Wonderful homeschool play group day

Yesterday was our homeschooling group's first day at Wells Park Community Center in Old Town. What a great time we had! The community center staff was courteous, friendly, and helpful and really made us feel welcome. They have a game room, a gym, a large activity room, a great playground, a large grassy field, and even a stage! We had brought a lot of our own board games and indoor toys for the kids but the Center manager told us we didn't need to do that--they have a whole closet full of games we can use. They also let us use the basketballs in the spacious gym.

One of the best things about yesterday was that we had a huge turnout. Sylvia counted 19 kids total and there were at least 10 adults. The kids ranged in age from 2 to 15. As I've come to expect at homeschooling gatherings, there was a natural flow to the day as kids moved from one activity to another, some indoors, some outdoors, creating games, mixing ages, and for the most part getting along really well. I always marvel at the argument that our homeschooled kids are missing out on "socialization." Which scenario is more like "the real world": 19 kids of all ages and 10 adults interacting with each other, creating, solving problems and working together OR one adult and up to 30 kids of the same age stuck in a room together with the adult trying to control the 30 kids (who for the most part are not allowed to interact with each other anyway)? After all, many of us were told in school "you're not here to socialize" weren't we?

With two new families joining us there was a good group of little girls playing for a while. Eliza is at the front of the photo with her head turned. Notice the haircut!



Eliza's friend Jane gave her a note.


Holly, one of the teens, hamming it up for the camera on the slide.


The Center's train set was a big hit.


A view of the big grassy lawn.


One of the surprises of the day was that Scotty and Spencer (usually like oil and water) actually played together!


Checking out the Yugioh and Pokemon cards.



The big gym was a huge hit. The little kids especially loved the spaciousness of it and had a great time running and shouting.