skating season has ended

Skating season, for us, has ended until next fall. Sam learned to skate from not being able to stand on the ice! He can bunny-hop, skate around pylons and hardly ever falls down. He had so much fun just being part of the group, being smallest and the least experienced didn't phase him, it didn't really even register. This is what I love about joining specifically home learning groups. The age and ability range does not matter to the children. They readily accept that they are all on individual paths in their learning, have no need to compete or compare, and simply enjoy doing it together. Something I enjoy in particular is witnessing older, more experienced children, naturally helping out and encouraging the smaller or less experienced. This has always been the case wherever we have participated.

One of Sam's favorite ways of spending "free time" on the ice: ice bowling! He enjoyed meticulously and tirelessly setting up the pins and then taking several shots with a rubber soccer ball, trying to knock them all down.

I didn't get a shot of Kale during his "free ice time" because as soon as he could, he scooted down to the far end of the ice to join in on a impromptu game of ice hockey - his all time favorite ice activity. He expressed that while he enjoyed the skating lessons, he isn't sure he really "needs" them as he is happy with knowing how to skate well enough to play hockey and he feels confident he has reached that point. He trusts he'll improve his skating skills naturally simply through playing ice hockey more often. I believe there's wisdom in that thinking, for sure.

Graduation!

The coaches gathered the group at the end to take a shot of them together, in celebration of a successful and fun series of lessons and three of the children completing level 7, the last of the rec level lessons.