How much "school" do you do over the summer?

[OrganicAnn]

I was just wondering how much school work you do over the summer. We always debate between "having a break" and "keep going so as not to fall back"

[Tiberia]

We take a break from all official school work for about two months in the summer. I've found that the break lets dd9 absorb the material we've covered. The break also gives her time to mature, gain perspective, and explore areas of interest to her.

 

(Not to say that those who do school in summer won't get the same results, but this is what works for us.)

 

Breaks have had only positive results for us. Dd still reads a lot during summer, but that's not school for her.

[Mom in High Heels]

In the past we've taken 6 weeks off for summer (we take more breaks during the year) and Indy has attended day camp. This year though, at his request, we will be doing half day school 3 days a week. He said if he doesn't keep up on his Latin and Greek, he'll forget it by the time we start 6th grade (smart boy to think of this!), plus he'd like to "delve a little deeper" (his words), into Ancient Egypt and Greece. He'll continue reading fiction throughout the summer as well, but he's always done that. Personally, I would like a bit more of a break, but since it's only a few days a week, I think I can deal with it.

He is going to the Boy Scout summer camp down in Garmisch for a week though. We'll be PCSing (military speak for moving) back to the States in mid-late Aug, so we'll have to deal with getting our household goods packed and shipped, probably sometime around mid-June, so we'll have furniture when we arrive (they have loaner furniture in Europe), shipping cars, getting paperwork done, etc. It is a load of work, so we'll definitely be doing light school.

[Catwoman]

I voted for "none" and "we really like cupcakes."

 

I think that pretty much says it all for me. :D

[freerange]

The school summer holiday in the UK is 6 weeks, but we usually take time for camping in June & July, and again in September and have shorter breaks when the schools are off. Last summer they asked to start again mid August (schools go back at the beginning of September) & I'm planning something similar this year. We generally prefer to take time off during the year when DH can be off too, or odd days when the weather is good, we want to meet up with friends, or just because we're so very, very ready for a break.

[DawnM]

It was hard to answer the 2nd part.

 

We go with a regular type schedule over the summer but it is because we take breaks during the school year. I see no reason to hold to the PS schedule when I homeschool. I would much rather take vacations when everyone else is tied to the school schedule.

 

Dawn

[momacacia]

With 3 years of homeschooling under us, I suspect we will always keep certain things going in the summer. Good literature studies that we all enjoy, math at least 3x/week or worksheet review, and light language arts. Even with little camps and classes going on off and on during the summer, I've gotten too much "I'm bored" or seen too much wasted time. Also, our early homeschooling was heavily impacted by my health and a baby joined our team in January so 8yo has taken a break other than doing mostly only CC Memory Master work since then. So this summer, we need to do pretty much a full load with some light breaks. After Labor Day we'll likely take a vacation . . . we'll see.

[SKL]

I'm an afterschooler and one of my kids is not where she needs to be to start 2nd grade in the fall. So we will work pretty hard on math, and go over quite a bit of language arts too, as well as daily reading and piano. This will be done mostly during evenings. During the day, the girls will be going to various mind-stretching day camps. Miss A will also be doing a few therapies, and the girls are enrolled in summer gym/swimming activities. We plan a week "off" to go to India.

[Karen in CO]

My youngest is making progress in reading, finally, which shouldn't be interrupted. She's also working through my collection of Singapore CWPs because I have them. I bought 2 full sets of them many years ago. We love them, and they're perfect for summer.

 

Older dd has discovered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is working her way through his complete works. I should have known she'd like Doyle based on how much she loved Verne. At least she's finished with the dystopian fiction she devoured last summer.

 

Other than that, it is SUMMER. We're relaxing and redecorating and traveling.

[justasque]

I was just wondering how much school work you do over the summer. We always debate between "having a break" and "keep going so as not to fall back"

 

For younger kids, library visits, child-led reading, audio books, travel, swim team, local camps, and perhaps a daily math worksheet.

 

For older kids, we do "special projects" - summer camps and workshops on various topics. Some are through local organizations/universities, some are DIY. Some are at home and, as they get older, some are residential. It is a time to focus on topics/projects of specific interest to the child. For teens, it may be a chance to live on a college campus for a few weeks and get to kick the tires of that school a bit, while taking classes on a topic of interest with other teens who share that interest.

[JessReplanted]

I answered 'cupcakes'.

 

My plan right now is to completely take off June, and then start again in July 3 days/week.

 

My reasoning is: We really need a break, but too long of a break is not good for anyone.

And, we will be taking off an extended period of time around Christmas, so getting some days in

during the summer is necessary.

 

We'll see...

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

We go year round and just take breaks when we want, but not during the summer, usually.

[happyhomemaker]

We take a couple of weeks completely off. Then we do math about 3X a week along with Latin. Reading gets done every day. I don't refer to what we do as school in the summer. It's easier to get the kids to do it if it's "just a quick review". I also keep some art ideas on hand for when boredom strikes. We aren't very consistent with art during the school year so I try to work some in in a relaxed way over the summer.

[Slartibartfast]

We school in summer because, gosh, it is just so pretty outside now. I would rather take some of spring and some of fall off than summer.

 

Our state requires we school for 180 days, where we place those days is our business. :) We do quite a bit of the more vigorous school work in the summer.

[Violet Crown]

None of the above. We work much harder in the summer: all the homeschooling extracurriculars (choir, math team, etc.) are on hiatus, and it's just too dang hot to go outside. We probably get as much academic work done in July, August, and September as we do in the regular 'school year.'

[Berta]

We school year round, but will take the first two weeks of June off. This past year I after-schooled my youngest daughter because I needed to work but she will not be going back to PS next year. We have a lot of catching up to do. We take off between Thanksgiving and Christmas and then a few weeks here and there during the rest of the year. We have to make sure we get in 180 days and we spread them out.

 

Where we live it gets really hot in the summer and we have pretty mild winters. I prefer to be out and about in the winter, and spend the sweltering summer afternoons doing school work inside in the A/C.

[Mommy22alyns]

We do Summer Bridge workbooks over the summer. We all need the break. It is also now not possible to school regularly over the summer because Rebecca's training schedule becomes very rigorous and there are daytime practices. I just can't ask her to come home after training from 9-2:30 and take on a full academic load.

 

I did take a hint from a boardie and made up some index cards with constructive things to do... we'll see how those work out.

[Meriwether]

The kids get next week off. After that we are going to summer schedule. The kids will have 2-3 hours of work daily with at least 1-2 hours of that being reading, art, projects, etc. They will have math, grammar, history, and science each 2 or 3 times/ week.

[gingersmom]

My son has to read, practice typing and practice latin vocabulary (online) several times a week.

 

I would love to keep up with math but it is his least favorite subject and a 8 week break actually seems to be beneficial.

[BakersDozen]

Depends on the age/grade. Elementary level kids have about 2.5 hours of work - reading, math review, spelling review, Bible, History (SOTW CDs), Daily Language Review (love those books!). Middle schoolers have about 3 hours; high schoolers have 4 hours (or more if they didn't finish their year's work). High schoolers are doing a lot of PSAT/SAT review. Compared to our regular school load (6+ hours/day) this is nice. Keeps them busy rather than bored yet allows for activities we wouldn't have time to do during the year.

[raceNzanesmom]

We keep it very light. He continues to read everyday, but no added work with it. He plays his math games to keep his facts fresh. We review Bible verses from the past couple years. Anything more than that is if ds finds something fun to explore- an experiment, looking up facts of interest, craft projects, etc, all child-led. Nothing required.

[Cricket]

The only reason we keep going through the summer is because my dc get the entire month of March off and sometimes into April. That is our busiest time for work. Add two baseball schedules to that and school just doesn't happen very much during that time frame!

[Cricket]

Nm

 

[jennynd]

Very light. We do 3 weeks on,1 week off for math. 30 mins required reading during weekdays. That will be it. Kids will be in the camp all summer and the older will also have a 2 weeks over night camp.

[AHASRADA]

In the elementary grades, we stopped all curriculum-based work by July 4th (our family end of the year cut-off), and started up again after Labor Day. We did some Summer Bridge question cards and free reading during that time, but mostly spent time with family, traveling, camping, etc.

 

Now that ds is enrolled in distance learning HS courses, we no longer have the discretion to skip some lessons to fit the curriculum to the time we have left in the year. Everything has to be done and submitted, and if he runs too far behind, we have to pay for extensions. Unfortunately, this has caused him to have to work through the summer the last couple of years. I really hope I can help him stay on better track next year so he can have more leisure time next summer.

[Cindy in FL.]

We usually do different things during the summer. This year we will do the Iliad using Elizabeth Vandiver's Great Courses DVDs; a course on car maintenance/upkeep, daily SAT question, Editor in Chief, some light math, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting right now. We're also opening a SUP (stand up paddle) business, so the boys will be busy with that as well.

[mom31257]

We are doing none, and I wish there had been an option that it is I who needs the break the most!

[Firefly]

None. We ALL need the break and when September comes are reinvigorated to get back to the books. By mid-August they are usually excited and looking forward to starting up again.

[Farrar]

I believe in breaks. We just don't do our big breaks in the summer.

[mysticmomma]

We need school in the summer so the regular school year when I'm in school ft+ can be less rigorous. Maryland is getting harder and harder with the amt of documentation they require so I am covering health and gtg over the summer and etching math facts into their skulls. Maybe more.

[Reflections]

Usually, we take off the last two weeks of June and go through the end of July and go back the first full week of August. This year, after ds8 having pneumonia twice and then asthmatic bronchitis and then some other un-named respiratory illness in the spring (and we were all sick too, just not like that) we are 10 weeks behind. So, no, no summer break for us this year. :glare:

[lea_lpz]

I go back and forth....Last summer we did school 3x a week and that went ok. This is our 2nd year homeschooling and so we are finishing up k by June 6. I am debating between getting started on 1st 3 days a week in summer so we can do school 4 days a week and take some longer breaks during the school year. Or we could do school 5 days a week but 2 weeks on, two weeks off. Or I've thought about taking 6 weeks off and and just starting our official school year, or just doing some light stuff, like fun projects, lots of summer read alouds, practice BOB books and summer bridge books.

 

 

I should mention that even doing our 1st grade / preschool curriculum, it would still be "light", taking no more than 3 hours a day, with maximum of an hour being math / Lang / worksheet stuff for my 6 year old.

 

Sometimes I am frusterated and think maybe we all just need a long break.

 

[Lilaclady]

We usually take 2-3 weeks off and then do light work. They do their math and lots of reading. We start mid July because I like to have some work going before school and other activities start. I find if they leave their math for too long, they forget and we waste precious time doing review. They also do camps and vbs in the summer.

[Coco_Clark]

We do fun stuff. More documentaries, more projects, more child led reading...but staying in our schedule. My kids are young enough that they need to be entertained, so I figure if I'm playing with them it might as well be educational. And we do a lot better on a schedule anyways. When they are older I'm sure I'll be more temped to take big breaks :)

[sbgrace]

We just keep going. But I do this primarily so that I feel comfortable taking a break whenever we need or want to throughout the year. The other reason is that my special needs son, particularly, is better when we stay in a routine.

[Whereneverever]

We just keep going. But I do this primarily so that I feel comfortable taking a break whenever we need or want to throughout the year. The other reason is that my special needs son, particularly, is better when we stay in a routine.

 

 

This, exactly, only mine is a daughter not a son.

[Kelly1730]

I've not read the other responses but we do math because the boys NEED to do math and reading they would do anyway. I may do a fun unit on scientists/inventors but other than that we take a break. We all, including mom, benefit this way.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I count things that add to their knowledge base as "school" even though they are fun. My girls will be taking (through the parks) crochet and art classes, tumbling and dance. The 14 and 9 yo will go to GS camp, the 12 yo will go to BS camp. They learn all kinds of things there. DS will be taking mostly Eagle Merit badges. That is some hard stuff. Those 3 will go to church camp too. It's like PE, social skills and religion all in one. We'll also do museums and zoos and library book clubs. They will run around the woods, set things on fire, blow things up and generally be kids. I think all that adds a dimension to education that we miss during the 'school year' when we concentrate on academics.

[GSOchristie]

We are doing 10 five-week cycles for next year, four weeks of school, one week off, with a week off at Christmas and Thanksgiving. We tried different combinations this year, and this seemed to work best. So schooling regularly through the summer. However, school only takes, at most, two hours a day, I might change my tune as they get older :).

[Crafty Mathy Mom]

We have our breaks in the spring and fall when the weather is good. June, July, and August are hot, humid, and mosquito-y around here. If there kids are going to be stuck in the house all day long, we're doing school. We'll take days here and there for swimming and family visits.

[MissKNG]

3R's and interest led (usually more math and science)! And 2-3 days a week, maybe. Or on rainy days.

[Sasharowan]

We take off July, except for daily reading, unless there is something that needs finishing. We also usually take Dec. off and a week here and there for camping or visitors. We took most of April off this year for vacation to see DH's family and for my sister visiting, so might need to press into July, but that is unusual. Dd would be fine taking time off and pursuing her own interests, but she likes doing school and has actually started on some stuff for next year. The boys will play video games all day if allowed, so doing school limits that and keeps them in a routine.

[sparrow]

We own a seasonal business, so summer is when we're stuck at home. We school year-round so we can take off when we want to .

[luvnlattes]

We normally take summers off because everyone (especially me :tongue_smilie:) needs a break. This year will be different because my middle son has high hopes of taking geometry in the fall at our co-op so he needs to complete algebra over the summer. He'll get a week off here and there for things we have planned, otherwise it'll be math every day for him. Also, this was the first year of high school for my oldest and it took him some time to acclimate to the workload. He has an elective that we had to set aside mid-year to focus on completing the basics. He wants to finish that over the summer.

[Julie Smith]

If Daddy is at work and we are home then it's a school day.

 

This works out in a nice way. Since we have more school days than average we can have short days. Only recently are we no longer able to start late, take breaks and finish early.

[EKS]

Even though my younger son has been attending an b&m school this year (and will next year as well), or perhaps *because* of it, we will be schooling over the summer. His school does not teach grammar, so he will be finishing Hake 8. It doesn't teach writing, so we will be doing a writing program that I developed that is based on MCT's Essay Voyage. It doesn't assign classic literature, so we will be reading some of that. It doesn't teach history properly, so we will be reading through HO2 and The Story of Science 1 and 2. And it doesn't teach math properly, so we will be doing a preview of geometry using MUS.

 

Why am I sending them there again?

 

ETA: I don't anticipate that the math/English parts will take longer than 1.5-2 hours per day. He likes history and literature, so we'll do those as read alouds in the evening.

[6packofun]

My answer is: How much we NEED to do. lol Sometimes we just need to finish a text, sometimes we need to do certain things that we purposely put off until summer. (For example, this summer we're doing almost ALL of our Bio and Chem labs/dissections because it was a crazy year and I didn't have the means to do most of them.)

 

Ds7 just started to read and so we're going to do light lessons all summer to keep it fresh.

[lea_lpz]

We have our breaks in the spring and fall when the weather is good. June, July, and August are hot, humid, and mosquito-y around here. If there kids are going to be stuck in the house all day long, we're doing school. We'll take days here and there for swimming and family visits.

 

And this is why I feel like I'd like to do school in summer and maybe have days of school / other vaction times during the school year!

 

The Spring and Fall where I live are lovely, but winter can be very cold and summer scorching hot, so we stay home a lot more. I'd love to take more time off in spring. This spring we took off two weeks for Easter break and that was nice to have alot of time to go to local parks and go on wallks and just enjoy the sunshine. Same thing with fall. I wouldn't actually mind having say mid-April to June 1st off, and then schooling strait through summer with maybe 2 weeks off for vacation / VBA. From Thanksgiving to January 6th, we took a break from school having schooled through summer and needing a break plus the holidays are hectic anyway, so it was nice to have the time to make some special Holiday memories. We did a lot of crafting, baking, and put together gift baskets. We did volunteer work. We read a lot and watched Christmas movies. So, we still learned. We did some math and language games to keep it fresh. Having school only 4 days a week is also nice. It leaves a day open for field trips, playing catch up, or just some time open for when things come up and I have to do errands or paperwork all day or someone is sick.

 

We'll do swim lessons in summer, but because it is so hot, we'll be doing that at 4:15, when it begins to cool down become tolerable outdoors. I've been debating doing a morning outdoor fitness class with them playing in the park / riding along on scooters while I run in the morning at local parks to get us outdoors early in the morning before it is scorching! That would be over by 10, when it gets unbearable. So from say 10:30 when we get home and say 3:30 when we need to start getting ready to head out to swim lessons, we'd usually be at home. That's 5 hours. Plenty of time to do say 2-3 hours of school.

 

Also, like others have mentioned, it gives our day structure so that the kids aren't just trying to watch tv all day.

 

You know, it's funny. After much internal debate on this, I thought why not ask my dc their opinion on this, a novel idea. I explained the options that I had in mind. My dd immediately responded she wanted to start 1st grade after finishing k. i thought perhaps she thought that this would allow her to move up a grade in Sunday school, AWANA's, AHG, so I explained to her that she'd still need to wait until after summer to be moving up in those things even if we worked on 1st over the summer. She just looked at me when I asked her if she still wanted to start 1st over summer and said, "Yeah mom. What else would we do all day" and shrugged her shoulders, rolled her eyes a bit and looked at me like, ok, come on mom, duh! Huh :huh:

[TammyinTN]

We will continue with Algebra 1 and latin over the summer, but that's it.

[AngieW in Texas]

We are actually a combination of two of the choices. We always keep going in math, although we cut back on it and do it maybe 3 days/week rather than 5. For all the other subjects, we just keep going until we finish that text and then we stop until fall.

 

When my youngest was still struggling with reading, that went full-throttle year-round. Stopping for one week would throw her back a full month. It's been a long time since that though.