Do you plan to homeschool year round?

940 Views 40 Replies 29 Participants Last post by HillbillyJohn, Apr 4, 2006

AnnR33

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2006

First off, I know we all educate our kids informally all the time.
But as far as having them "officially" do some school-do you plan on doing it year round? If you do take time off is it for the whole summer or less time?
This is our first year hsing (1st grade) and I plan on continuing his work with Explode the Code, math, and reading into the summer. I'm going to have him start a journal for writing practice. Nothing heavy-just ask him to write a few sentences each day about a specific topic or something he did.

I figure he'll take a week off here and there when we go on vacation and that will be a nice break for him. We also won't do any lessons other than reading on Fridays since that 's all we do now in addition to our co-op science class.

He's also doing a few day camps (farm and beach) so I can easily do a mini-unit study in a low key way I think with some reading, art, science, and writing.

How do you do summer-time school?
Thanks
Ann

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callmemama

· #2 · Mar 31, 2006

As unschoolers, we learn all year long. But I know you didn't want that answer since we don't do "formal" school.

annethcz

· #3 · Mar 31, 2006

Yes. We're relaxed homeschoolers. We take days/weeks off here and there during different times of the year. My kids are still young, about the age of your kids, and they enjoy the 'school' activities we do during the day.

blbcHelvsme

· #4 · Mar 31, 2006

yes, there is sooo much to do and learn in the summer.

AnnR33

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 31, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by callmemama
As unschoolers, we learn all year long. But I know you didn't want that answer since we don't do "formal" school.

It's not that I don't want that answer-as I started in my post I agree that we learn/teach informally or in "practical" ways if you prefer a different word, all the time. "Informally" was not intended in any negative way.

I'm just looking for info from those that do school in a more "traditional" sense for lack of a better term.

thanks
Ann

3momkmb

· #6 · Mar 31, 2006

We do school year round although in the summer we do scale back. I usually try to have it be a fun unit study type project and we do school an average of 3 days a week.

Last summer we did Read to Feed curriculum and the summer before we did a world cultures unit (a region a week; we read a fable, learned about a holiday, did an art project and cooked a foos from each).

Butter

· #7 · Mar 31, 2006

We do year round school and take time off as needed. We were able to easily take a week off in February when my grandmother died and then another couple weeks off not long after when we were all really sick one after another. Since my kids have never been in school they don't really have a concept of a school calendar.

warriorprincess

· #8 · Mar 31, 2006

We take summer off because of all the schooled friends my kids have. It gives them the chance to just play with them.

marilynmama

· #9 · Mar 31, 2006

We are *very* relaxed homeschoolers but we do hs all year around. Mainly because I'm in school full time so the summers and stuff I am not so busy so we do more schooly type stuff I suppose when I can focus more on my kids (school takes up a lot of my time).

They play more than they school though, during the summer for instance we would only work on math problems if all her friends were gone for the day or something. Most of my kids friends are public/private school friends as well and playtime is important to us.

muttix2

· #10 · Mar 31, 2006

2

We do year round. What we plan to do for this summer for my sister (my dc are young so they're not on any strict schedule) is have her take 3 weeks off, 1 week at a time with 3 weeks in between. I find that if she has more time than that at a time, she loses it all. We did this at Christmas, I ended up giving her more time and regretted it big time. She forgot almost EVERYTHING. We had to start almost completely over, four months of stuff just gone.

We always planned to year round school but w/my sister we're going to keep the breaks to a week at a time throughout the year.

We do have a few breaks scheduled throughout the year. In March/April (depending on how things are going/what's going on) we take a week off. Then another one in June, 1 week in July, and one week in August. Christmas is scheduled for about 2 weeks starting a little before Christmas (whenever we feel like it) and lasting past the Epiphany. Other than that, we just break as needed.

I've discovered that sometimes a total break isn't needed. The past couple weeks we've stepped back from the heavy academics while my sister has explored some other things. We're going to be starting the heavy schedule again on Monday but even though she didn't completely stop with the formal learning she is refreshed.

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phathui5

· #11 · Mar 31, 2006

We homeschool year round, taking breaks as needed, and plan to continue doing so.

natashaccat

· #12 · Mar 31, 2006

I've just started but I do plan to HS year round. Arbitrary start-stop dates just don't make sense to me.

thistle

· #13 · Mar 31, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by natashaccat
I've just started but I do plan to HS year round. Arbitrary start-stop dates just don't make sense to me.

:

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frogguruami

· #14 · Mar 31, 2006

My oldest was in PS and is aware of summer break. He insists on it. He also has a few PS friends that have informed him that school ends in May. So I agreed that as soon as he finishes his math and science books he can take time off until September. However I do plan to continue reading and informal science. I will also continue our Magic Tree House Units.

My youngest doesn't handle change well so we will continue school year round for him. Mainly when he is in the mood. The only thing he does right now is math so it isn't much of a big deal.

courtenay_e

· #15 · Mar 31, 2006

Just started the "formal" stuff recently with my 4 yo. I plan to school all year. It just makes sense to me...there are so many things to learn about in the summer...in the garden, at the zoo, at the beach...all these things are of immediate interest to her, so keeping the interest piqued and helping her to learn her science/math/reading-writing while we're doing it just makes sense to me. The cool and exciting thing to me is that, when they (also have a 2.5yo) are just a little older, we can start taking trips all over the place that make civics, history, science etc. just ALIVE, and spring/summer/early fall is such a definatley more pleasant time (if more expensive) to travel.

lilyka

· #16 · Mar 31, 2006

2

we do school all year round. nothing sucks more than getting back into the habit of something. we only spend about 1-2 hours a day. its not like it is a crunch to fit it into our day.

and they are generally much more effecient in the summer. we are slow as molasses in the winter and take many weeks off around Christmas (I have a little business and we usually are really busy before Christmas - - making money for Christmas gifts

) so summer is almost not optional. This is the first year we have really gotten in a grove. I don't want to wreck it by taking a large chunck of time off. it is so much swifter if we don't have to work on developing good habits along with studying. the more steady we are the easier the work is and the less time it takes per day.

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umbrella

· #17 · Mar 31, 2006

We do use some traditional materials, but our approach is more unschooly, so yes, it's year-round.

Ravin

· #18 · Mar 31, 2006

I expect we'll hit the books fairly heavily during the summer, because it's so frickin' hot here there's not much outside time desirable. We'll slack off more when the weather is amenable to outdoor play, and take breaks for holidays (which are more concentrated in fall/winter). The exception will be if we go visit relatives to escape the heat, then playing with the cousins will take priority over lessons.

UlrikeDG

· #19 · Mar 31, 2006

When we used a curriculum, we did homeschool year round.

Now, we unschool, so we're "always" and "never" homeschooling.

muttix2

· #20 · Mar 31, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilyka
it is so much swifter if we don't have to work on developing good habits along with studying. the more steady we are the easier the work is and the less time it takes per day.

Exactly.

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