Tag: Watertown

BBHSing is Hard, Part 1

When we ultimately came to realize our kids needed homeschooling, I was a totally newbie. I literally started out with the web search “What is homeschooling?”

Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

Wow, did I have a lot to learn back then. Based on rose-colored accounts of homeschooling in blogs and message boards for newbies, I started out thinking classical education would be best for our family. I started out thinking it wouldn’t be hard to make connections. I started out thinking coops were common wherever homeschoolers were. I was so optimistic, unprepared and naive. (Optimism has been one of my faults for a long time.)

Learning that homeschooling is not homogeneous* was probably my first surprise. Given how welcoming everyone sounded online when discussing homeschooling, I really was unprepared for the tension between various philosophical tribes of homeschooling.

I remember our first organized homeschooling class was a fall sport clinic. I went there with such excitement to be meeting local homeschoolers, but was quickly met with blank stares when I went to introduce myself to the field-side moms. I immediately felt like I was back in elementary school, trying to make friends at a new school with a very chilly social environment.

I tried again in the winter at the MFA homeschool classes and made some promising connections, but it was hard to socialize while accompanying my high needs 5 year old through his Artful Adventures class.

Spring came and we tried the Watertown playgroup at Arsenal Park. By then I was already struggling with isolation and worn down a bit by the demands of homeschooling. So arriving at Arsenal and not knowing anyone at a busy, fairly spread out park, was very hard for me to cope with. By then I already knew that there were homeschooling social pitfalls I couldn’t easily predict, which made branching out feel very difficult.

As a second-choice homeschooler, I naturally found more in common with other second-choice homeschoolers. We are a pragmatic bunch. But one of the downsides to making friends with second-choicers was that they might change things up as needs and strengths evolved. Our first homseschool friends all went back to school within the first 2 years of meeting them.

First-choicers are homeschooling for an entirely different set of reasons and had a well formed sense of identity and purpose for their homeschooling family. They weren’t ever going to send their kids to school. This is a lovely set of life choices, and I have always admired and also envied their certainty and preparation. But the difference in our reasons for homeschooling was fundamentally tied to how different we were as people and that inhibited the formation of closer ties.

* Although homeschooling in this area is NOT as racially diverse as the general population.

Stick around for Part 2, coming tomorrow!

Winter Socializing on the Cheap

This BBHS family lives in a tiny apartment. It’s so small, we barely have enough room for all 4 of us to sit and watch TV. If we have one more person over for dinner, we have to move the couch and bring the table out of the kitchen. If you come into our apartment, I would say, “welcome, let me give you a tour, here’s all of it!”

Having playdate, or teaching a class together over here isn’t comfortable or practical. In warm months we can meet people anywhere outside, but when it turns cold we have to be creative about where to spend time with friends. This post is dedicated to BBHSers with similar challenges to having friends visit.

Places that are Free

A Library is a great place to meet up; it’s free, children’s rooms often have board games kids can play together, or other activities such as crafts, movies and more. The downside is that there aren’t many opportunities for gross motor activities if the kids are bigger than toddlers. I always appreciate libraries where the kids’ room is separate from the rest of the library. The Main branches of the Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown libraries all have very nice, seperate kids’ rooms. In Cambridge and Somerville, there are playgrounds right outside as well.

The entrance to the Children's Library at the Copley branch of the Boston Public Library.
The BPL’s Children’s Library at the Main branch. Source: BBHS

There is a winter games day meetup at the Arlington Fox Library organized on the Homeschoolting Together Boston group. This is something you might consider starting up at a library nearer to you! This location is convenient to the 77, 79 and 350 MBTA busses.

Hiking/Going for a walk is also a good, cheap activity that’s better with friends. In winter you just have to have good enough outerwear and know where the nearest bathrooms are. If you need some inspiration or ideas on city locations for hiking, check out Outdoors Rx! When you register and sign up for their newsletter you can join their organized activities in and around Boston for free. If you just want information on where to spend time outdoors in nature in the city, check out their brochures on Boston (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan), Chealsea/Revere, Framingham, and Waltham.

Almost Free/Cheap

Go with your friends to a museum’s free/cheap day! Or take advantage of library free admission museum passes. Most of the bigger museums in the area have days and times with free admission or admission by voluntary donation (which can be zero dollars, too). Visit the website of a museum you’re interested in to find out if they offer free admission days/times.

The Museum of Science is a decent place for indoor, gross motor opportunities. You can easily get a free admission pass from various libraries. There’s the Science Playground on the top floor (although they got rid of the running feature) and the Charles River Exhibit on the lowest level for some wonderful sensory play. If it isn’t busy, it’s not much of a problem for the kiddos to run a little bit. I’m not advocating full on running, just noting that it’s an indoor space where it’s more acceptable for the kids to get out some big movements. Also, there’s a lot to see without needing a ticket, such as the little zoo and hands on lab (check schedule for topics and hours) both downstairs from the Discovery Center, the ball machine and the solar system exhibit outside the Omni Theater.

If you have favorite go-to places for meeting up with friends in winter, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!