After saying each to their own, now I'm going to butt in again. I guess what I don't understand (and I am genuinely interested in the answer), is why does this need to learn and be stimulated have to happen outside the home? Why not provide kids with stimulating things to do at home too, which they can manage themselves? DD5 is really in to science at the moment, but she's just starting school. There are science clubs I could send her to, but in reality she's an introverted (though social) kid who I suspect will find 5 days a week in school a challenge from an emotional energy perspective. Once she's settled in we'll look in to activities more. In the mean time I've signed her up to one class and spent the money I would have spent on a science club on equipment for her to study science at home. I got a microscope, basic chemistry set, electronics kits, etc. This she can fill her time with, come up with her own ideas, set up her own projects. Even with an additional extra-curricula activity or two we would make sure she had access to and time for following her own interests in her own time (though I wouldn't have invested in all that stuff without being pretty sure she was going to use it - though it will all be useful over time anyway).
Now my kid is a demanding kid, she wants and craves interaction and stimulation all day every day. Sometime I wish I could hit the off switch. So I get that there are kids for whom 5 days a week of school simply isn't enough stimulation and they're going to want/need more - but I don't understand why all of it needs to be structured and directed and presented by an expert (though I appreciate there is a place for that too). There aren't too many passions that's can't be nourished, at least in part, away from a class.
I am interested in what benefits those of you, whose kids do do a lot of outsourced activities, see your children getting from being �overscheduled�? What makes it better than spending time footling about with your own ideas, in your family�s case? (Some have already been touched on I know, and I hope I don�t sound like I am being flippant � I am genuinely interested in the answer). Sorry Ren, I hope I haven�t hijacked your post � I think my questions are related, but will start new thread if more appropriate.
