better than recess

One of the concerns expressed by people not familiar with homeschooling is that homeschooled kids "miss out" on social interaction with other kids at school. When we homeschooling parents point out the very obvious fact that the vast majority of time the kids are at school, they are being told NOT to interact with each other (i.e., the typical school classroom), these other people unfailingly mention recess as some sort of paragon of childhood socialization.

Well, here's a typical week (this week, actually) in our homeschool, you tell me what they're missing socially:

Above: my boys (standing atop the yellow submarine) play at the children's museum with other homeschooled kids during lunch break at the Monday Homeschool Classes.

The kids up in J's lofted bed with their friend E (middle) when he was over for his weekly visit on Wednesday. I'm actually not entirely sure what they were doing at this point, but I'll bet it had something to do with some sort of imagined adventure.

A few of the attendees at Open Gym Day with the homeschoolers on Thursday. J is sitting on the edge of the stage in blue (he and his buddy R are looking at their new friend E's -- to their left -- Pokemon cards). Zoo Boy is being dramatic at the edge of the stage. There was of course lots of running around and basketball court action, but my sad little camera phone just couldn't capture all that motion in the indoor lighting. (Heck, this photo is partially blurry, and everyone was holding still!)

R and E challenge J (back to us) and Zoo Boy (behind J) to a game of Foosball at the gym. There are other table games available to the kids, too -- air hockey, pool. Some families brought art supplies this week to make valentines. Since we don't have the gym next week, we all brought treats as well and made a Valentine's Day party out of it. Some of the girls handed out valentines to some of the boys and ran off giggling -- it was pretty cute!

We met up with B (in the black) and his mom at our favorite park on Friday. I'm not sure which the boys enjoyed more, playing in the Nature Center (always popular!), visiting with the farm animals in the barn, or splashing around in the puddles in the parking lot.

Recess shmecess. I don't see any advantage at all of kids being turned out on the same fenced playground with a same-aged mob every day for 15 minutes, when they can instead be out interacting with their peers for hours in a variety of stimulating environments. THAT is my definition of socialization.