Mandatory School Breaks (Spring Break)

[justamouse]

The longer I do this, the more i realize that I really MUST take a break at the latest, every 6 weeks. When I push though, it all starts to unravel, laziness starts tot slip in, malaise infects everything. But when we really break (and no half days, they're just as stressful) and I get the house caught up and promise myself to NOT think about schooling ONe More Day, we start up the following weeks with excitement and drive.

 

It seems counterintuitive, that a break would make you more productive, but I've found this to be true.

 

So, who's taking a break this week?

[skeeterbug]

Six weeks on, one week off works very well for us! We aren't taking one this week though. :)

[Ellie]

We didn't feel the need for longer breaks that often because for many years, we only did Official School Stuff two days a week, and we left the house every Thursday for a field trip. :D However, I get spring fever, so, yeah, if we were still hsing, we'd be on a break this week, maybe also last, maybe also next. :D

[Luckymama]

We're on break this week :D The house is back in order after hosting Easter. I will spend three fun days in NYC with my older daughter, her Girl Scout troop, and the rest of the moms. We've been together since the girls were in kindergarten! As they are graduating this year, this last trip together will be bittersweet :)

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I am waiting on or two more weeks for the weather to get more spring like before we take a spring break. Spring fever is setting in though...

[Julie Smith]

We don't have breaks. For the most part if Daddy is at work and we are at home it's a school day. But ever day is a light school day.

[Cinder]

I found 6 on/1 off to work well for us too. After 6 weeks we're all a bit tense and in need of refreshing. We have our week off next week. Can't wait!

[elegantlion]

We do 6 on 1 off as well. We're not quite to our 6th week yet. We've had so many off days this month that I'm not sure we'll take a full week off.

[Night Elf]

We're off, but I only chose this week because dd15 in public school has break this week. I school year round and we talked about 6 on and 1 off, but we decided on having every other Friday off instead. It's worked really well but I might talk to my soon about it again. I like the idea of having a full week off. I don't want to be productive though. :tongue_smilie:

[Forget-Me-Not]

So those of you who go 6/1, do you school year round that way? Or do you take a summer break?

[Dmmetler]

It's our first day back-we did Spring break last week.

[freesia]

I completely agree! My schedule,though,is 4 or 5 weeks on then one light week or complete break. We take 7 weeks off in the summer. Light weeks are weeks where we do catch up and,usually,one extra subject per child. Usually, I do not have to be involved in these subjects. The younger ones may work on math facts or typing on the computer, ds does subjects he can do on his own. If I'm up for it, I may do a history project or science activity. But, maybe not. We take 2 days for Thanksgiving, a week at Christmas, Good Friday and will take next week off,oh, and a week in early June. All, in all, we have 35 1/2 regular weeks of school plus 6 light weeks, and 11 ish complete weeks off.

 

We've done this for 2 years and I LOVE it. I need the planned breaks for my sanity (and to make sure my youngest is getting enough of me and that my house doesn't completely devolve into chaos.)

[Tiberia]

So those of you who go 6/1, do you school year round that way? Or do you take a summer break?

 

 

We also do six on, one off. I also find that the breaks help us focus and regroup (and catch up on housecleaning).

 

We take two full months off for summer. We usually end sometime in June and start up again in late August. We don't take some of the usual school holidays unless they fall in our week off. We shoot for 180 days of school per year.

[blondeviolin]

I planned 6/1 for this year, and it was really nice!

 

BUT, I also didn't know I would be pregnant and due in April, so we skipped our last scheduled break to try and get close to finishing by the one the baby comes. It's not as relaxing that way, but it'll be good to break next week when I'm due!

[Veritaserum]

We are observing spring break this week. We haven't in the past, but we all need a breather and there are also some home organization projects that need attention. I've got the kids thoroughly cleaning and organizing their rooms today. My 12yo's room is a major disaster. She says it's because I'm always making her do school so she doesn't have time to clean it. Riiiiiight. ;)

[justamouse]

So those of you who go 6/1, do you school year round that way? Or do you take a summer break?

 

I school all year long, but we do school lite during summer. I take a long Christmas break, and normally the last few weeks of August (reading never stops).

[bobbeym]

We school year round and just switched to a 5/1 cycle. Our spring break was 3/11 and our next break is 4/22 *IF* DS is completely caught up on his work. I've told him whatever isn't current at the 5-week mark has to be finished the 6th week. It'll be interesting to see how much work he ends up doing when he's supposed to be taking a break. :laugh:

 

We do take extra weeks off at Christmas and for youth camp in the summer.

[freesia]

We school year round and just switched to a 5/1 cycle. Our spring break was 3/11 and our next break is 4/22 *IF* DS is completely caught up on his work. I've told him whatever isn't current at the 5-week mark has to be finished the 6th week. It'll be interesting to see how much work he ends up doing when he's supposed to be taking a break. :laugh:

 

We do take extra weeks off at Christmas and for youth camp in the summer.

 

As an encouragement, I worried about this, too, when we switched. However, my ds regularly leaves things from the final week to do on his light week. He has never complained. I think the pressure builds up for him, too, and he likes having the control of being able to have small breaks early. He often has more to do on his "off" week than I'd like but, as long as I get my break, I let it go. He is a kid that needs things to do or talk about (talked non-stop from morning to night until he learned to read), so in a way it is probably better.

[bobbeym]

As an encouragement, I worried about this, too, when we switched. However, my ds regularly leaves things from the final week to do on his light week. He has never complained. I think the pressure builds up for him, too, and he likes having the control of being able to have small breaks early. He often has more to do on his "off" week than I'd like but, as long as I get my break, I let it go. He is a kid that needs things to do or talk about (talked non-stop from morning to night until he learned to read), so in a way it is probably better.

 

 

Thanks. I can completely see DS leaving stuff to be finished on purpose. I think it's just going to take a few cycles to get into a new routine and for him to realize that I'm not kidding about finishing incomplete work on a break week.

 

He's goofed off so much this year that we're just now starting world history, so he'll be doing both world and US history at the same time later this year, and he's still finishing up algebra 1 when we should be done by algebra 2 by now. *sigh* I just tell myself that this too shall pass.

[jolley]

We school 6 weeks on/1 off. Two weeks off at Christmas and 2 weeks off in the summer. There are enough doc appts. to make up for any additional time off. We love this schedule though!

[TheApprentice]

We go 4 weeks on, 1 week off. It works perfect for us. When we first started we were doing 8 weeks on, 1 week off. Bad idea. This is our 2nd year with 4/1 and I think we'll continue it this way.

[Dory]

We don't really take breaks. I found that we all go a little squirrely and my oldest ds has a brain that turns to sludge if he breaks for longer than 3 days (long weekend). We work until I notice the kids starting to drag their feet and then we'll switch up the schedule and head out on a few field trips or have a picnic at the park. Anything that changed the pace. We keep learning though and moving forward. The kids are all done their work by lunchtime every day anyway.

[Χά�ων]

Eh, we do something daily with 3 days a week being a heavy workload day. I keep records 355 days a year but the record may just be what book we litened to in car on the way to a day camp.

[AMJ]

We'll be starting home schooling after this current school year ends (June). My plan is a 2 week break after school is out, followed by home school lite to ease into things and give me a chance to acquire curricula and stuff.

 

I discussed it with my girls, and decided we will home school 4 days per week, with the 5th day being put to other purposes. I plan on 180 days of instruction, and initially thought this would leave us 7 weeks for breaks throughout the year. However, twice each month the "other" day of the week is actually a school day (field trip, catch-up day), so they can be counted toward the 180 days as well. That gives us 12 weeks, then, for breaks throughout the school year.

 

Certain times I most certainly want to take a day or week or two weeks off -- these are work holidays (Daddy is home), school holidays (cousins are available, often including the bunch who lives a 4-hr drive away), and our yearly trip to see family and friends farther away. In fact, this summer it will work out to about 3 parts home school lite to 2 parts breaks (one less week for me than for the kids), what with the home school convention and reserving a week for me to do teacher prep for the coming year. The "school year" had some lengthy stretches, but with reserving off the same school holidays that their cousins have most stretches get some small relief. I can add in extra long weekends or the odd day here or there to lighten things up.

 

Thanks, OP! The 6-week stretch sounds like a good measure for breaks, so I'm now using that as a go-by.

[Momof3littles]

We've worked year round the last 2 years, and I'm in the same boat. My parents have been in town for the last week and we are taking off. We also did some relaxed schooling the 2 weeks before that as DH was traveling for work that whole time.

 

My DS1 really benefits from time to explore his own interests, and I'm starting to think about having him take 1 day every 2 weeks to essentially read whatever he wants, work on whatever Mindstorms programming he wants, etc. Basically, I expect him to be busy, but following his own interests. This coming year I'm going to do a better job of formally scheduling breaks without guilt, because I think the kids need to know when those breaks are coming. I am personally okay with taking breaks when I need them, but I realized my kids need to see them coming too :)

[TammyinTN]

I'm thinking of going back to that schedule when we start our school year in September. He will be in the 10th grade, and that would allow us several more days for field trips in our area. He's growing up so fast, and I really want to take advantage of the area we live in to get out and explore.

 

This week were on spring break. We have been tackling household projects and were having a fun day by going to Busch Gardens. He's excited with my mix of work and fun. :)

[jennynd]

We used to do 6 week on, 1 week off but we switch to 4 weeks on and 1 week off recently. I found my kid more willing to do the work without complain.. Going into summer time, we will start 3 weeks on and 1 week off.

 

We are afterschool. so the kids still have regular school. But my kids think school is for play not learning :laugh:

[jennynd]

I'm waiting for actual spring weather to take my next break.

 

 

I know!! crazy to have snow in April!!

[lynn]

We take several long weekend breaks in the fall. However, after January I start feeling like I have got to get my180 days recorded. (I posted about this a few weeks back) I took the advice and we took last week off completely. DS is graduating and going to college starting this summer so he and his younger brother were able just to hang out and do things together. We had planned a trip but weather spoiled that so I spent a day visiting my parents. My dh has a flexible work schedule and most breaks are not planned more than a week in advance however next year I want to plan 1 week every 6 weeks. Unless something changes I plan on homeschooling next year and will start June picking up a couple school days a week so I don't feel crunched in January about getting our days in and completing the school year.

[Mom in High Heels]

We normally do 8/1 and then a short summer break, but this year has been wacky. We took 3 weeks off in Oct for our cruise, then 3 weeks when James Bond came home for R&R over Christmas and since he'll be home in a few weeks (THANK GOODNESS!), we'll take a break then. I wanted to get as much schooling done as possible before he gets home, because he's taking 30 days of leave and we're hoping to do a bit of traveling. By the time he's supposed to be home, we should be at week 33, and then he has a full week of re-intergration stuff to do, so we'll school that week, and then, I don't know. We may just call it quits for the year.

 

Next year will be messed up in the beginning too, as we're moving to the States in late Aug, and will be dealing with a 9 hour time change (belch), and will then have our house in disarray for who knows how long after our household goods arrive. Why can't things just be simple???? I'm hoping once we get things settled in the US, we can go back to 8/1. It's so good for ME.