mountains27 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 My two kids (6 and 7) just finished up their K and 1st grade year in public school and now I plan to homeschool them. My daughter is excited and keeps asking when we will start but I know they need at least some down time just wondering how much? I plan to school year round b/c of my full time work schedule. Our school time per week will sometimes be limited and I figure a year round program would be best. They are coming off a year of PS which meant a 7:45-3:00 day 5 days a week so I feel like they have earned some straight up play time before we start with the academics again. Does anyone have advice or experience to share on this subject? I'd appreciate any insight :) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Why not start your mornings with a little something school-y, then go on to playtime? If you do a math lesson right after breakfast, without leaving the table, you'll get some school into each day without much stress. If it's going well, and you have time, perhaps add a page of language arts work - spelling or grammar. Then go about your normal summer playtime routine, but look for spaces of down time where you can do some read-aloud. Pick a regular weekly or bi-weekly library day, and check out armfuls of books on topics of interest. If you like, pick a topic of interest and get a few related books (some they can read by themselves and some to read together) and perhaps a video. Plan a related outing, if possible, and ask another family to join you. See how this goes and adjust accordingly. With this basic structure, you can adjust the workload up or down, depending on your other obligations, as the year goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 My two kids (6 and 7) just finished up their K and 1st grade year in public school and now I plan to homeschool them. My daughter is excited and keeps asking when we will start but I know they need at least some down time just wondering how much? I plan to school year round b/c of my full time work schedule. Our school time per week will sometimes be limited and I figure a year round program would be best. They are coming off a year of PS which meant a 7:45-3:00 day 5 days a week so I feel like they have earned some straight up play time before we start with the academics again. Does anyone have advice or experience to share on this subject? I'd appreciate any insight :) Thanks! You can start doing stuff as soon as you want. :-) If they think they want to do some stuff now, let them. If they get cranky because really, they did need some down time, put the stuff away. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 The enthusiasm of your children is great. I would minimize the "down time". During long vacations, students forget a lot of what they learned during the previous school year. That is only natural. "Use it or lose it". My DD wants to study year round, so she does not lose the momentum. Your DC may want to do the same. GL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I'd give them just a little bit in the morning to whet their appetite. Something interesting and fun. Once they are into it, you can slowly add more in as you want. Or don't, they are fairly young yet, you could take it at whatever pace makes them excited and doesn't burn you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountains27 Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 Thanks for the replies. Seems like the general idea is they really dont need as much of a break as I thought they might need. Sound good to me, i'll follow their lead then. I am still organizing some of my supplies and still need to buy a spelling program so I'm not ready for full swing right now anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Thanks for the replies. Seems like the general idea is they really don't need as much of a break as I thought they might need. Sound good to me, i'll follow their lead then. I am still organizing some of my supplies and still need to buy a spelling program so I'm not ready for full swing right now anyway! Following their lead will be very important, because things will be different when you start doing Official School Stuff, and not all of it will be positive. Remember our motto: Semper Gumby (always flexible). :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Follow their lead. That's great that they are enthusiastic. Mine were mad at me when I pulled them out of ps school. Right now, we are just doing 2ish hours a day. After breakfast, we watch an educational show, read aloud, and do a math lesson. In the evening before bed is quiet reading time. In between, they get lots of outside time. When the days get shorter, our school time gets longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 If they are excited to get started, then get started. Many public schooled kids will go workbooks or even all out tutoring and academic camps during the summer. We start in the summer and then take time off in the fall to participate in all the home school activities available in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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