For those that school year round

[caitlinsmom]

How do you set your year up? Do you have a week or 2 before moving onto the next grade? Do you find your dc getting tired of school or a little burnt out?

 

I am considering going year round after seeing how much dd lost over the summer. It is amazing what we are going back over and I find that she is having a harder time with the concepts this time...

[Closeacademy]

We take a vacation in May/June, I take 3 weeks off at that time which includes our vacation time and begin the new school year the second week after we come back.

 

We do 4 day weeks but Fridays are our co-op/playgroup day so it is counted as school even though we don't do any work in our textbooks. I schedule our year into 2-4 week units for all of our subjects but go ahead and just do the next thing if we get ahead or behind.

 

:001_smile:

[VaKim]

We do 4 day weeks, and take off whenever we feel like it or need to. We are taking off next week for dd's birthday.

 

We don't really ever transition from one grade to another. Just whenever we finish up a level or book in a subject, we move on to the next. Going on year 5 here, and nobody is tired of it. My youngest dd just told a lady in Walmart yesterday that having all summer off would be boring. :001_smile:

[Jean in Newcastle]

We scaled down a bit over the summer - just core subjects. We did take a week off between "grades". My kids did not get burnt out. They are excited to have new books!

[Jen500]

We scaled down a bit over the summer - just core subjects. We did take a week off between "grades". My kids did not get burnt out. They are excited to have new books!

 

This is what we did this year also. We also take vacations throughout the year- a week camping, a trip to D.C., etc. I consider those educational, although we aren't doing formal schooling.

[Amy in NH]

We don't do "grades". Of course, we give the grade that their age-mates are in if anyone asks, but we don't do grades in our homeschool. Each child works at his own level at his own pace for the skill-subjects, and we all do science and history together.

 

We just take breaks throughout the year when we need them. We may take off a little more time in the summer for summer camp and/or the fair. We usually take a week of vacation at the end of August, usually the first week of school for the locals, to take advantage of the off-season rates and short lines at attractions before they close for the winter.

[Michelle T]

We do 4 day weeks, and take off whenever we feel like it or need to. We are taking off next week for dd's birthday.

 

We don't really ever transition from one grade to another. Just whenever we finish up a level or book in a subject, we move on to the next. Going on year 5 here, and nobody is tired of it. My youngest dd just told a lady in Walmart yesterday that having all summer off would be boring. :001_smile:

 

Well, except my DS would never feel having time off is boring, he's not exactly a fan of school!

 

We do school four days per week, and I take off time whenever I feel the need, or something else is going on, such as vacations. We finish curriculum at various times, and just go into the next level. I generally start calling DS the next grade (I say he's a 6th grader now) at his birthday in June.

Michelle T

[KarenC]

We take off a week in between grades, a week in the fall, and other days as needed. For us, it's much more stressful to have school 5 days a week. I could never seem to keep caught up with the errands or things around the house. We love our day off each week!

 

Karen

[Bev in B'ville]

We have a four quarter year comprised of 10 weeks each. Basically, 10 weeks on, 3 weeks off (totaling 12 weeks off per year). However, we sneak in the breaks when we want/need them so it's not set in stone. Last year, my dc decided to "save" some of their spring break and use it for a longer summer break so we ended up with 5 weeks summer break instead of just 3.

 

I don't do grade levels, either. When they finish one textbook we move seamlessly into another. That way there's no down time once they finish a textbook waiting for the new school year to arrive. However, it does make it that much harder when people ask them what grade they're in. :) Our standard answer is that it depends on the subject.

 

HTH.

[MelaniePA]

I don't do grade levels, they work at where they work and some things are done together(science, history, etc). When they finish something we just go on to the next.

I schedule 4 days a week, usually Mon-Thurs leaving Friday for an outing or such. Sometimes something will come up during the week and I'll take a Wednesday off and push everything back a day. We typically take a break 2-3 weeks in December and about a month in June(family comes to visit those times). Otherwise, nothing else as far as breaks go is scheduled but we take them as we need them or want them.

I do find it helps as far as keeping the kids scheduled and knowing what is going on, and also the retaining knowledge factor. The break in June is plenty long enough, everyone ends up rather happy once we get back into our regularly scheduled life.

[FO4UR]

I am just starting, but I plan on going 6wks in school, and 1wk break year round. That leaves plenty of time to take an extra week at Christmas, and an extra week for a family vacation, and plenty of wiggle room for chasing rabbits (both literal and figurative:lol:).

 

If I had a date to complete Kindergarten, I think I would stress about ds completing a curriculum. This way, I just bite off as much of a lesson as I think he can chew for the day and move on.

[lwilliams1922]

i've scheduled to go year round. I have given us (dd doesnt know)

I week a month of float time. 12 weeks.

 

We can use it when things come up, trips, sickness, holidays or between the next grades.

 

it works much better for us when dd has a week off than a month!

[Sputterduck]

My son is only 4 so we're no very formal at this point, but I'll answer anyway. We organize by seasons. His birthday is May 18th and between that day and the first day of Summer we take off from school and it is my yearly planning time. Each season is a new start and we incorporate learning to the seasons. For example, in winter we do sciences that are easy to do indoors. In the Spring we can learn about flowers and growing things from seeds and plant parts, etc. In the fall we can learn survival skills with camping trips. We take time off whenever we feel like it or there is a vacation opportunity.

[Alyce]

We start "official" school mid-July and school for 6 weeks and one off until mid December. We take a week off for Thanksgiving as well (my dh family goes to the beach that week). We still have room for taking a day here or there. We start back beginning of January (that gives them 3 weeks for christmas. Then we do the 6 weeks on and 6 weeks off thing. We end school the second week of May (that gives them 6 weeks off at christmas. We've tried many schedules over the years and this is the one that seems to work well for the kids and I. Just when the kids are getting tired of school they get time off enough to recuperate and start again.

[Mom to Aly]

We do all year, but we are more relaxed that way. We take off when we want, like a week or two for Christmas, etc. I get sick pretty easily (I have allergies and a lung disease from asthma gone terribly wrong ;) ), and I know I can take of then, and when dd gets sick, also allergies and asthma, plus I don't have to worry if friends come to stay, etc. I do it for the same reason you mentioned, it is ridiculous to me to have that loss in between, and I think much harder to get back to school after that big a break.

 

Usually, we take a break in June, because that is when our big hs convention is. It is 4 days, and we take a week or so to go, and to look at our stuff once we have bought it (my dd loves it as much or more than I do). Then, she is so excited, especially this year, since I let her help pick everything, she WANTS to start afterwards.

 

We also have one day a week when we have co-op, and we can do that without having to worry about doing much school. We have 3 subjects there, so that is enough, and we read lit for our history studies, and do math, which is done every day.

 

I also have a method that has worked so well for us. She has to "earn" time off. I told her, years ago, that doing a extra "main" subject, math, history, science, English, each day of the week, would earn her one free day at the end of the week. I keep a chart, and she builds them up. Then when something special, like the State Fair, or Halloween, rolls around, she can use one of those days. It works wonders! Or, she can save them up and take them when she doesn't feel like doing school--if she wants a day to play or read, a day to go to the park, or something like that. It is the best thing I've ever done with her.

 

But, if she gives me a prob and doesn't finish school one day, when we have started, due to piddling or bad attitude, unless she is ill, she loses two days--so she has to be careful!!

 

I highly recommend this.

[Desert Rat]

We school year round. I take off 2 weeks in August where I gear up for the next grade. We also take a break between Thanksgiving and New Years. The weather is nice here in the desert that time of year and take advantage of it. We also take a week off in February and in May for birthdays. It works out really well for us.

[Carol in Cal.]

We take vacations off sometimes, and DD attends some summer camps. Most of them are not academic at all--just VBS or art usually.

 

Because all of the coops shut down for the summer, though, she actually gets a lot done on the days when we do do school work. With no chorus and no one day class or coop, she also has more time for playdates and for spur of the moment visits to local nature parks, beaches, or children's museums.

[Guest janainaz]

We do 3 weeks on and 1 week off year round. We get 16 weeks off. I plan 13 out of 16 weeks ahead and leave 3 school weeks open for sick days, or unexpected guests, etc. It gives me some freedom to say "let's go to a movie today... or whatever.

 

We don't necessarily take a break between "school years". Sometimes in naturally just happens. I started in August with my son in first grade (he is now in third). However, he moves at a more rapid pace through curriculum in some subjects and so even though I say he's in third grade, he's not necessarily at that grade level. Some stuff he is, some he isn't. I don't make a big deal about what year he is in.

 

I think having too long a break is not good. We just get bored and 3 weeks is max for us. It is PLENTY of time to feel ready to go again. I love the year-round schedule. I would not have it any other way!

[Cricket]

We do 4 day weeks, and take off whenever we feel like it or need to. We are taking off next week for dd's birthday.

 

We don't really ever transition from one grade to another. Just whenever we finish up a level or book in a subject, we move on to the next. Going on year 5 here, and nobody is tired of it. My youngest dd just told a lady in Walmart yesterday that having all summer off would be boring. :001_smile:

 

We do this too except for the 4 day weeks. I like that idea!