Homeschool kids

Today was homeschool soccer day at Pier 40, over on the far west side. It's only our 2nd time there, but L barrelled in like she was born on astroturf. It helps that one of her favorite boys, Lu. from nursery school, is also there. They were tumbling around, dribbling soccer balls around, over, through the little traffic cones. As we were leaving, L said, very satisfied, "I like the soccer teacher. I don't know his name, but I like him." Coach Manny, for the record.

One thing I've noticed is that homeschool kids play differently than public-school kids. At least as far as I can tell from my limited experience. In the school playgrounds, there was always a big group of boys roughhousing, doing "boy" stuff and a big group of girls chasing each other and doing "girl" stuff. And these groups are further divided by ethnicity. And age. Very rarely do these groups interact.

The homeschool kids seem more fluid. Boys and girls. Black and white (I haven't met Asian homeschoolers yet, though I've heard rumours they exist). Age groups. The kids also seem much more at ease with adults. They actually initiate conversations! The boys are still rough and tumble, and the girls still play with dolls, but the groups seem to touch each other more frequently. It's kind of cool.