WWYD about summer break if you were in my shoes

[plain jane]

I've tried hs'ing year round but it's not for our family. :)

 

We usually take from June through to August off (8 weeks). I do continue with math because I the one time I didn't, we spent far too much time in review during the fall.

 

Now, I'm concerned about WWE. We've finished up WWE3 this year and it was a struggle. Doable, but definitely challenging and difficult, especially the dictations. I'm concerned that we're going to have some regression over the summer months if I stop completely. Still, I don't want to do school during the summer. :tongue_smilie:

 

If you were in my shoes, would you throw caution to the wind :D and take 2 months off, or would you start into WWE4 but doing it at half speed, maybe one narration one week, one dictation the next, etc.?

[Ann@thebeach]

start into WWE4 but doing it at half speed, maybe one narration one week, one dictation the next, etc.?

 

This is what I would do if you really didn't want to lose ground.

 

The other option is using the WWE principles but with books of your child's choice or other enjoyable books you pick out. This way your child is getting practice but not necessarily so that they know it or realize it's "school work" ;)

[RahRah]

I'm fairly new to this and toyed with taking the summer off (DS is 5 and will turn 6 in mid-August), but decided to set the stage for year-round HSing since our schedule isn't always predictable - DH works an incredible schedule, with most Sunday's off, half-days on most Saturdays and M-F...so when he gets a weekend off, I want to be able to do stuff with him and DS, when he gets a quick longer weekend off (just did last weekend) we like to get away somewhere, and when he has a conference, we travel with him too....we never know when he'll be able to schedule his one vacation a year, so I need to remain flexible....and I think simply planning to do HS year-round will give me that flexibiliity to take a week off here or there, head out to the east coast to visit my parents if I want, etc.

 

If you're concerned about possibly having to do intensive review and/or getting behind, maybe you can do something "light" for a schedule - enough that it's something, but not so much that it's killing summer?

[plain jane]

This is what I would do if you really didn't want to lose ground.

 

The other option is using the WWE principles but with books of your child's choice or other enjoyable books you pick out. This way your child is getting practice but not necessarily so that they know it or realize it's "school work" ;)

 

I thought about that. But part of my wanting to take summer off is not having to think much about school so I can plan next year. :tongue_smilie: I suppose it's not hard to pick dictation passages but I seem to obsess about picking the right ones. The workbooks are a much better fit for my personality.

[elegantlion]

WWE 1/2 speed. We usually try to do some light subjects in the summer, but this year I just really need a break. However, we will continue WWE 3, periodic math worksheets, and dail reading. I do not want to lose ground in these areas. If you continue at 1/2 speed, it will take only a few minutes per day and leave you plenty of time to think of next year. :lol::lol:

 

I initially thought I'd enjoy picking my own selections to do WWE style. I didn't, I love the workbooks.

[Beach Mom]

I would (and do) throw caution to the wind. We do very light school in the summer, a little math so we don't lose skills, lots of reading (because I have a houseful of kids who like to read), and a little history (because everyone enjoys it and there are lots of historical sites near us). That's it.

 

Grammar, writing etc we drop for the summer. All my kids use or have finished WWE. I find the language arts books all review in the beginning and we haven't had any trouble picking back up with narration, dictation and outlining. You may find that a few months of maturity makes dictation easier. Sometimes developmentally they just can't hold that many words in their brains yet.

 

My philosophy, for what it's worth, is that they need some time in the summer to just play and explore and follow trails that interest them. I need time in the summer to sit on the beach and enjoy my kids, to contemplate our goals, to reflect on our progress and to have interesting conversations with them on a variety of topics.

 

If you need a break, and it sounds from your post like you do, take it and don't stress about it. :001_smile:

[MIch elle]

ENJOY LIFE!

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Start fresh in Sept :D

[plain jane]

ENJOY LIFE!

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Start fresh in Sept :D

 

 

September?? :svengo: Oh my. No, no, no. That will never do. ;)

 

 

We'll start last week in August. September is just... just... so far away. :001_huh::tongue_smilie::lol:

[Shawna in Texas]

You could do poetry or creative writing in the summer.

[Ann@thebeach]

I agree that having time off to play and relax is important. But taking an hour a day 3 days a week for some "maintenance work" isn't overwhelming and really helpful for many kids.

 

And you can still take a solid week or 2 off for a trip or camp or just because :001_smile:

[melmichigan]

We school year round but very light in the summer except for things the kids want to do. They are obligated to spend 20 minutes on math and all are obligated to continue reading, although it is all of their choice in the summer. They even pick read-alouds because it has become such a habit for me to read while putting my younger DS's down for a nap. This summer we also need to finish up AAS 1 because we changed programs and I want to move to AAS 2 in the fall. One lesson a week should do it. My DD will also do a grammar sentence every few days so she keeps working on that skill. They tend to want to do more science so we have a lot of that planned this summer.

 

We take much more time off during the year so it does have to even out somewhere. :)

[Momof1plustwins]

I'm going to give my kids a little bit of review work every week throughout the summer. I like the "hour per day, 3 days a week" idea. I'm not going to introduce anything new except for new multiplication facts to memorize. I'll give my oldest some phrases using this years AASpelling words so he doesn't forget his spelling rules. Do some journal writing and read daily. I want to implement a daily quiet/pleasure reading time with a book of their choice. Thus far, he only reads when he has to :glare:.

 

For my littler ones, I may move forward at a relaxed pace in their math, and just stay in review mode for other subjects.

 

I agree about not wanting them to completely forget what they've worked so hard for this year. But my kids really look forward to the summer break, just like I did when I was in ps. So I want to try and keep things balanced out.

[2_girls_mommy]

We are taking close to 8 weeks too. Last year we set a precedent by doing school 1 day a week (and a short day.. just science and history last year) But I found math facts regressed too in the fall. So this year for our one day of school we will do a chapter of SOTW and math w/my 7 yr old. And a phonics lesson w/my 5 yr old. You could do something like that. Just do one morning a week of an hour or so of the math and writing that you want to keep up on. I don't count reading as school. We will keep that up daily.

[PeterPan]

Jane, I think you're asking the wrong question. What do you think is the reason they were struggling with the WWE dictation selections? Were you pushing up against their MATURITY? Then taking the summer off will actually help, not hurt. Or were you pushing up on unrealized limits or weak points? Then taking off and doing something else could be a good thing. If you keep going and going at something that is uber-hard for them, all you'll make them do is hate it. I would change things up, if only for the change of pace. If they were struggling with the dictation because they have skill holes (punctuation, spelling, etc.), then I would find some fun, concise workbooks to work on that. If they were struggling because they have hit their limit on how many words they can hold in their head, then you could find other activities (research digit spans) to work on that. You could play games to work on it. Doing WWE overtly is NOT the only way to work on those skills.

 

That way they can come back to it in the fall, FRESH.

[3Rivers]

I vote for summer break...but that's just me. I LOVE summer break, and so do my kids. There is something wonderfully satisfying about saying "That's it! You did it! You're done!" It makes me ready to start back with full energy and excitement in the fall.

 

I take all of June and July off. Then I'll do some review in August and be ready to start either end of Aug./first of Sept. I haven't decided yet.

 

I personally NEED an extended break. During this time I do scrapbooking of the past year, clean the house really well, do some organizing and other household projects I haven't had time for, swim and play and generally do stuff I don't usually have time for. Then somehwere in there I'll pull out the new stuff and get set up for the new year.

 

It makes me love every season when they are so well-defined. Summer to me will always mean swimming, snow cones and fun....and schoolwork, though we enjoy it mostly, is not on the list. :tongue_smilie:

 

That's just my own personal .02...but I know plenty of people around here who get their best work done during the summer because it's too hot to do anything outside except swim so they start their school year in the summer!

[Sue G in PA]

Just wanted to second OhElizabeth's advice. I was wondering the same thing about maturity for your dd. You obviously know her best. I vote for taking the summer off...you need your sanity! ANd your dd will not suffer! :)

[crl]

Could you do a review of WWE 3 once or twice a week just to keep it fresh? That way you wouldn't be starting something new, but also not losing ground either.

[JudoMom]

Is there anyway you could reinforce the skills but have it be independent of you? Maybe one of the Basic Skills Summarizing workbooks or have the kids dictate simple passages to one another?

 

I have the month of June teaching-free so I can focus on planning for next year and decluttering the closets. Each of my 4 older boys have a binder. I made them each a checklist that runs until June 25th for the subjects I wanted to continue, and placed all the papers/worksheets they'd need in the binder. They each have less than 2 hours of work a day, and I'm not involved at all (except for some simple work-checking).

[DarlaS]

If you were in my shoes, would you throw caution to the wind :D and take 2 months off, or would you start into WWE4 but doing it at half speed, maybe one narration one week, one dictation the next, etc.?

 

I would probably try the latter. In fact, we're not done with WWE 1 or 3, and I'm thinking of finishing them up that way.

 

It's always nice to feel you have a jump-start on something. Also if your dc like the book selections, you will have more time this way to actually read more of the books the excerpts are taken from.