A lot of our homeschooling friends do school year round, which is great if it's what works best for their family. We though, prefer to take a long break from formal lessons each summer.
Taking the summer off from formal lessons gives us lots of time for hiking and camping trips, baking projects, arts and crafts, day trips, and anything else that strikes our fancy.
Here are 5 reasons to consider not homeschooling through the summer:
My Kids Need A Break:
By the time spring hits my daughter just starts losing interest in school. When she's burned out and frustrated, I don't feel like she absorbs information as well. She really NEEDS the time to relax and be free all summer so she's recharged and ready for next year when fall comes.
I Need A Break:
I don't know about other homeschooling moms, but I really need a break. I need time to relax and recharge too. I need time to focus on other projects that tend to get neglected and placed on the back burner during the school year.
More Time With Friends And Family:
Taking the summer off makes it easier to spend time with our non homeschooling friends and family members. All my kid's cousins and many of our friends go to public school and get summers off. My kids really love getting the opportunity to spend more time with them during the summer.
It also gives us time to travel out of town to visit friends and family who we don't get to see often. And it gives us plenty of time to visit with my sister and her kids who often come to visit from out of state during summer break.
It also gives us time to travel out of town to visit friends and family who we don't get to see often. And it gives us plenty of time to visit with my sister and her kids who often come to visit from out of state during summer break.
More Time For Life Skills and Non Academic Learning:
Often times, too much emphasis is put on academic learning when there are tons of other things worth knowing in this world. My daughter's goals for this summer are: to get better at swimming, learn to prep her own fishing pole, learn to use our sewing machine, and master riding her bike without training wheels. All important skills in my opinion.
Not to mention, learning happens naturally all the time. Our kids pick up so much information from just interacting with the world around them.
Time To Get Prepared For Next School Year:
Another reason I like having some time off, is to prepare for next year. I like having time to shop around for next year's books, curriculum and school supplies. And I really need time to go through everything and make a rough plan for the year.
Often our science and social studies curriculum need additional supplies, taking some time off gives me time to get everything purchased and put together.
Does your family take summer's off or do you school year round?
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my son has basics he keeps doing (like math/language arts) but otherwise we don't do a whole lot else. It's a half hour out of his day so it's not like it's a huge drain on his life eh? :)
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