Selecting your family's mix of enrichment activities
is an ongoing process, but as each decision to participate is made, you,
of course, must complete the process of incorporating the activity into
your family's planner. Without this blueprint, you'll quickly find your
family being unprepared and missing events. And, as you're fully aware
by now, with the getting-ready and wrapping-up phases, there's more to
scheduling the activity than just writing the meeting time on your
calendar.
Scheduling All Phases of the Activity
The decision to take music lessons, for example, will entail all of the items listed in Table 1. Participating in a sport will require time in the schedule for all of the steps in Table 2.
Participating in Scouts will involve setting aside both fixed times and
flexible times to meet all of the requirements and enjoy all of the
rewards, as you can see from Table 3.
Table 1. Music Lessons To Do List
| Purchase music books or sheet music. |
| Rent or buy instrument. |
| Rent or buy instrument case. |
| Tune the instrument. |
| Repair the instrument. |
| Buy spare parts for the instrument, if appropriate. |
| Clean the instrument. |
| Practice. |
| Attend lessons. |
| Invite family/friends to recital or performance. |
| Attend recital or performance. |
Table 2. Sports To Do List
| Purchase or rent equipment. |
| Maintain/clean equipment. |
| Engage in physical conditioning. |
| Practice. |
| Participate in games/competitions. |
| Invite family/friends to games/competitions. |
| Attend parties after games/competitions. |
| Travel. |
Table 3. Scouting To Do List
| Attend regular meetings. |
| Work on projects. |
| Earn merit badges. |
| Buy uniform. |
| Clean uniform. |
| Sew badges on uniform. |
| Buy/borrow camping equipment. |
| Pack for camping. |
| Go camping. |
| Clean camping equipment. |
| Attend award banquets. |
| March in parades. |
| Participate in community service projects. |
note
Whatever your
activities, by now you should know that you need to create a
comprehensive to do list, break it down into as many small components as
you need, estimate the amount of time each item will take, indicate who
needs to be involved in each task, and then schedule each item into the
participant's personal schedule and into the family's planner.
Setting Up Systems to Save Time
With activities
that demand so much involvement by so many people in your family, you'll
be much better able to maintain a steady pace if you set up some
systems to handle the routine aspects of the activities as efficiently
as possible.
All structured enrichment pursuits require the participants to attend
practices, lessons, performances, events, or classes. And they all
require the participants to bring with them some amount of equipment or
supplies. An easy way to cut down on lost minutes and stress is to make
sure that each activity's stuff is stored in a portable container. Tote
bags or duffle bags work well for lots of different types of equipment
and are easy to fill, store, and grab. |
note
Musical
instrument cases are available for almost any instrument. You can find a
variety of options for your instrument on the Internet by using your
favorite browser and a search phrase consisting of the name of your
instrument and the word “case” (example: cello case). One company that
makes cases for a wide assortment of instruments is PRO TEC
International. Suggested retail: $35–$179. Website: www.ptcases.com |
If you're dealing
with more delicate music or sports equipment, you might find it worth
investing in a pack especially designed for the particular instrument
(see Figure 1) or sport (see Figure 2).
These packs are designed for easy carrying, and many of them are
available as backpacks for hands-free and back-friendly portability.
They're also designed to contain all of the accessories that go along
with the main equipment. If you have a Scout in your family, consider
supplying him with a hand-powered flashlight for camping to eliminate
the need for last-minute scrambling to replace weak or dead batteries
(see Figure 3).
note
Sports
equipment bags are available for almost any sport. You can find a
variety of options for your sport on the Internet by using your favorite
browser and a search phrase consisting of the name of your sport and
the words “equipment bag” (example: hockey equipment bag). One company
that makes equipment bags for a wide variety of sports is Wilson
Sporting Goods. Suggested retail: $15–$110. Website: www.wilson.com |
note
Coghlan's Dynalite flashlight works using friction instead of batteries. Suggested retail: $6.59. Website: www.coghlans.com |
Periodically Reevaluating Enrichment Activity Schedules
If you find that your
family—or a member of your family—is having trouble keeping up with
every commitment, then you shouldn't hesitate to insist upon a
reevaluation of your situation. Although many choices will be appealing,
there's no need to try to do everything at once. You can encourage—or
require—family members to limit themselves to a certain small number of
activities at a time. Then, when it's time to reregister for the
activity, find out whether they would like to stick with it or give
something new a try. The real advantages to enrichment activities are
that they don't require a long-term commitment and that participants can
move in and out of them with relative ease.
tip
Remember that six or
eight weeks of an activity for children will seem like a very long time
because it's a large percentage of their lifetime. So, unless they have
truly found their passions, switching activities at that interval will
not seem too soon.
Remember that your
family members need to find these pursuits enjoyable, not
stress-inducing, for them to be beneficial. There are many factors to
consider when selecting the right blend of activities for each person,
but how those activities fit the individual's and the family's schedule
is one very important determinant.
