Physical education is often neglected in the homeschool setting. This may be due to financial or time constraints, lack of available options, or even the fact that many of us are, well, a little bit on the lazy side. Regardless of the reason for the neglect, physical education truly is an important part of a well-rounded homeschool experience.
Enter Family Time Fitness!
I received the pdf download (otherwise known as an eBook) of their "Fitness 4 Homeschool Core 1 Curriculum" for this review. It is suggested for use in grades K-8, but I used it with my high-school daughters as well as my 7th grader. They do have products designed for the upper grades, which I am sure are excellent resources based on my experience with this level.
The download itself came in multiple modules; there was actually a whole lot more than I had anticipated! (260 lessons in all) There are plenty of regimens that would adapt to suit any homeschool family's needs. Each lessons provides 25-45 minutes of physical activity. An additional outdoor activity is given at the end of every lesson and can provide another 15-30 minutes of exercise. This is all moderate to vigorous activity - of course, you should consider consulting a physician for any concerns you may have prior to starting any fitness routine.
The objective of Family Time Fitness is to complete one lesson each school day (5/week). The lessons can be done even with limited space, which is often the case for homeschooling families! The child or children should read each lesson and then complete the activities, but a video is available to demonstrate how to do the exercises. This helps the students become more self-reliant, and perhaps they will carry daily physical activity into their adult lives.
You begin with an "easy" lesson (and I use the word "easy" jokingly - it's meant to be easy but it wore me out!). The kids and I gathered supplies (a jump rope for Core Lesson 1), opened the pdf, watched the demonstration videos (on mute, since my girls didn't care for the music), and finished up about 30 minutes later. Next time was Lesson 2 - and it took a little more preparation. We didn't have access to any cones for this lesson, but my girls did their best to make it work with what we had on hand (dodgeballs don't make good cones, but it was pretty entertaining!). In this lesson the "Musical Statues" game was my favorite. Trust me, this is a fun way to have P.E.!
Obviously I can't review every lesson - there are 260 in all! - but I can tell yo that they build upon each other. And they get easier to do, mainly because I don't feel quite as "wimpy" as I did on Day 1, but also because we no longer have to watch all the demonstration videos. Oh, and we have been trying to adapt the "Outdoor Activity" for use inside...we have some neighbors who aren't always supportive of our decision to homeschool and we try to avoid anything that might give them cause to call the authorities (yes, two of our neighbors have done that, sadly). I have also had the kids do the "Outdoor Activity" later in the evening, which gets them the exercise they need and satisfies the neighbors!
So, I have explained how Fitness 4 Homeschool works, and I've given you an idea as to how we use in in our family. But I would really like to share my 12th-grade daughter's thoughts about the Family Time Fitness program and it's "fit" within the homeschool community.
"This is a great idea! A lot of homeschool families are inactive, and a lot of them are overweight. Family Time Fitness gives homeschoolers an easy way to exercise, NO EXCUSES! They don't need a gym membership, and they don't even have to leave home. This fills a big void; homeschool families should buy Family Time Fitness - but then they should actually USE it!!"
This comes from a young lady who regularly goes to the YMCA, has another gym membership in addition to the Y, goes running (as in several miles) with her father, and is a figure skater and a skating coach. She understands the value of physical fitness. Consider her counsel and seriously think about adding Family Time Fitness to your homeschool day.
As an aside, several of the poses and cool down stretches are based on yoga. I am not an advocate of yoga, but I do recognize the value of the stretches when used as a part of this curriculum. I think you can use the stretches without advocating all aspects of yoga.
To read what other homeschool families have to say about Family Time Fitness, click HERE
To purchase Family Time Fitness - Core Physical Education, Level 1, click on this DIRECT LINK.
The price is $57 - and that is an excellent value for the sheer volume included!
Other products available include High School Strength Training, High School Health, Online Health Class, and much more.
(Disclaimer ~ I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions shared here are solely my own.)
Have a fantastic homeschool day!
Day 225 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.AllThingsHomeschool.weebly.com
www.SavanasClayCreations.com
Enter Family Time Fitness!
I received the pdf download (otherwise known as an eBook) of their "Fitness 4 Homeschool Core 1 Curriculum" for this review. It is suggested for use in grades K-8, but I used it with my high-school daughters as well as my 7th grader. They do have products designed for the upper grades, which I am sure are excellent resources based on my experience with this level.
The download itself came in multiple modules; there was actually a whole lot more than I had anticipated! (260 lessons in all) There are plenty of regimens that would adapt to suit any homeschool family's needs. Each lessons provides 25-45 minutes of physical activity. An additional outdoor activity is given at the end of every lesson and can provide another 15-30 minutes of exercise. This is all moderate to vigorous activity - of course, you should consider consulting a physician for any concerns you may have prior to starting any fitness routine.
The objective of Family Time Fitness is to complete one lesson each school day (5/week). The lessons can be done even with limited space, which is often the case for homeschooling families! The child or children should read each lesson and then complete the activities, but a video is available to demonstrate how to do the exercises. This helps the students become more self-reliant, and perhaps they will carry daily physical activity into their adult lives.
You begin with an "easy" lesson (and I use the word "easy" jokingly - it's meant to be easy but it wore me out!). The kids and I gathered supplies (a jump rope for Core Lesson 1), opened the pdf, watched the demonstration videos (on mute, since my girls didn't care for the music), and finished up about 30 minutes later. Next time was Lesson 2 - and it took a little more preparation. We didn't have access to any cones for this lesson, but my girls did their best to make it work with what we had on hand (dodgeballs don't make good cones, but it was pretty entertaining!). In this lesson the "Musical Statues" game was my favorite. Trust me, this is a fun way to have P.E.!
So, I have explained how Fitness 4 Homeschool works, and I've given you an idea as to how we use in in our family. But I would really like to share my 12th-grade daughter's thoughts about the Family Time Fitness program and it's "fit" within the homeschool community.
"This is a great idea! A lot of homeschool families are inactive, and a lot of them are overweight. Family Time Fitness gives homeschoolers an easy way to exercise, NO EXCUSES! They don't need a gym membership, and they don't even have to leave home. This fills a big void; homeschool families should buy Family Time Fitness - but then they should actually USE it!!"
This comes from a young lady who regularly goes to the YMCA, has another gym membership in addition to the Y, goes running (as in several miles) with her father, and is a figure skater and a skating coach. She understands the value of physical fitness. Consider her counsel and seriously think about adding Family Time Fitness to your homeschool day.
As an aside, several of the poses and cool down stretches are based on yoga. I am not an advocate of yoga, but I do recognize the value of the stretches when used as a part of this curriculum. I think you can use the stretches without advocating all aspects of yoga.
To read what other homeschool families have to say about Family Time Fitness, click HERE
To purchase Family Time Fitness - Core Physical Education, Level 1, click on this DIRECT LINK.
The price is $57 - and that is an excellent value for the sheer volume included!
Other products available include High School Strength Training, High School Health, Online Health Class, and much more.
(Disclaimer ~ I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions shared here are solely my own.)
Have a fantastic homeschool day!
Day 225 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.AllThingsHomeschool.weebly.com
www.SavanasClayCreations.com
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