Chess and Checkers

It seems that the latest craze among many of the kids in our homeschool group is chess and checkers, sooooooooo, we started a group! Twenty-odd kids, lots of space to spread out, chess and checkers boards galore. It strikes me again, that for us homeschooling really is about time (among other things). There is nothing extraordinary about this group - there are no 'professionals', no expensive equipment, no learning objectives. It is just about giving the children the time and space that they need to explore what is of interest to them right now. Everyone is improving their skills, by either playing with people more skilled than they are, or by teaching those who are less skilled. And they all had a great time. And there were no tears, name calling, or hitting. WOW.