Originally Posted by
StantonHyde
I have ridden competed at various stages in my life. Yes, you can probably find a cheap barn to take weekly lessons--in your case, bisous, I would say you would have to drive 2 hours inland to find that!!! I will confess that I am glad my kids were not bitten by the horse bug. Lots of money and time. In any area, there are usually cheap lesson programs through parks and rec. For us, figure skating was dirt cheap and each kid did 6 weeks of lessons once (thank goodness not more--cuz that is big bucks after a while). Ski/snowboard lesson/rental programs through the schools or various organizations are cheap here. It just depends. What about water sports in California? I have a friend here who loves kayaking. You can rent kayaks at REI or at a local college/university sometimes. She goes to local reservoirs/lakes and kayaks with her kids. You can find cheap boats on local "craigs list" type things or see if those rental places are selling any.
This is great advice and on that same note, if you are looking for outdoor activites ideas, scouting might be a great fit for one or more of your kids. It would introduce your kids to so many activities and if the Scoutmaster and trouo leadership is strong, it will be well-planned-out and organized. Scouting can be very expensive but doesn’t have to be. A well-established Troup should have its own supplies and and provide financial aid (this may not be true of all troupe).
Neither Dh or myself or anyone I knew was actively involved in scouting growing up. But through scouting my boys and daughter have tried archery, fishing, hiking and identifying birds, insects and wildlife. They have learned first aid, winter safety, how to build a shelter in summer and winter, photography, codes and signals, personal money management, responsible environment management, different types of energy, cooking outdoors, planning, shopping for and managing others to prepare a meal for 11 people (including cleanup), etc. Dh and volunteered to supervise when we could but they worked with our schedule. The troop emphasis is on helping the kids participate as much as they wanted not being limited by their parents’ availability. Many of the activities were quite strenuous. My kids sleep well after a day or weekend with their troop! There are Organization-wide rules for COVID safety too which individual troops are obliged to follow. For the most part, I’ve been impressed with how they’ve complied (they backed down and listened to reason when they tried something unsafe). It might be a good fit for your kids. It doesn’t cost anything to attend a few meetings to get a feel for the group.
" I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi
"This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.