Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 My boys have already started 6th grade level work. I remember in PS how special and celebrated it was when I moved into 6th grade. I'm thinking of throwing a "moving on up" type of party but it just seems silly since we homeschool year round and have already started that level work a month ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Doesn't seem silly to me. I wanted to do something for the 6th grade mile marker also but it just fell through so the timing will be off. I'm hoping to try again when the finances will permit it (end of summer) though they are already doing post-6th grade work. Instead of just '6th grade' we'll be celebrating "how far we've come" regardless of where we are at the time. What did you have in mind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 No we don't. I always thought it was sort of silly too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We just hand them the next book. "Yay! You finished 5th grade math, here's your 6th grade book." Yeah, I am not a very cool mom at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 I'm thinking just an outing for ice cream or american cookie company. Just a fun evening. All their PS friends are celebrating leaving elementary school and talking about their excitement for middle school. I think mine are just bummed their work load has increased, ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We just hand them the next book. "Yay! You finished 5th grade math, here's your 6th grade book." Yeah, I am not a very cool mom at all. This is what we've done too. When I was in school there were no graduation ceremonies for completing elementary (K-6th) or intermediate (7th-8th or 9th depending on the school). It was more like: Ok, you're done. Now move along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 I don't remember ceremonies either. I just remember the sheer excitement of moving to a new school. I suppose their excitement will come when they move up in co-op this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I'm thinking just an outing for ice cream or american cookie company. Just a fun evening. We've done something like this just to celebrate the end of the school year but not specifically for "moving up" to the next level of school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We don't celebrate the move up, but we do have a special outing for finishing up the last level. What's the point of trying in school if finishing simply means you get handed another book. There has to be some sort of yay moment. I learned quickly with my kids that if we did something fun when they finished a level, they tried MUCH harder for me. Kids have a hard time looking towards the future then adults. We might be looking towards their adult years, they are only seeing the next week. My oldest two are starting to think a little further down the road, but they are still not quite there and still need the extra incentive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 No, but we're not very ra-ra-ra kind of people. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 We don't celebrate the move up, but we do have a special outing for finishing up the last level. What's the point of trying in school if finishing simply means you get handed another book. There has to be some sort of yay moment. I learned quickly with my kids that if we did something fun when they finished a level, they tried MUCH harder for me. Kids have a hard time looking towards the future then adults. We might be looking towards their adult years, they are only seeing the next week. My oldest two are starting to think a little further down the road, but they are still not quite there and still need the extra incentive. Great point. So do you celebrate each new level, even if they are doing different levels per subject? For instance Math may move up mid year but science in January? With us schooling year round and doing the next thing, we never have an "end" just a next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We usually just go out for ice cream to celebrate the end of the school year. It's nice to have some kind of closure. High school graduation will be a bigger deal...we might treat them to an entire dinner! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Great point. So do you celebrate each new level, even if they are doing different levels per subject? For instance Math may move up mid year but science in January? With us schooling year round and doing the next thing, we never have an "end" just a next. All of my kids finished some of their stuff in December/January and have slowly been finishing different books until this month. When they finish the last book that's in that level, that's when we head out for a small outing to 'celebrate'. It's never anything big, just something like an ice cream or some miniature golf. I also never give them the next book right away. they get a week or two off of the subject they just finished to kinda revel in the feeling of having finished something and finished it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 All of my kids finished some of their stuff in December/January and have slowly been finishing different books until this month. When they finish the last book that's in that level, that's when we head out for a small outing to 'celebrate'. It's never anything big, just something like an ice cream or some miniature golf. I also never give them the next book right away. they get a week or two off of the subject they just finished to kinda revel in the feeling of having finished something and finished it well. Good idea of a week off of that subject. We are 2 weeks from finishing a brutal Math year. They are doing great now and have come so far. I like the idea of breaking for just a wee bit to celebrate that accomplishment! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 My boys have already started 6th grade level work. I remember in PS how special and celebrated it was when I moved into 6th grade. I'm thinking of throwing a "moving on up" type of party but it just seems silly since we homeschool year round and have already started that level work a month ago. No. Homeschooled children are not "in" "grades." Celebrating when finishing one thing and moving up to the next thing would be fine, but not grade level. I did "promote" my dc in the fall, for the sake of grandparents and Sunday school teachers. It looked something like this: "Dear child, you are now ::sounds of trumpets in the background:: THIRD GRADE!!! Go forth and prosper!" :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldilocks Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We take about 6 weeks off in the summer. Usually that is when we are done with the book. If they are done early, they don't get a new one until August. If they aren't done, we take a break from it. We celebrate the start of our break with a "project fair." We got the idea from our local homeschool group. Each child would bring a project and have the opportunity to perform something. To make it more enjoyable for extended family we do our own project fair. The kids display projects and papers from the past year. Anything they want to show off. We have family over and serve ice cream. This year one of the projects was a pinata, so we will have fun breaking that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 With us schooling year round and doing the next thing, we never have an "end" just a next. We celebrate end of school year and start of summer with whatever special my kids request within limits. We school year round too but our summer schedule is different from the academic year schedule. ETA: The neighborhood public school has a graduation ceremony and party for K, 5th and 8th grade just before the last day of school. Its a K-8 school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrindam Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 No. Homeschooled children are not "in" "grades." Celebrating when finishing one thing and moving up to the next thing would be fine, but not grade level. I did "promote" my dc in the fall, for the sake of grandparents and Sunday school teachers. It looked something like this: "Dear child, you are now ::sounds of trumpets in the background:: THIRD GRADE!!! Go forth and prosper!" :laugh: I have yet to meet a homeschooled child who didn't proudly tell me their grade. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We celebrate the beginning of the new school year, but not the end of the old one (which would be today by some measures, June 30 legally, or the August 29 practically). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We never have, but it sounds like fun so why not? Fun is good. :) ETA: I have promised my kids an ice cream sundae party with friends if we can teach my 8 year old her multiplication/division facts. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalLynn Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Our small, informal, home school friends group of 8-10 families gets together for an end of the year celebration called "Show Yer Stuff Night!" We bring examples of the kids' school work to show off, the kids all perform something like a song or musical instrument piece, or read something they wrote (one kid did magic tricks last year). Then the moms and dads stand up with the kids to "brag" and encourage the kids and share their year with everyone. If the family wants to give a certificate or something they do but not everyone does. We bring food to share, too. This June will be our 6th celebration as a group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We never did anything special for a certain grade. But most years we had a book burning night (gasp!).. Of course, it was only the consumables but the kids loved throwing those books onto the fire.. We'd roast marshmallows too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 We celebrate the beginning of summer and where ever the kids might be at in their learning journey. We usually go out to dinner. Sometimes we go to a ballgame or a movie. Sometimes I get them gifts, too. We love doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 We never did anything special for a certain grade. But most years we had a book burning night (gasp!).. Of course, it was only the consumables but the kids loved throwing those books onto the fire.. We'd roast marshmallows too. Ahhh this idea is hilarious. I may need to add this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 We celebrate the beginning of summer and where ever the kids might be at in their learning journey. We usually go out to dinner. Sometimes we go to a ballgame or a movie. Sometimes I get them gifts, too. We love doing this. I can vision doing this too. We purchased family six flag season passes and commence our summer activities next week. Maybe on the way to Six Flags next week we'll celebrate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Yes, but it's not tied to the level of the book. We just celebrate the "official" start of the new year. More a calendar, rites of passage thing than an academic thing. I just like things that mark time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 When I was a homeschooled student I used to ask if we could drive past the neighborhood schools in the morning so that I could laugh at the other kids going to PS.... My parents never let me :(. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 24, 2014 Author Share Posted May 24, 2014 When I was a homeschooled student I used to ask if we could drive past the neighborhood schools in the morning so that I could laugh at the other kids going to PS.... My parents never let me :(. Hilarious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Not precisely the grade change but the last day of school is always a field trip. Today we did the zoo and the unheard of thrill of a McD sundae. We also celebrate not going back to school the first day PS is in, usually with swimming or a movie. We don't go too many places so this still plays pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Not precisely the grade change but the last day of school is always a field trip. Today we did the zoo and the unheard of thrill of a McD sundae. We also celebrate not going back to school the first day PS is in, usually with swimming or a movie. We don't go too many places so this still plays pretty well. This is similar to what we do. We did a half day of school the first day and went to a movie in the afternoon. Tomorrow is our day 180 and we are going to Gettysburg for a field trip. I love homeschool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Exact level work? No. My kids work above grade level across the boards pretty much just due to their own strengths. We also use a fair share of materials that are not leveled at all. So grade level numbers are pretty meaningless and arbitrary at our house. We take the summers off from most structured work though (kids read, do camps academic and fun, and do projects all summer), so I think that's celebration enough! ;) I just call them the grade that they'd be by age. If you think about the average 10 old schooled or homeschooled, there would be a HUGE range there. Some are setting up for Harvard. Some won't finish high school. ETA - for the first day of school around here (after labor day) some homeschoolers the past couple years have organized a NOT back to school day where kids meet at a park in their pajamas. Pretty funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I don't tell them what grade level work they are doing. Their grades go by age. We do celebrate the new grade/ school year in the fall. We school year round so I actually take a day off of work and go someplace fun. They make silly hats and we go out for lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 No. My kids work on whatever level they are capable of. There are no "grade levels". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Hilarious Not to me it wasn't. Not then anyway, but in hindsight, I wonder where I even got the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 When I was a homeschooled student I used to ask if we could drive past the neighborhood schools in the morning so that I could laugh at the other kids going to PS.... My parents never let me :(. :lol: A family I know spends the first day of school every year watching TV in their pajamas all day as a sort of in your face to the school kids. The other day, dh FB posted a picture of our boys on a bike ride in our neighborhood and they happened to be in front of the school. You could see the kids outside in the fenced yard. I posted back something like, "Haha. Take that, schoolkids!" For some reason I seriously can't imagine, our ps parent friends were not amused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I give dd a prize every time she moves up a level in a subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 We don't do the grade level thing. What grade level are Latin and Greek Roots? We start when they're 5 or 6 years old. My oldest could read like an adult by age 5. My middle wasn't ready to start reading until almost 8. She could read like an adult by 11. Grade levels just don't work in those situations. You can do the grade level thing if you want. You can celebrate the end of a year or the end of curriculum if you want. Have a great time! I just think it's important to point out to any new people that might be reading this thread that there's no need to do the grade level thing and there are times when it's probably best to skip the idea of grade levels entirely. This is a new and foreign concept to many people even in the homeschooling community so I like to do PSAs on it whenever possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Yes! As an end of the school year fun day. Usually something they pick with an added surprise from me and a special dessert to celebrate at dinner that night with DH. We try to highlight some of our favorite activities, books and things we learned. We talk about what we accomplished and what we might aim for the next year. This conversation is interesting because it often brings up character issues and relational struggles. Also rabbit trails that turned into significant avenues of learning both skills and content. We do this even though they are not exactly in only one grade academically. I don't choose to emphasize that because it makes for complicated conversations with people who don't understand homeschooling and is really irrelevant to our everyday life. My kids go to Sunday school, camp and other activities where they are divided by grades so they do identify with a grade and we break for the summer so they know when that grade is officially over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 When I was in school, we only celebrated the end of high school. No preschool or middle school graduations like they do now. I find it all to be a bit overdone. Caps and gowns for a 5 yo? Really? We take a summer break and usually just focus on reading and one or two fun subjects (computer programming, science, art, music...) over the summer. Our last day of regular school is the first Friday of June when my kids take their mandatory state testing. I take them out for a special lunch afterward and then make a point of spending the next week doing fun things while the PS kids are still in school. Last year we took our vacation that week. This year we have tickets for a local water and amusement park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Thank you all! We don't do grade levels either. When asked which grade my oldest answered recently "ummm I don't know 4th, 5th, 6th? My work level varies!" I did tell him that he doesn't have to announce his work levels or weaknesses. He can say his age or what PS grade he'd be if he likes. We never have a beginning of the year or end of the year. We work and we break and just keep moving most of the time. I think we'll have a "beginning of summer fun" celebration this week instead. I also like the idea of celebrating finishing levels of work. So, I may give them a week off that subject next time that happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 No, we don't celebrate. We don't really pay attention to grade levels and look at learning as a continuum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Once a year, about the time the PS programs are finishing up, we pile up all the finished materials, take a picture, then select a few samples to keep for the year, send reusable books to a used bookstore or to someone else who can use them (or put them back on the shelf if we want to keep them or if they're not finished yet-DD won't let me get rid of LOF, for example), and recycle anything that can be recycled. Since I usually buy books that we use for school rather than trust the library, it's usually a pretty big stack (the first couple of years, DD would sit next to it and it would be as tall as she was). Now that more of it's classics that are free or cheap on Kindle, it's not nearly as big, but it's still a tradition. We also usually take a break when school is out here for a week or so, when most kids aren't in summer camps/VBS programs, and other stuff yet. That's about as much "celebration" as we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Once a year, about the time the PS programs are finishing up, we pile up all the finished materials, take a picture, then select a few samples to keep for the year, send reusable books to a used bookstore or to someone else who can use them (or put them back on the shelf if we want to keep them or if they're not finished yet-DD won't let me get rid of LOF, for example), and recycle anything that can be recycled. Since I usually buy books that we use for school rather than trust the library, it's usually a pretty big stack (the first couple of years, DD would sit next to it and it would be as tall as she was). Now that more of it's classics that are free or cheap on Kindle, it's not nearly as big, but it's still a tradition. We also usually take a break when school is out here for a week or so, when most kids aren't in summer camps/VBS programs, and other stuff yet. That's about as much "celebration" as we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Nope. The kids work at different levels in each of their subjects, and we celebrate the end of one level and the beginning of another by taking a week off from bookwork in that subject to play subject-related games. The grade level they'd be in at public school seems arbitrary by comparison. IMO having a celebration for moving to each higher "grade" detracts from the real celebration of completing a K-12 education, which is the only real graduation they have in our home school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 We celebrate the end of the school year by giving our kids books to start their own personal libraries - usually between 2 and 4 books; mostly nice quality, used hardcovers. Generally they are books we think everyone should have in their libraries (Winnie-the-Pooh, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Shakespeare, etc.) mixed in with a few that we think they would particularly enjoy as individuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Yes, DH took the girls out for celebratory ice cream yesterday. We do not school year round for sports reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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