As the summer approaches, I'm thinking about our current year-round approach and wondering how many others there are out there. I've done year round homeschooling for K and 1st and it's really worked for us so far -- gives us lots of flexibility for time off throughout the year which is particularly helpful with DH's wacky schedule. It's also helped to keep DD focused -- I see that she really seems happier and our relationship is much better with structure. I work activities in and take days off whenever we feel like it during the summer, but still, I find myself feeling like keeping the momentum going during the summer is best for us. I still get a lot of flak from friends with ps kids on this one, which has given me a little pause of late. Can't help to rethink your schooling approach I suppose from time to time, even if you come to the same conclusion. Anyone else keeping the homeschool fires burning through the summer months?
I will at least do math 3 days a week, and come up with a reading list, but that's about it. I can't see taking the whole 3 months off and having to start all over again in the fall(they lose so much!) , but I need the break as much as they do!
We're going to try a year round schooling this coming school year. We'll be starting towards the end of June and doing six weeks on and two weeks off. I've considered doing year round before but never have. This year I am because our baby is due at the end of September and I wanted to have a decent start on the school year before the baby comes. I think I scheduled three weeks off for baby's arrival. We'll have two six week units done before baby, a third after baby and before December. We'll do a three week unit in December and move back to six week units after the holiday break. In all we'll have 39 weeks of school, most weeks we only do four days. I say if it works for your family why not? I personally think they retain more with shorter breaks in between learning sessions. I think that there are huge benefits to year round schooling.
Well we kind of work year around. We start our recorded year the Monday after the 4th of July (our state law says our year runs July 1st to June 30th). We school for 9 weeks and take a week off. We school for 9 more weeks and that brings us to the Friday before Thanksgiving. We take off 6 weeks then... The week of Thanksgiving through the week of New Years. The Monday after New Years we start our 3rd 9 weeks. We take a one week break then finish out our last 9 weeks about the 2nd week of May. We have an 8 week summer break. Now... Here is the thing.. when we have our long stretches of break.. 6 and 8 weeks, we are still learning. We still do math and reading, but everything else is more interest led and relaxed. Reagan can not have a break in reading and Rylee can not have a break in math, I learned these things the hard way. So we keep plugging along. This also allows for us to miss a day and not worry about it as well.
I would love to school year round, but they have a LOT of cousins who do Private School, and they want to "hang out" with them during the summer. Plus our summer schedule is chocked full of activities: gymnastics, art, VBS, water park, etc. This year as DD #2 will be 4 1/2 she will be learning to read !!! So that will keep us good and busy. I do have DD #1 do plenty of reading, just to keep her brain going. LOL
We school year around, with a long break in December and around July 4th. But we only do school 4 days a week and take week long breaks when we are getting bogged down. Sometimes we will only do math and reading for a while. We also change the schedule during the summer so the kids can go out and play in the mornings when it is cool.
We school pretty much year round too. We start our year officially the Monday after Labor Day and we finish toward the end of July, which gives us about a month in the summer to clean the house and prepare for the next school year. I don't do a set schedule of school for x number of weeks and then a week off, we just take a day here and there when we need to. We take a few days at Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone's birthday off. I also don't count field trip days as school days, even if they are educational. I only count the days we use our curriculum, just as a preference. We easily get our days in, but I like to finish the curriculum. I like year round better because my kids get bored and fussy after more than a couple of days off. During our month off, I keep them pretty busy with cleaning projects, getting ready for the fair, etc. The way I see it, if I'm going to be planning things for them to do anyway, we may as well be doing school work. We're all happier when we have structure.
Our school year runs from the first Monday after July 4th thru the last Friday in May. We take a week off in Sept, a weekfor thanksgiving, two weeks for Xmas, one week in Feb, and one week for Easter. We love doing school this way because we have more flexibility during the year, and the kids don't get so bored and they don't lose so much over the summer. Plus, the kids work better with a structured routine.
We're schooling every waking minute of every day. LOL... I know what you mean, though. We're taking June off for travel and summer camp, and we'll take a week or so in July because my dh has some forced vacation time coming, but that's it... just 5-6 weeks, and we'll start back in July after finishing in late May. We'll take a little time off here and there because of my work schedule in Fall. I like the flexibility of doing more school in summer and less when we're overscheduled in the Fall.
I agree with many of the previous posts.....they retain so much more if their breaks aren't too long. And even a break to us homeschoolers still involves some level of learning unlike some kiddos who do nothing educational for 2 or 3 months every summer. My family does best sticking to a routine, we thrive and function well off it. My kids kinda go bonkers if they get more than 3 weeks off of school or any sort of schedule. I was toying with the idea of sabbath schooling. Any of you ever heard of it or practiced it before? It's basically the idea that God created for 6 days & rested on the 7th. That us humans can pull strong for 6 weeks but seem to putter out a bit / lose motivation after 6 weeks & are designed for a rest ..... 6 weeks on / 7th week off as sabbath week.
We don't school year round but I've thought about it and am seriously considering it next year. We do continue math and reading over our summer break and I like them to keep practicing their handwriting some as well. Those things don't happen every day, though. I think we would all enjoy a year round schedule. Even with what we work on over summer, they get bored and ask to begin school.
I plan on schooling year round. My husband works a crazy schedule and it just makes more sense for us. I don't know if I will do a set school/off schedule yet. Just take a week or two when we need it. Whenever we take vacation, holiday, the boys' birthdays are all in one week of February, then just randomly to keep everyone refreshed. I like the idea of the 4 day week too.
We school year round. There are weeks where there can't be any school - too much other stuff is going on around the farm.... we have a lot of "excitement" I guess you could say (pigs.... goats.... cows... all broke out or something like that - LOL) My kids don't all complete their assignments at the same time either... Alexis is done with all her 7th grade work... has been for a month. Jake and Karina are still going - but they are in high school (10th & 11th).... So I moved Alexis on... and after looking at her schedule for next year - I think we will be enrolling her in 9th grade (she was held back a year in PS so it would be as if she "caught up")... I want her to get credit for her English and such as well as science, math and foreign language.
