How do you do extracurricular activities in home school?
NYer/Philadelphian elsewhere 4nw asked:
colleges like extracurricular activities on your transcript, so how do you do this if you home school?
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colleges like extracurricular activities on your transcript, so how do you do this if you home school?
July 6th, 2010 at 7:25 am
Check your local Parks and Recreation department for “classes” which often include youth sports and other clubs. Also do a websearch in your area for any youth/club activities and call or check them out in person, see if it is a good fit for you. You might also add “homeschool” to your google search, and you may as well search in Yahoo Groups as well, include your city/town name in the search.
Also, some states allow local districts to work with homeschoolers in extra-curricular activities, like sports, music, debate, drama, etc. There may be a fee, or you may be farther down on the waiting list if there are a lot of district students already involved. It just depends on where you live and what the rules are.
Finally, if you are of driving age, you might check local college campuses for activity groups. They may have online boards, or you may have to go to the campus and search out old-fashioned boards in places like the library or student union.
Good luck! Angie
July 7th, 2010 at 6:06 am
Scouts…sports…homeschool co ops…
Youth groups, 4h…
Volunteering (Shelters, libraries, elder care, ASPCA)
There is so much out there…if you can’t find something, you aren’t trying very hard!
Many states now have equal access laws…requiring public schools to allow homeschoolers access to their extra curricular activities programs.
Our kids are scouting maniacs! And very into our church youth programs…as well as co op.
Our local support group has volunteer opportunities everywhere.
Soup kitchens, shelters, libraries…good grief! The problem isn’t FINDING something, it is picking which ones we can do, while still getting our book work done! Mom
July 8th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
You do things in your community which will generally offer more than a single local school could. For some ideas, here are some things I did during high school. I was homeschooled through high school, and I made it into my first choice university.
-Fencing
-Soccer
-Art classes
-Piano
-Guitar
-Bass guitar
-Playing in a 60’s rock and roll group
-Volunteering at the senior center
-Volunteering at the library
-Volunteering with community events and charities
-Tutoring elementary school students
-Library chess chub
-Library poetry club
-Library teen advisory committee
-Choir
-Drama club
-People to People Student Ambassadors
-LeadAmerica
-Science fairs
-Medical Explorers
-National Home School Honor Society
…etc. Just check your local parks and rec department, or find a homeschool group in your area to see what other homeschoolers are doing. It’s not hard at all. i_come_from_under_the_hill
July 10th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Anything you do that isn’t regular school work can count as an extracurricular activity. That includes any kind of volunteering, private music lessons, jobs, and any group activities you are able to do (e.g. sports, bands, etc.) that may or may not be connected with a local school. If you want to participate in a school’s extracurricular/after-school programs, check the laws in your area to see if you would be allowed. If not, see if you can join a group that already exists and is open to the public, or consider making one yourself. Starting your own group can be great for a transcript because it shows that you’re interested in outside activities AND that you have the motivation and initiative to get things done yourself if and when you need to. Aya
July 12th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Lots of ways.
Join a homeschool support group and get involved in their activities. If the group doesn’t have the activities you want, organize them. (Organizing activities yourself looks *really* good to colleges.) I’ve known teens to organize their own prom, as well as various clubs and activities.
Join an extracurricular group or activity that’s not associated with a particular school–There are a lot of groups that aren’t with a school. Check with the local recreation department for sports teams, the YMCA or community center for a variety of activities. 4-H and scouting aren’t restricted to schooled kids. Some libraries have activities or events for teens. A lot of organizations or activities designed for adults will allow motivated, interested teens to join.
Volunteer. There are lots of places you can volunteer–from the local public library, to a hospital or nursing home, a daycare center, a religious group, or a business in a field that you are thinking of working in as an adult, or some nonprofit organization or charitable group or cause.
Hobbies. Find a hobby that interests you–playing an instrument, sewing, building model airplanes, etc. Then look for groups that are related to that hobby–or create one. Whether in-person or online, you may find a group that shares your passion and might even offer ways to share your skills. Or find a way to use your hobby, such as playing your instrument to entertain sick or elderly people or whatever–use your imagination.
Get a job. Jobs can count as extracurricular activities, whether it is a job working for someone else or a job that you create for yourself (babysitting, lawn care, tutoring, running errands for an elderly person, selling items you’ve made, or whatever).
There are lots of possibilities. hsfromthestart