If you summer school...

[Sarahkay]

...how do you set up our school time?

 

We had a "regular" school year. But I'd like to continue this summer because some upcoming family plans will interrupt our school days this fall. So, I want to school but not do full days this summer? A recipe of summer vacation with a dash of school. Do you do a few hours each morning? Every other morning? Math and writing Mon/Tues, etc. Just looking for a few ideas to get me started.

[GoVanGogh]

We school year-round, but I'm probably no help.

 

Our regular days are 3.5 hours and we are done around noon. Public pools don't open until noon so we can still school and head to the pool, if we want.

But we have fewer outside activities in the summer and it is so stinking hot that we tend to stay home and school more.

If we have days where we need to be done early, I generally rotate -- one day just the basics, another day all the extras (like vocab, poetry, art).

[Lara in Colo]

I school year round.

I don't like my children in the sun for very long and make them stay indoors most of the day, so... we do school.

 

I let them play in the morning (8-10ish) then in the afternoon (after 5 ish)

During the cooler parts of the day.

 

What we teach is different from year to year, either something we are behind on, need review, or something I recently bought and want to start.

This summer we are concentrating on LOE to get it mostly done before we get our new curriculum from our co-op/school. I also want to get Latin under control before Sept.

 

One way to approach summer is a unit study.

 

another is to start a new program every month, get into a groove, add another...... this way you have an easier summer, but hit the ground running in fall. For instance, start history, get good at it, get used to the new curriculum, and what you can actually do with it--all with little or no pressure-- you can do history for a couple of hours a day, really get into it, do that for about 3 weeks, add science, do the same. Add latin... etc.

 

do more outdoorsy stuff like atronomy, or gardening, or about indians and make a teepee and bake food with a campfire.

Think of things you cannot do in the winter.

I've always wanted to do a pioneer unit study and study indians, gardening, make jelly, sleep outside.

[Starr]

We schooled at least 1/2 a day on the days we were home. If a subject was finished we dropped it. Sometime in August we would go away and come home and not get started again for a couple/few weeks depending on the year. If there was summer fun stuff to do we didn't do school that day. It really helped with math. There wasn't a review time needed in the fall. And it gave us flexibility in the regular school year.

[Rebel Yell]

Our summer days vary wildly.

 

We are often finishing up a subject or two anyway, so those get priority during the day.

 

It gets hot here in the afternoon, so we do outside stuff early, then do school inside when it;s hottest and most miserable out. DH doesn;t get home from work until 6:30, so we have along afternoon to fill.

 

I also try to only do 3 days/week over summer- we all like to feel liek we've had a break.

[Laura in STL]

We do a traditional school year starting late August and ending mid May. We also do an eight week "summer session" that includes only math, grammar, history, and science. The math and grammar are review and are done independently with me checking the work. History and science are done together and alternate days. Both kids have a summer reading list and practice piano everyday, as well. It only takes a couple hours per day and still gives us a few weeks off for vacation or camps.

[lauracolumbus]

I try to get in 3-7 hours/week. And I try to make it fun. LoF for math, dvds (history or science first thing), science experiments and educational games. It seems less like work, and I get in the stuff I mean to get in all year that typically gets pushed out of our schedule.

 

And lots of free reading at night before bed.

 

Laura