Thursday, May 28, 2009

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

For about a month now, we've gotten together with ten or so homeschool families to play pick-up baseball once a week. It's been awesome.



From pick up baseball


From pick up baseball


The kids range in age from four to fifteen, and I'm continually amazed at the patience and kindness of the older ones to the younger ones, and the capacity for understanding the game and tenacity of the younger ones.



From pick up baseball


From pick up baseball


They don't know all the rules (or, sometimes, practically any), but they take coaching very well, and their joy at just being on the field is palpable.



From pick up baseball


From pick up baseball


From pick up baseball


From pick up baseball


From pick up baseball


We started pick-up baseball because we wanted an inexpensive, low-key way for the kids to play ball, but it's become something more, now, at least for me.



It's the embodiment of good socialization; when the kids get frustrated, friends help them out. When the facilitator (me) gets a back injury, other parents take over. When the town in which the field is located tells us they need money (oddly, for reasons of 'liability'), participants step up in such numbers that it ends up only costing $10 per family for two months of baseball. When these kids' parents who work outside the home want a day off, several of them choose pick-up baseball day.



It's not just baseball anymore. It's a community.

5 comments:

heather said...

Thank you Karen for bringing together our community.
Hoping for a rain free Wednesday,
Heather, Miles and Willow

Anonymous said...

This is SUCH a great idea. I love that it ranges across different age groups. Man, now I want my OWN pick up baseball group. Only problem, I would SO want to play too!

Karen said...

Heather - thanks for being part of it :-)

Topsy - you can SO play too! Lots of parents do, it makes it more fun. Oh, I hope you start up a group where you live...

Susan said...

One of our homeschool groups has a yearly Olympic games...which we'll be missing since we are traveling...but I get the same feeling from seeing the kids support and encourage each other, the big kids helping and cheering the little ones, and moms handing out and kids delighted with all the homemade prize ribbons.

Dave said...

Did somebody say community? Wow. THAT is a lost art. Great article on how to get it back! :)