Summer Plans

[happycc]

For those of you who will be finishing up the school year in May or June (some charter school situation as well as others) what are your plans?

 

 

Will you still be doing some schoolwork everyday?

How relaxed will it be?

What will you be using?

Will you finish up what you started during the schoolyear if you have left over chapters to cover?

Will you be starting something new?

Will you just require journaling?

Will you be doing some math?

Will you be getting to subjects that you normally couldn't do such as art and music?

 

My kids want to only do 1 hour of school work now I am thinking that may not be enough.

 

I really want to get on with our Artistic Pursuits curriculum and continue with Simple Music as well as do more science experiments. Plus I want to continue moving forward in Math and language arts and again that feels like the school year.

[LittleIzumi]

Some math & phonics & reading every day.

 

Math games for some of the weekdays instead of traditional math.

 

Phonics games for some of the weekdays instead of traditional phonics.

 

Art & music once or twice a week (we don't get to formal art or music normally).

 

Swimming a ton.

 

Life science with a lot of catching bugs and observing nature.

 

Unit studies if they ask for it.

[momto2Cs]

Will you still be doing some schoolwork everyday? Yes.

How relaxed will it be? Quite relaxed, but still purposeful!

What will you be using? We're going to read our way through California history (along with field trips). DD will still be working through Phonics Pathways and some ETC.Normally, I'd skip everything but reading and field trips, but I need to get dd up to speed with reading.

Will you finish up what you started during the schoolyear if you have left over chapters to cover? Hopefully we'll get through Phonics Pathways!

Will you be starting something new? See above for CA history

Will you just require journaling? Nope. Just fun!

Will you be doing some math? Only in game form, and practical application (cooking, shopping, etc.) Maybe a living math book like Penrose the Mathematical Cat.

Will you be getting to subjects that you normally couldn't do such as art and music? We do a lot of art, ds plays piano, and we listen to a lot of classical music, so we're covered there already. They do whatever art projects they want year round.

 

Basically, it is usually as if they had the summer off. We're all dying for a good long break by then, and we have lots to do with friends. This year the only real change is that there is a purpose to some field trips, my reading aloud will be more focused, and dd has to keep going with phonics.

 

Here's another summer thread to look at.

Edited April 2, 2012 by momto2Cs

[wintermom]

I have had plans of doing light school work through the summer, but it often doesn't get done. I find that I really need a break, perhaps more than the kids. I recognize that they need some time to just be kids, too.

 

Having said that, we did a realitively large amount of "school" last summer. I found a friend who was willing to teach art to my dc while I watched her baby. This was fantastic!

 

We also went on history-oriented family vacations, like Philadelphia National Historic Park on the way home from the beach in New Jersey. Awesome place to visit after studying American history! We also went camping by a fort in Canada, and spent a day touring the fort "living" the Canadian history we had been reading about.

 

I also read a couple read-alouds throughout the summer, and we went on science field-trips and walks in the woods.

 

The biggest mistake I made last summer was continuing our violin lessons through the summer. The pressure to try and fit in the practicing when we were camping and travelling was awful. I was really worried about them losing all the skills they had worked so hard on during the school year, but it just wasn't worth the stress.

[2_girls_mommy]

Will you still be doing some schoolwork everyday? In June we will do some, but not everyday. Less in July.

How relaxed will it be? Pretty relaxed compared to the school year.

What will you be using? DD9 will be finishing up her math and we will continue SOTW 4 in the hopes of getting mostly through it.

Will you finish up what you started during the schoolyear if you have left over chapters to cover? Yes. We always do :) Some things though will just carry over into the new school year. DD7 will not finish her phonics. That is ok. We will stop in June and she will pick it back up in Aug wherever we are. I don't need her to start a new grade level at that time. We will get as far we can in SOTW4. But usually we take the month of AUG and finish up the previous year before we start the new one. SOTWs are so good that I don't want to not finish them!

Will you be starting something new? Over the summer? no

Will you just require journaling? Usually only if we take a trip. Each girl has a travel journal. At this point we don't have any planned this summer.

Will you be doing some math? Yes, dd9 will be finishing up hers. I want her to start the new grade level in Aug, and there is new material that we have never covered yet in her current book that we won't reach by June 1st. So I have set a goal of how many chapters I want her to finish before we break from it. DD7, not as much. I don't care if she finishes R&S or not. She grasps it. It is repetitive, and she won't miss anything if she skips the last 10 lessons or so. Sometimes she works in other workbooks we have around the house that have some math in them.

Will you be getting to subjects that you normally couldn't do such as art and music? No, we are pretty regular with those in the school year. They will both keep up piano practice, but nothing new. With science we will continue to read on our current subject: physics until Aug when we start a new study. But I won't require any written work. We will read and observe in science museums and such.

[Runningmom80]

Will you still be doing some schoolwork everyday? Yes, we are moving to a year round schedule, with light summers.

 

How relaxed will it be? Pretty relaxed, but we are just finishing up K.

 

What will you be using? Ugh, not sure! :confused: we will be doing math, French, literature and nature studies.

 

Will you finish up what you started during the schoolyear if you have left over chapters to cover? We will only have one lesson of SM 1B (hopefully)

 

Will you be starting something new? Yes! French and nature studies

 

Will you just require journaling? No, ds hates to write. He is going to keep a summer reading list.

 

Will you be doing some math? Yes, I feel it's the most important to keep up with in the summer. We may not do it everyday, but we will be doing some.

 

Will you be getting to subjects that you normally couldn't do such as art and music? Not really, just starting new stuff.

 

Sorry I didn't put my answers in a different color, I'm on my phone.

[MinivanMom]

No, no, no. It's not a summer break if you are requiring schoolwork everyday. If you are doing schoolwork in the summer (even if it's lighter or extra-curriculars) then you are schooling year-round. A summer break (imho) is a break from all activities that are parent-planned, parent-directed, or mandatory in any way.

 

I'm giving birth in a month or so. My summer plan is to nurse my baby and spend lots of time reading and playing with my 4-year-old and 2-year-old. I have no plans to do anything whatsoever with my big kids. In fact, I aspire to neglect them greatly. I hope they have hours on end to amuse themselves, play with their friends, read, make up their own art projects, lay around in the backyard, bake, etc. They will tag along on the little kids playdates and park days instead of the other way around. It will be beautiful.

 

We will resume our normal big-kid centric schedule of homeschooling in the fall.

[TracyP]

I plan to continue doing math daily through the summer. It will be relaxed but first thing in the morning so it gets done. I am only continuing so we don't have to relearn anything next fall. I am not concerned about how much we cover and many days may just be a game.

 

We will continue science through the summer, but only because we enjoy it so much, not because we feel the need to finish.

 

I feel like this should go without saying, but we will read over the summer.:tongue_smilie: Nothing scheduled just library trips and lots of books.

 

FWIW, if we get busy and do absolutely nothing (except things, like reading, that we already do in our free time) I am fine with that.

[2_girls_mommy]

We do school year round. July is our full month off. That is why we will only be reading that month. Yes, I will be reading to them from SOTW and Science books, but not requiring any written work. I do it while they are swimming and at bedtime. They read whatever they want for the summer reading programs. We live in a year round school district. All of the kids in our neighborhood are on the same schedule.

[blondeviolin]

I'll have Abby work through SM 1b as a review. She might do a bit of Miquon. Beyond that, we'll do little-kid oriented projects and themes. I'm talking things like Under the Sea week and Princess crafts and Pirates. Those are things ALL of my kids will eat up. :D

[LittleIzumi]

No, no, no. It's not a summer break if you are requiring schoolwork everyday. If you are doing schoolwork in the summer (even if it's lighter or extra-curriculars) then you are schooling year-round. A summer break (imho) is a break from all activities that are parent-planned, parent-directed, or mandatory in any way.

 

True! We do not have a "summer break" as such. We school year-round, but in the summer it's lighter and we do different subjects and fun things we don't get to during the traditional school year. So it's a break from regular school, but not a break from school entirely. Even if they were in PS, we'd be doing swimming lessons and such over the summer.

[Mandylubug]

We are year round schooling here. We may be a bit more relaxed but reading and math will continue.. Actually, it will all continue. If something comes up that we want to do with their cousins that attend PS, then we will break that day but my kiddos were bored stiff last summer and we ended up doing stuff part of the summer as well.

[Clear Creek]

My goal over summers is to give us all a break and give the children plenty of opportunities to swim, play outdoors, etc. That said, they will also work on skills that I do not want lost over the summer. For my rising 5th grader, it will be Latin (LCI review worksheets) and math (Key to...series, hoping to fit in fractions, decimals and percents). For my rising 3rd grader, it will be penmanship (cursive) and math (Jump at Home). I let them alternate subjects each day so they only have one subject per day. That way they don't lose anything, but they only have to spend a short time each day on school work so it feels like a real summer break. :001_smile:

[Mimm]

I'm making them do math every day, and reading. I'll schedule some fun type projects for us to do probably, but more sporadically. My kids gave up most of their summer break by goofing off and refusing to do school for way too many weeks during the school year. We'll take it easy for the summer, but they will be doing school every day till we start again. No breaks. We took a spring break and did the same.

 

ETA: Oh, I will be reading some SOTW as well, but not additional history reading or projects to go with it.

[Mommy22alyns]

We'll finish in May. The summer program at the library runs through June, and there are things going on nearly every day. We try to do as much as possible. The girls will also have Summer Bridge workbooks. Sylvia may continue with SSL and Rebecca with WWE, both to get caught up. I also plan to have some fun with Shakespeare.

[Karen in CO]

We should finish by June. Older dd will hopefully be volunteering 20+ hours per week this summer so that is all that will be required of her except reading (as if I could stop that) and cello (again, couldn't stop her if I wanted to).

 

Younger dd will have a couple of educational-ish summer camps plus she'll do math and reading over the summer.

 

Other than that, I'll continue to read good books to them both, and we've planned weekly park days with our friends. It is summer, and I need a break. I need to sit in the sunshine and enjoy my kids. I need to spend time being just the mommy not the mommy and the teacher. It is good for our relationship.

[nono]

No school! We live at the shore and it is 10 weeks of swimming, surfing, reading, sailing, more swimming, and lots of game playing. If I had to call it school, I would say it is PE and socialization. :D

 

ETA: All our scheduled work for this school year will be done in early June.

[tm_burriss]

We are moving from Texas to Hawaii in June so any summer schooling will be learning more about our new home ;o)

[JessReplanted]

We will be moving again in June. And, we don't even know where our next destination will be. :scared:

 

My original plan was to start school 'light' (grammar, math, reading) again in July, but now I have NO plan. :confused:

[SunnyDays]

We will do *very* relaxed education in the summer. He'll have math and reading time each day, probably only an hour total. And we'll do our Astronomy book until it's done... probably until the end of June. We'll take a couple week long breaks where we don't do anything, and then start up again in August.

 

Nono, if we lived by the ocean, we wouldn't do anything either! Perhaps we would occasionally read *at* the beach, LOL!! :D

[PentecostalMom]

We normally school year round with a break when we need it. For instance, my two nieces were just here for their spring break, so we took that week off. It is also looking like we will be moving this summer to take on a ministry position within our church. Obviously that will require some time off. I will try to do math and reading daily, though I am sure that won't always happen.

 

Yes, I am trying to wrap up everything this year before I start on the next. Because of the nature of the ministry we are going into, I will most likele need to follow the school schedule where we are moving, I have never done that so it will be an interesting change for us. Even if I do change to that schedule, I will probably still plan to do daily free and mom-directed reading and some math review 2-3 days per week.

[Moniksca]

Each summer I say we're going to continue with several subjects and I never do because I feel so burnt out. This summer we'll continue with math because it's so hard to start back up in the fall, writing, and reading. Whatever else I get done will just be extra. I'd like to do some art and science experiments but won't stress about. We take two weeks off at the start of July and then we'll start again. I had a baby this year so we had quite a bit of time off already.

[petepie2]

We'll do math, reading/phonics, and read-alouds.

[MrsH]

I've been looking at the summer bridge workbooks and think those will be great for my kids to keep up their skills. I think if we make it a habit to just do these right after breakfast for 20 minutes each day, then they'll probably be mostly willing to do it.

 

We'll continue listening to audio books during car rides and doing read-alouds before bed. We hike, swim, and camp and notice the natural world around us. We try to do one field trip type of activity a week: science or children's museum, a neat living history museum, art museum, or an interesting site, tour, or the zoo. They love these field trips! One year we did a theme for each week. We got some books from the library, chose a field trip that tied in, and then tied in other activities as the mood struck us. Kind of like really low-key unit studies. We did the jungle/rainforest, read about it, watched jungle book, made some sort of "jungle juice" recipe, went to the zoo, and made tropical bird crafts out of paper plates. But no pressure on anyone to participate, they just had so much fun doing it! (that's when they were in public school though, so I had energy for it during the summer... now I really look forward to the break from planning school!)

[amyrjoy]

Well, I have a Bible Study I want to do every day with the kids. I also want to do math a few days a week, so maybe 3 lessons a week. Then, I want to listen to Mystery of History vol 1 and read additional books and keep a notebook for some narrations. That would be three days a week also. I want to do this only part of the summer, so we truly have a summer break, though. Hmm...maybe I have too much planned. :)

[JenC3]

We finish in mid May. We will resume regular school in July.

We'll do BA through the summer for review. Ds will still have reading lessons.

I'm going to do lots of art and we will finish with some fun history projects. I think we'll be taking some field trips, roller skating and just swimming in our pool.

[Shellers]

We are schooling year round. My DS11 will continue with reading, spelling, writing, and math everyday. My DD16 and DD14 will both be taking an online college class.

[ondreeuh]

Today I planned out a six-week summer session. My goal is to have it take under an hour a day. At this point I know we'll be visiting family for the first part of the summer, but my husband is applying for jobs and we don't know where we'll end up moving. I'm going to have everything printed out and kept in an accordion file.

 

We will be finishing up some things (GWG, a paragraph writing program) that we got a late start on this year. I will include some simple math review worksheets in the summer work. Nothing heavy. The big fun thing I have planned is a unit study on Alaska. We've lived here almost a year, and there's a lot he doesn't know about this state. Probably because he's been stuck in this tiny remote village the whole time. I bought a really nice ebook during the Scholastic sale for $0.70 - we'll be making a salt map, reading Call of the Wild, learning about the Iditarod ... I'm really looking forward to that.

[boscopup]

We will finish up "2nd grade" at the end of May (meaning, we'll stop there and take a 3 week break, no matter where we are in the books ;)). Then at the end of June, we'll start "3rd grade" and "K". We will do full school during the summer because it's HOT here, and the kids don't want to play outside when it's like that.

 

Come fall, when the b&m school kids are all stuffed inside a building all day and the weather starts to get really nice and cool, I'll take a break and let the kids play outside all day. :D

 

We started schooling year round last year, and it has worked really well. I ended up taking 3 or 4 weeks off at Christmas (meant to take 1), and we've done partial days when it was really nice, both fall and spring. We're still getting done what needs to be done, so it's all good. :)

[iquilt]

Our summer plans include art camps at a fabulous modern art museum that is local to us plus overnight camps for all three this year. So as far as "plans" we are going to read aloud from the Chronicles of Narnia whenever we are all together. That should keep us plenty busy until we start back up in August. FWIW we usually stop around the first part of June and no longer take a 3 month break; we aim more for 6-8 weeks off where we will attend camps, swimming lessons, etc.

[MrsBear]

Our school year is July 1 to June 30, but we'll finish our required hours in mid-May for this year. We do school year-round, but once we're done with our hours, I lighten up the load and we do a lot more fun things that aren't seat work.

 

DS is working really hard right now to wrap things up since we have a huge trip coming up, taking us on the road for five weeks, to explore the southwest and west coast. That in itself is going to be lots of hands-on educational stops, learning without specific instruction per se.

 

Throughout the summer (and yes, even on the big vacation) we do some math and reading every day. Maybe an hour?

 

Once we start again on July 1, it will remain a lighter load for the summer, with some camps (science, art, etc.) and a variety of sports lessons (diving, tennis, golf, etc.) in between. Our daily schedule will ramp up to our normal schedule in mid-August, when schools here go back....and our first planned break is mid-September for two weeks when we again take a pretty big road trip again.