As seen in The Old Schoolhouse, Fall 2024.
The archery way is to compete with honesty and integrity. Honesty is an expectation; sportsmanship and composure are obligations. These are values that frequently resonate with homeschooling families.
Archery for youth is aimed at improving educational performance among students grades four through twelve. Through archery, children learn focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the lessons required to be successful in life.
These principles often align with many homeschoolers, too. After all, many of the same things that affect students in public or private schools affect the homeschool student. Having students participate in archery supports the mission of educators—in this case, parents.
The Magic of Archery
Archery is proven to captivate students, and anyone can participate. This is a sport that doesn’t favor the tallest, fastest, or strongest person; boys and girls can shoot side by side as archery levels the playing field. Archery can be done indoors or outdoors and is an extracurricular activity that has been proven to reach and engage students who were previously uninterested in secondary activities.
And you don’t just have to take my word for it. Kristy Montgomery is an archery coach with the SCOPE Homeschool Group in Wisconsin. She has seen firsthand the benefits of archery for all kids.
“I’ve watched students who were struggling with low muscle tone in their upper bodies grow physically and mentally stronger through archery. I’ve been witness to children who were generally introverted completely come alive in a team setting,” she said. “I feel like archery has the unique ability to reach more people than any other sport out there.”
What Can Archery Do for Your Learners?
Whether you are leading high achievers or having challenges with your learner being disconnected or disengaged, archery is the great equalizer and motivator. As a former educator, I know kids need to feel success.
Archery can be presented to anyone and everyone. When a child gets hold of a bow and arrow and can send it to the target, they like it. They figure out how to do it again; they talk about it with their peers and at home. The most common feedback we receive is, “My child never cared about anything before. Now they care a lot about archery.”
Here’s the secret: it’s not the archery; it’s the opportunity to succeed. Regardless of any other factor, kids need to find the things that lead to their success. The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) works to make the process of bringing archery into your homeschool environment very doable for parents who want to provide the opportunity to succeed and the benefits of success.
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“This is a sport that doesn’t favor the tallest, fastest, or strongest person; boys and girls can shoot side by side as archery levels the playing field.”
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Archery and Homeschools
For any parent looking to help instill focus, patience, success—tools needed to deal with failure and regular life—NASP® works to ensure archery is not out of reach for those homeschooling, regardless of the state they live in. Having been both an educator and parent, I’m very understanding and supportive of any parent who takes on the immense responsibility of educating their own child.
A school participating in a sanctioned Archery in the Schools program, regardless of what kind of school, has a certified instructor leading the program. Each instructor must be Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) trained, utilize approved equipment for safety, and agree to provide instruction during the school day. For homeschooling families, it’s an easy road-map to get involved.
While it can seem overwhelming at first glance, here’s what homeschooling families discover: they already get together in groups, whether it’s for field trips, clubs, cooperatives, etc. Any homeschool group can work with their state coordinator to get started introducing archery to the group. Everything runs through the state coordinator, and we’re here to help.
Kristy affirms that getting started as a homeschool group isn’t difficult, and NASP welcomes homeschool participation, and she can testify to the power of archery firsthand.
“My introduction to the world of archery came through a free archery class offered by a local church,” Kristy said. “I brought my children to the class for several weeks. During the last five minutes of the hour-long class, the instructor would allow parents to take a turn on the range. I fell in love immediately. Within a month of shooting my first arrow, the instructor had me working with students. Getting my BAI training was a natural next step for my new-found passion. I’ve added three other archery instructor certifications since then.”
In 2023, more than 1,300 new schools joined the NASP® program, and 66 percent of participants were first-time archers. Equipment grants are available for new groups beginning the program. And children can choose to participate in archery competitions or participate without the competitive element. Approximately 1.3 million children participate in NASP® and only 11 to 12 percent participate in competitions; the competition part is truly optional.
NASP® is committed to supporting homeschooling families because we support anything that helps the mission of educators. In this case, that’s parents. Any homeschool parent can introduce his or her child to safe and enjoyable participation in archery. That means your homeschool can be a NASP school.
The first step is simply to reach out to your state’s NASP® coordinator who will help you determine the next steps specific to your situation and your state.
Archery in the schools is truly changing lives one arrow at a time. Watch what happens when your learner participates for the first time, and you’ll be hooked too.
The original article can be found in the Fall 2024 issue of The Old Schoolhouse.