have special activities that we do just "Mom & Me", we paint, do other art and nature things, and once a month I do my best to bring my oldest son to a movie, if there is anything acceptable out for kids and we have the $$$$$!! By the way, if anyone is looking for a GOOD family movie, "The Rookie" is wonderful!!!!

"Childrens' Activities Around the clock

Be sure to schedule in about 9 hrs. of sleep for younger kids and at least 8 for older. I remember some baseball games for younsters at the park when my kids were growing up that lasted up to 10:30 at night and my son and kids would drag into school the next day....there are limited field space.

Some children and their siblings that went to watch them play would actally miss a day of school because of the ball games. Now to me that's taking activities a little too far. So schedule them sleep because it is very important for them to concentrate during the day and sleep is needed for their growth.

I read somewhere that teenagers actually do better with around TEN hours of sleep a night. All those hormones take a lot out of you I guess. I remember as a teenager, I could sleep 10 hours easily. They start school so early, which I think is wrong. High school for me was 6:45 - 1:45. They do it so that kids can do activities after school. Personally I think that the hours should be 9:00 to 5:00, with time built in for extracurricular activities. Also, year-round, but with longer breaks.

Anita,
I read also an article about teens and young adults needed alot of sleep. The article went on to say that in the early
1900's adults were actually sleeping an average of 10 hrs.
But it seems that some sports and other activites that go on during the school year last later and later.

When my brothers played sports in elementary school actually the "Ball season" started close to the end of school instead of the Mid March -as the league starts for Little Leaguers now!

I don't know why this was changed. And also I don't know why "late" hrs. are planned for any age ball games during the time school is in session.

This link may be of benefit http:www.fairview.org/foryou/stories/sleep.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.fairview.org/foryou/stories/sleep.htm

Lynn, I agree. My 9 year old son's games are scheduled to begin at 6:30pm on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Of course Friday is fine, but the weeknights are rough...we don't get home until 9pm, (my kids usual bedtime is 8:30-9:00) and then the "calm down" time brings bedtime to after 10:00 easy, some nights later if we hit a snag, like a bath or two and lack of cooperation!!:) Though we LOVE the baseball deal, it's not easy to be as excited about these weeknight games when school is still in session.

Arkansasgardenboy thanks for the link!

Good link....YES I actually wrote that!

I liked what you wrote Flowergirl I was mentioning the website address (link) that Arkansasgardenboy put in his response about "Sleep"

FlowergirlDeb,
I agree with your response about sleep.

I am referring you to this site out of concern for the youth of America. As a concern parent, grandparent, former school teacher, I am concern for the future of the youth of America. I would like to know your views of the article.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.msnbc.com/news/753309.asp/Obl=O

Gardenboy, I thought this deserved its own space. I started another post to respond to your link. ANd boy, did I ever respond.

Lynn:

Around here activities start late for the following reasons:

1. Afternoons are hot here (S. Florida) for much of the year. Evenings are cooler in the Spring and Fall even though it's hot in the afternoon. Summers are hot every minute of every day. It also rains every afternoon in the summer. The afternoon thunderstorms often pass by the time practices take place.

2. Parents can attend their kids games and participate in their practices on a more regular basis. Most of the coaches are volunteers. They have regular jobs and can't just drop everything so they can have practice at 4PM. Practices at 6:30 allow many more people to volunteer in the sports leagues.

Mommabear

I appreciate the later schedules to some degree. As a mother who works outside the home, I find it frustrating when activities are scheduled for 4:30. My child goes to a rural school and I do have some driving time to pick her up from after school care and return to the city where most games are played. Besides, I usually do not get off work until 5:30. Gymnastics was a bear when she competed and the practices started at 4:30. I do not want her to not be able to participate just because I work outside the home. It is hard when they get home late, though. Sometimes her games are scheduled at 8:30 so the younger children can play 6:30 and 7:30. She is 10. In these cases, we usually get home around 10:00. She uses time at the after school program for homewrk, so that is not usually too much of an issue. I am unique I guess in that my child does not sleep a lot. She takes melatonin by dr.'s orders. I wish she could sleep more, but I guess it is an advantage for those late nights. She usually cannot sleep until 11:00 anyway. And yes, before anyone asks, we limit caffeine, tv, stimulants, etc. The kid lays in bed and talks or sings to herself.

I think that when parents work the 9-5 day that the later activities would be much better, but as far as the kids and bed times for school nights, the games or activities should be earlier until school is out for the summer.

My daughter, age 3-1/2 attends nursery school 2 half days, swimming, ice skating, soccer, ballet, bedtime storytime at the library are all 1x/wk. She does plays alone at home allot in btn her activities & we have scheduled play dates too & so many bdy parties plus she plays outdoors on her swing set & outdoor house & sandbox (loves the outdoors) & she has down time watching tv too or playing computer games. She already has chores & HELPS set the table, make beds & clean out the guinea pigs' cage & occassionally with feeding our 3 dogs. She is also responsible for cleaning up any messes (although sometimes it might take more prodding than others) & placing her dirty laundry in the hamper plus dressing herself as much as possible. I bought her her own garden gear for Easter & as of tomorrow she'll help me do some gardening. In the Fall she'll also increaase nursery to 5 part time days & add Spanish class.

Michie