Summer is approaching. The leaves are finally green and our yard is sprouting vegetation. It’s so beautiful outside! And that means “summer vacation” will be here before you know it. Because we live in a climate that doesn’t make playing outside feasible year-round, it really means a lifestyle change with the seasons. And we really love the chance to be outside and enjoy nature and the outdoors.
The first three years of homeschooling we opted for a year-round schedule. We did this for many reasons; first being, my youngest was hospitalized often – forcing us to take unexpected breaks. Also, we liked having a week off here and there just to use when we needed it. At the time my kids were younger, and their academics were… well, not very academic. It was kind of fun to play school and they didn’t really get burned out like mom did. Keeping a schedule is so much easier for small children. Knowing what to expect just made the days tidier.
Fast forward. My little one has been hospital-free for over a year (Can I get an AMEN!? Amen!). My kids aren’t toddlers anymore. Third grade academics, while still not holding a candle to what I’m anticipating for junior high or high school, were meaty enough to render my oldest into a school-overloaded coma some days. School is… well, work. It’s not playtime like it used to be. And we all need a break.
So – I’m thinking of changing our schedule to allow us more of a summer break. We need it. I need it. But how much of a break?
Time has come to evaluate why we homeschool year round versus why we might take a more traditional summer break.
I have to evaluate what a summer free of academics would mean for our school year. Or really if we could do a summer free of academics. Here are my thoughts in the decision-making process:
• Little man is finally healthy. He needs time to be outside and just be a little boy.
• I worry about forgetting material we’ve learned. How much will we need to review to pull off a “summer vacation”?
• Will they really enjoy all that free time? What happens in a month when the “I’m bored” starts?
• How much harder will starting back up be after so much time to spend as they please?
• Is this going to cure their burn out? Will it cure mine?
So, I’d love to hear the decision making process you took to determine your schedule. Do you school or not during the summer? Why?
Darcy is the mom to three boys ages 8, 7, and 5 and blogs over at Life with My 3 Boybarians. She is the owner of a blog design business at www.graphicallydesigning.com. She and Handy Man live in Iowa…nowhere near a Starbucks.
We’re trying to find a balance, like everyone else. This summer, we’re taking a 5 week break, and the rest of our breaks are going to be spread throughout the school year. I do want the kids to have that time to sleep in and hang around, but not so long that they get bored. It’s so hot here in the summer, that it’s really not good outdoor playtime. I’d rather have the freedom to take short breaks during the rest of the seasons.
Dawn’s last blog post..Always counting to five…
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When we first started homeschooling 10 years ago we followed the “traditional school” schedule. School was from September to June and we took the normal vacation days. After two years we realized it was NOT working. Too much vacation time during the summer, too much school work bunched together during the fall/winter so both the children and I were getting burned out. Our third year I switched our schedule to three months on, one month off, and with one week off in the middle of the three months. We do school in January, February, and March with a week off in February. April is off. School again in May, June, and July, with a week off in the middle of June. August is off. Then school again for September, October, and November with a week off in October. December is off.
This schedule has allowed for some breathing time. During the month off I am able to evaluate what we’ve done and readjust curriculum as needed for the next three months. The week break also allows for a quick check to see how we are doing with our goals. We are able to have a month off during each season, especially around Christmas were we do “Christmas School” and have fun unit studies that draw our attention to the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
I’ve found the kids retain the knowledge they’ve learned better with only month long breaks. Burnout is almost non-existent for me and them, so learning is still a joy and not a drudgery.
Chocolate on my Cranium’s last blog post..Next Wordfull Wednesday Topic for May 27
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We school year round but during the summer probably only fit in 2 days a week or a little here and there that adds up to 2 days a week. We save school for days when it is raining or we don’t have much going on. We put most of our regular schoolwork away and do more fun projects, listen to audiobooks, work on lapbooks we didn’t have time for the rest of the year, and enjoy lots of outside nature study by going on hikes or just appreciating the nature in our own backyard and garden.
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We do year round school, but still do take a somewhat extended break in the summer.
Our year typically includes a month-long break in December and a 4-6 week break for the summer. Of course, we also take week-long breaks here and there throughout the year, as we finish units of study.
For example, this year we focused our studies on American History, and I used the American Girl books as a guide of topics. 9 girls – 4 weeks each, with a week in between. Adds up to 180, but spreads it out and gives us a time to regroup/take a break.
Next year, we’re using My Father’s World, and we’ll just go by their units. Some units will be 6 weeks before we break. Others will be 3-4, but in the end, it’ll work out.
Sarah Chia’s last blog post..Convenient Sacrifice
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We have tried school over the summer a few times and a few times no school at all. I found that the children forgot things if we didnt do anything. So I created light schedules in the summer months. We continue math skills, schedule a reading time and then fun learning projects that we work on 2-3 times during the week. They still have their fun and the schedule is light. This means mom still gets a break too.
Nikki
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We live on an island in the Pacific West Coast. Our summers are rather short – but when the hot weather hits (July – mid Sept) it’s just too warm to be indoors. The hot weather takes us to the many lakes and beaches available to us on Vancouver Island. For this reason, we’ve always taken the summer off. I usually school ’til mid June and then that’s it. I’ve never had a problem with my kids forgetting stuff. When they get bored (or when it’s a rainy day) we pull out the learning games, or plan a trip to the museum, or try out the latest science kit waiting to be opened. For more ideas, see this post: http://homeschooljourney.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/kids-got-imboreditis/
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Our homeschool journey started in 1995 and it has not been one way journey at all. When we started I had 3 children 5 and under and was pregant with number 4. As you can guess my days were busy just trying to stay sane!! ;o) As the kids got older we went to year round schooling, but only for a short time. As they got even older and were playing sports and getting to know public school kids they desired the summers off. We then went to a regular public school calendar. This enabled us to minister to other families, that we would not of been able to otherwise. Several of the children went to church and church activities with us and several families actually went to church. Praise God some of them even gave their lives to Christ!!
) If we had been officially schooling during those times, it would of been harder to make connections that we most likely would not normally make.
Now the kids are older. One just finished his first year of college, one will be a senior, one a sophmore and another an eighth grader. This summer will be crazy, because my college student will be having knee surgery. The two girls ( 17 & 15) will be working at a local amusement park and my ds 13 will be here with me. The plan is to school my 13 year old in the mornings, he really needs the extra help. My 15 year old dd will be starting Alg. 2 and possibly Chemistry. The 17 year old will be working on the SAT book to prepare for the test in the fall/winter.
There is so much variation in each family situation, that it is hard to say which way is better. We live in an area where our winters are very long, so being outside in the warm months in beneficial for us. I hope you have a great summer, no matter which way you decide to go!!
)
Lesley’s last blog post..Blogging Again
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We don’t do academics year round (I like how you put that). We take summers off for a few reasons:
a. I need a mental break — I tend to wear this homeschool mom hat too tightly and my world revolves around it. I need to be free of it completely so that I can enjoy other things, and my kids, without “we have to get school done” hanging over our heads.
b. I sign the kids up for everything that I can afford — swimming, archery, VBS, sport camps, chess, etc. These things are offered in abundance during the summer and not so much during the school year so we take advantage of these other learning opportunities.
c. Like the above post, I don’t want my kids to be unapproachable to traditionally schooled kids. If we school during the summer then they may not get the invites to lake days and campouts because people assume that they have to “do school.” Likewise, we can’t be salt and light to the world around us if our schedule won’t allow us to interact with them.
d. Kids grow in every way during the summer. I am acutely aware of their growth and take it all into consideration as I plan our path for the next year, purchase curriculum, etc. Having an extended break gives me room for extra clarity in making these decisions. e. I haven’t experienced that my kids need much by way of review in the fall. I’ve actually seen them grown in their abilities. For instance, my reluctant reader needed to have all the pressure taken off and during the summer he found the desire to give reading a shot. My oldest has explored his own interests during the summer, writing his own newspaper and finding entrepreneurial pursuits. We participate in the library summer reading programs as well (as many as we can find!).
With all that said, I admire families (i.e. moms) that can school all year long. Homeschooling is definitely diverse and beautiful.
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I’m with Debra above. We all need a break around here! I do some review of the weaker skills and we have a reading list. The only time I check off school days on our calendar is when we do field trips (disguised as vacations). The same day this came out, I got Homeschool Minute Newsletter from TOS discussing this very idea. I would be happy to forward it to anyone if you send me your email address.
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We year round it right now (and have since the beginning), but I was just thinking it through the other day. I don’t have a hard and fast “this is how it’s always gonna be” kind of mentality about it. Like yours, mine are all still young – the oldest (of our 4) will be second grade next year and I’m pregnant (again!) so I spend a lot of unplanned time laying on the couch sick and will probably be taking time off again after the baby’s born, so right now, working on through, well, just works for us. But I was thinking, when they get older and I’m not pregnant semi-constantly, we might change it up. I don’t know, I’m already so loosy-goosy, you never know what I’ll decide tomorrow! Good luck, girl! I know whatever you decide will be just right for your family – and if it’s not, you can always change it! Keep us updated – we’d love to know how it all works out for you this summer!
suzanne’s last blog post..When It Rains – The Girl Version
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We take the summer off. We used to school year ’round, but we’ve found that between swimming with friends, visiting grandparents for extended stays, mid-week sleepovers and all the other things that you can do during summer break that you can’t do during the regular school year, it’s hard to stay on track academically.
We’ll still be doing some things — reading, a page of math a couple of days a week, educational fun — but it won’t be the structured, every day school kind of stuff.
I also like to use summer to establish new habits (I’d planned to post about this very thing on my blog soon). For example, next school year, I want to have a silent reading time after lunch, during which everyone will choose a book – either something they’re reading for school or a just-for-fun book — and spend 20-30 minutes reading. All of us. Including me. If we get in the habit of doing that this summer, it will make it much easier to incorporate into our regular school day once we resume school in late-July or early-August.
I don’t count the summer days in which we do some academics as part of our “official” school year count for our state, but I keep them in the back of my mind for the light days that inevitably come up during the official school year.
As for review, I don’t find that we really need that much. We don’t use many workbooks, but the ones we do use include some review in the first several lessons. That’s proven to be enough for my kids.
Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers’s last blog post..Prayers Needed for Jessica Hulcy
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suzanne Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:31 am
what a great idea on establishing new habits! i love it!
suzanne’s last blog post..When It Rains – Partners In Crime
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We school year round. It doesn’t have to be nose-to-the-grindstone. You can mix things up, have more fun, spend more time out doors, take more field trips. I can’t imagine not doing something that is learning everyday. We definitely take breaks more often (or at least I feel we do), and by schooling year round, we take them when we want, or need, them.
Misty (elvisgirl)’s last blog post..Mother’s Day
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We homechool year round here. I have five children ages 7 years down to 2 months old. I also have two babies in heaven, which means that I have been pregnant and having babies 7 times in my 8 years of marriage.
Yeah, we like to take time off throughout the year.
For example this school year the newest baby was born in February so we took 4 weeks off when he arrived. We took a few weeks off at Christmas. We took a week off here and there when everyone needed a break or mom needed time to nap.
To make this happen we homeschool all year. During the summer we don’t do a full schedule, but instead choose a few focus areas. For my going in to 3rd grader the summer focus this year is math and writing. We’ll do it 4 days a week. But she also gets to choose a focus or two for the summer, and her picks are sewing and cooking. The whole family will have two summer focuses, scripture memory and sign language. None of these take a lot of time. They simply give us some routine to our days, around the playing outside and gardening and such. It gets pretty hot here in summer, so we actually do our school in the afternoon and play outside all morning when it is as cool as it is going to get.
Tristan’s last blog post..Watercolors and Paintbrushes
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Timely question…but then you knew that! I have always been staunchly opposed to year round school for our family. That is until this year. Our winters are long so I want to be out as much as we can in the summer. However, when it’s hot we are often inside! I’d like an extended break at some point in the summer but 9 or 10 weeks is a long time AND it feels even longer this time of year when we’ve been hitting the school schedule for too long. I enjoyed reading all of the options here. I kind of like the 3 mos on, 1 mos off approach. Hmmm…much to think about.
In the meantime, we always enjoy a summer adventure together. In the past, each child has chosen an adventure (an area of study) and I have provided resources for the adventure. This year we are taking a family adventure in gardening and building a weather station. Like Kris, we’ll be forming the new habit of recording the daily weather at least twice a day.
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http://www.homeschoolfreebie.com (Freebie of the Day) has some great free downloads on this very subject, today only! If you haven’t checked out this site before, they offer a new free homeschool download Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, but they are only available that one day. It’s a pretty cool site & I think todays downloads are very relavant.
Misty (elvisgirl)’s last blog post..Mother’s Day
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We take a summer break in our homeschool, as we are all burned out by year-end. We finish our school year at the end of May and then start again at the end of August. During the summer the boys go to camp, play baseball, take swimming lessons, go to the park, etc. Those things keep them busy until the end of August, when they’re ready to go back to school.
This summer we may try to do a subject here or there, perhaps focus on one area for a while and then switch. I sign the kids up for the library reading program which gives them incentives to read all summer long. However, they’re already reading books on their own while school is still in session.
Lisa V.’s last blog post..An Amazing Game
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We teach through the summer. With our days so hot here in the south, the kids do not want to be outside past 8 am in the morning anyway. They would just want to be sitting in front of the tv (a no-no here!) If we do a summer camp, it counts as “school.” My husband loves that we can take vacations at other times of the year. He is an avid hunter and the boys are becoming quite skilled. Taking off in the cooler fall/winter months allows them more time to hunt and camp together. I couldn’t even begin to imagine camping in July/August!
Charlene’s last blog post..Camp update
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Thank you all!
I have read and reread all of these wonderful, thought-provoking responses. I found it so interesting that, geographically, the same reasons why summer is our only chance outdoors are the very reasons many of you go inside. Climate, it turns out, is a deciding factor in your homeschool schedules!
I wanted to come back with a follow up of what my husband and I have decided. We’re taking a middle road:
We will take off from Memorial Day to 4th of July – about 6 weeks or so. Then we will start back on a lighter schedule still allowing us to play outside while the weather still allows.
Our burnout is tangible. At any rate, we needed some sort of break. The full 3 months seemed too much for us. And even during this break we are maintaining our reading schedules. But still taking time for baseball games, cook outs, landscaping, gardening, riding bikes and all the things summer means!
Thanks for the feedback. I loved hearing from all of you in comments and email.
Warmly,
Darcy
darcy @lwm3b’s last blog post..On Turning Nine…
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We homeschool year round but we take a lot of days off in the summer. We end up taking off time during the rest of the year for little things so it we kind of have to homeschool through the summer. We do a lot of half days and take days off when the kids want to go fishing or something like that.
pattyandthemoos’s last blog post..Summer is here!
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