Would you start school if you were moving in three weeks?

[AimeeM]

We close at the end of this month (both on our house/sold and the house we purchased). We would like to be completely moved in to the new house two weeks into October. 

So, I'll be packing, while doing school, over the next several weeks. 

I've already started the school year with DS6 (he takes longer to get into a routine), but DD14 isn't slated to start until this Wednesday. 

If I start with her now, keeping in mind that she's still pretty dependent on me for many of her subjects, as her ability in certain subjects doesn't match her reading/writing skills (dyslexic), we would have to STOP completely in a few weeks when we are actively, physically, moving, and wouldn't be able to pick back up for a couple weeks while we get settled.

I do NOT feel like she would retain much of anything if we worked for two weeks, then stopped for 2-3 weeks; we would essentially be starting all over again. 

One option is to just review over the next couple weeks.

 

So, if you've moved at the beginning of a school year, how did you (or how would you) handle it?

[Tess in the Burbs]

we have done it twice.  Once dh moved in Sept and we followed in early October.  I thought I would leave school out.  When packing I realized how ridiculous that would be, and packed it all.  We moved, got settled, and still finished everything we wanted that year.  No regrets about waiting.  With everything going on, my kids just needed to chill during packing. The second time was last year when we moved cross country.  We got our goods about mid Sept, but still didn't start school until early October and again had a great year.  Life is more important than finishing school.  Even if excited, the kids have a lot going on emotionally right now.  

[regentrude]

I would, in order to give the kids structure. I would do school "light", to free up some time for myself to pack, but I would make sure the kids have a regular daily routine that included structured academic seat work. I would not worry about retention. There is plenty of things your DD could do - for example, do reading for literature, or if dyslexia is a big issue, listen to audiobooks, history lectures on CD, do daily math practice.

Having kids hang around unoccupied while you are packing does not strike me as a good idea.

 

Also, why would you have to stop for 2-3 weeks when you move? I would think that returning to a routine would give kids a sense of normalcy.

[Mimm]

I wouldn't. Just shift your school year by a month.

[NoseInABook]

Nope, I would wait until we were settled in the new house. You can always shift the school year around a bit if needed. 

[AimeeM]

I would, in order to give the kids structure. I would do school "light", to free up some time for myself to pack, but I would make sure the kids have a regular daily routine that included structured academic seat work. I would not worry about retention. There is plenty of things your DD could do - for example, do reading for literature, or if dyslexia is a big issue, listen to audiobooks, history lectures on CD, do daily math practice.

Having kids hang around unoccupied while you are packing does not strike me as a good idea.

 

Also, why would you have to stop for 2-3 weeks when you move? I would think that returning to a routine would give kids a sense of normalcy.

DH will really only be able to help in the evenings and weekends. He'll probably be able to take a couple days off, but that's likely it. He is also supposed to go out of state on business around that time and isn't sure he can get out of it (the house sale happened suddenly). While I'm sure there are many who could simultaneously homeschool and move their house from one city to another, I'm not one of them, lol ;) 

The first priority when we move is to get the house in order. This is safety as much as function - our youngest will find a million-ten ways to injure himself on boxes left out, and knowing my children as I do, having their things where they belong will give them far more a sense of comfortable normalcy than school would.

I'm just not that good :)

[mom2samlibby]

I'd wait and start after you get settled. Moving is hard enough of you and kids without trying to keep school going. We moved in February and school was very hit and miss until we were settled. We are ready to start fresh now this fall.

[Incognito]

There are probably a lot of things that need to be done that would be useful for your daughter to learn and be helpful with in the move.  

 

Personally, I'd get started on one core subject (math, perhaps?), and keep that up throughout, while having the oldest work on other practical moving tasks.

 

 

[AimeeM]

There are probably a lot of things that need to be done that would be useful for your daughter to learn and be helpful with in the move.  

 

Personally, I'd get started on one core subject (math, perhaps?), and keep that up throughout, while having the oldest work on other practical moving tasks.

She's looking forward to helping with her brothers while I pack :) If there's one person The Marvelous Flying Marco loves more than me, it's her. 

[rjand6more]

We are moving at the end of this month and we did start school.  I plan to take a full week off and do a week of 1/2 days.  My kids need the structure.  I will be flexible, though.

[LibraryLover]

Im assuming your teen will reading/listening to audio books, doing some journaling, perhaps vocab or map games etc on the computer? Maybe some Kahn Academy/YouTube videos? Some b & m schools don't even start until the day after Labor Day.

[Catwoman]

No. I don't think you should start school now. For your own sanity as much as for the kids.

 

Moving is stressful. Pack up the school stuff and start using it once you are settled in your new home.

[Liz CA]

I would not. I'd make a plan for the kids - depending on ages - to help with the move. Then when you are reasonably settled, tackle the school. If I recall correctly, your dc are young. 3 weeks or a month won't make an iota of difference IMHO.

[SKL]

I agree with doing school light while packing up the formal school materials.  Perhaps your older daughter could make up (and solve) grade-appropriate math story problems related to the move.  The younger could do some review math worksheets.  If you're moving far away, I'd borrow some library books about the new place (and check it out on the internet with the kids).  Perhaps have them both write letters to friends/relatives telling about the new place and providing the new address and maybe a map.  Maybe work in a last visit to the local museum(s) and such.

[Amira]

We had an international move at the end of September two years ago when my oldest was starting ninth grade. I will always regret waiting to start the school year with him. I had mistakenly thought it wasn't possible to do so because of some specific issues related to our move. It was a major disruption to our school year and it took a long time for ds to get caught up. If I could go back and change it, I'd have started his classes in August to give him a good beginning and then taken a 10-day break while we visited grandparents on the way and waited for the internet to get connected in Mexico.

 

We have had other interstate September moves (including this year, but it was early September and we're ready to start today), but it wasn't a big deal when the boys were in elementary or middle school. But I've learned not to mess with high school. I wouldn't worry about the other kids right now, but I'd make sure your oldest starts now and keeps working through as much of the move as possible. In-town and local moves are much, much more flexible and don't have to disrupt an independently-working high schooler.

[AimeeM]

Im assuming your teen will reading/listening to audio books, doing some journaling, perhaps vocab or map games etc on the computer? Maybe some Kahn Academy/YouTube videos? Some b & m schools don't even start until the day after Labor Day.

She will not be doing anything on the computer (she hates it), but she reads, draws, and writes regardless. 

I am considering an alternative of making the next few weeks "review".

[LisaKinVA]

I probably wouldn't do full-blown school.  I might keep out reading and math...or whatever was simple enough for the kids to mostly do on their own.  Then, pick the rest up once we were settled.  I've tried several times unsuccessfully to school through a move.  It was never pretty.

 

This time, we're working to finish school before we move (so, we're on an accelerated pace).  Not pretty, either -- but with high schoolers in the mix, I can't exactly just wing it anymore.  All I want them to worry about throughout the move is math, reading, and electives they are interested in.  

[AimeeM]

We had an international move at the end of September two years ago when my oldest was starting ninth grade. I will always regret waiting to start the school year with him. I had mistakenly thought it wasn't possible to do so because of some specific issues related to our move. It was a major disruption to our school year and it took a long time for ds to get caught up. If I could go back and change it, I'd have started his classes in August to give him a good beginning and then taken a 10-day break while we visited grandparents on the way and waited for the internet to get connected in Mexico.

 

We have had other interstate September moves (including this year, but it was early September and we're ready to start today), but it wasn't a big deal when the boys were in elementary or middle school. But I've learned not to mess with high school. I wouldn't worry about the other kids right now, but I'd make sure your oldest starts now and keeps working through as much of the move as possible. In-town and local moves are much, much more flexible and don't have to disrupt an independently-working high schooler.

She's not an independently working high schooler  ;) There is very little she can do independently, and it's primarily content subjects; she is still mom-intensive in most of her skill-based subjects.

[lmrich]

That is tough. I would hate to stil be doing school next July. Could you maybe do two subjects througout the move? It might be nice for you to have to sit down with her and take a packing/unpacking break. Do you have an open and go curriculum that you can just grab and do it? 

[73349]

Yes, we would do school, but not necessarily a full load. I would probably try for 3 hours with the 9th-grader and 1 with the younger student, and reserve the rest of the day for packing/moving/unpacking (as well as the necessary Child Maintenance Activities for the little guy). I'd rather eat take-out, use paper plates and otherwise take shortcuts elsewhere than let a high school student lose all that time.

[Luckymama]

We close at the end of this month (both on our house/sold and the house we purchased). We would like to be completely moved in to the new house two weeks into October. 

So, I'll be packing, while doing school, over the next several weeks. 

I've already started the school year with DS6 (he takes longer to get into a routine), but DD14 isn't slated to start until this Wednesday. 

If I start with her now, keeping in mind that she's still pretty dependent on me for many of her subjects, as her ability in certain subjects doesn't match her reading/writing skills (dyslexic), we would have to STOP completely in a few weeks when we are actively, physically, moving, and wouldn't be able to pick back up for a couple weeks while we get settled.

I do NOT feel like she would retain much of anything if we worked for two weeks, then stopped for 2-3 weeks; we would essentially be starting all over again. 

One option is to just review over the next couple weeks.

 

So, if you've moved at the beginning of a school year, how did you (or how would you) handle it?

  

She's not an independently working high schooler  ;) There is very little she can do independently, and it's primarily content subjects; she is still mom-intensive in most of her skill-based subjects.

So what can she do independently? Can she not work on those topics for short periods around helping you and entertaining her brothers?

[Amira]

She's not an independently working high schooler  ;) There is very little she can do independently, and it's primarily content subjects; she is still mom-intensive in most of her skill-based subjects.

I'm sorry.  I misread what you wrote. But I still would do everything possible to have her start now.

[JFSinIL]

I'd pick one or two of the most important subjects, start them now, and restart them as soon as possible once in new house.  Everything else can wait until you are more settled, with understanding that school this year will bleed into summer.  But I would take no more than a couple days break with those subjects since she may not retain material if you take a longer break. 

 

Schedule an hour in the morning, and one in the afternoon, and keep plugging away at those two subjects. Gives you a scheduled break from packing/unpacking each day, too. ;-)

[katilac]

 

I do NOT feel like she would retain much of anything if we worked for two weeks, then stopped for 2-3 weeks; we would essentially be starting all over again. 

 

 

Why not? Winter break is 2 weeks for most students, summer break is a lot longer. Does she generally have trouble retaining? 

 

You really can't start high school in mid-October unless you are willing to make up quite a lot of time somewhere. You'd need to sit down with a calendar and figure out when you could do that, and if it's feasible. 

 

I always think it's better to get something done, rather than waiting until you can get everything done. Can you just set a rigid schedule for the next several weeks? Maybe work with her for two hours per day at a specified time, and pack for a specified time each day. Short lessons in several subjects, or longer lessons in a couple, whatever works best. Either way, a good chunk of school will get done. 

 

Preferably, I would keep this up on all but the actual moving days, and NOT take a several week break. Moving always seems overwhelming, but there's really no need to pack or unpack all day long, every day. Make a plan and do so much every day. Eat a lot of soup, sandwiches, and other easy meals. 

 

I vote for steady movement forward, no matter how slow. Starting in mid-October gives you only a month or so before the holiday season begins. Being terribly behind for the holiday season is depressing. 

[AimeeM]

  

So what can she do independently? Can she not work on those topics for short periods around helping you and entertaining her brothers?

If she could work independently, I would have her just do that and hire a mother's helper to stay with the boys completely :)

She can read on grade level, but from literature - we're still working on her ability to read and take information from a text. 

So she could probably do composition on her own, and maybe some literature (but we're using a challenging lit program this year, so I would have her start with something else - just books - for now). 

She could review math without me, and she may be able to progress in her algebra without me, but often needs me to help her read the word problems and help her break down the necessary information vs. the unnecessary information.

She can work on history independently as well, since the primary text we're using is multi-grade. 

 

So she could do composition, history, some math, and some literature.

[AimeeM]

Why not? Winter break is 2 weeks for most students, summer break is a lot longer. Does she generally have trouble retaining? 

 

You really can't start high school in mid-October unless you are willing to make up quite a lot of time somewhere. You'd need to sit down with a calendar and figure out when you could do that, and if it's feasible. 

 

I always think it's better to get something done, rather than waiting until you can get everything done. Can you just set a rigid schedule for the next several weeks? Maybe work with her for two hours per day at a specified time, and pack for a specified time each day. Short lessons in several subjects, or longer lessons in a couple, whatever works best. Either way, a good chunk of school will get done. 

 

Preferably, I would keep this up on all but the actual moving days, and NOT take a several week break. Moving always seems overwhelming, but there's really no need to pack or unpack all day long, every day. Make a plan and do so much every day. Eat a lot of soup, sandwiches, and other easy meals. 

 

I vote for steady movement forward, no matter how slow. Starting in mid-October gives you only a month or so before the holiday season begins. Being terribly behind for the holiday season is depressing. 

She does have trouble retaining (working memory issues are probably her biggest problem). We do not generally take off that long. 

 

I think I've decided to have her move forward on her own in literature, composition, and history, and work one-on-one with her for Latin and math (and some literature). 

[AimeeM]

That is tough. I would hate to stil be doing school next July. Could you maybe do two subjects througout the move? It might be nice for you to have to sit down with her and take a packing/unpacking break. Do you have an open and go curriculum that you can just grab and do it? 

We school year 'round usually, as it is. We didn't this past year only because of the house-selling festivities, lol (read: the showings, often with very short notice, all summer).

The curriculum is not open and go, really. Well, not for her. However, I think I've decided to let her move forward with several on her own, as she can, and then do a couple of her more mom-intensive subjects every day.

[Orthodox6]

I would do the best that you can to provide whatever schooling can be done, knowing that there will be gaps until you are settled in to your new home. 

 

Our first year of homeschooling was tri-locational.  We started in one town with me teaching while DH was cross-country at his new job, leaving me to sell the house.  After the house was sold, we lived for six weeks with my [beloved!] mother-in-law in a city two hours south of our future home.  On weekends, DH and I looked for a house in City #3.  After we moved there in mid-December, we continued homeschooling in more settled fashion.  That we always were doing "something" was good for the children during the months away from their dad.

 

Best wishes!

[Rebel Yell]

for the youngest, I would not do any formal school. 

 

For the high schooler, I would try to get some things out of the way- reading/audio books/movies-as-literature, maybe a fun short elective- you can get  1/4 or 1/2 credit in easily in less than a month if you're not focused on academic subjects. I'd want to so *something* that 'counts' as school, even if it isn't math or science, KWIM?

[UCF612]

We move in less than 3 weeks. We do school in the morning, pack in the afternoon. I've simplified a lot, all their needed school stuff fits on one small bookshelf and I'll pack it up almost last. We do a 6 weeks on/one week off schedule but I'm going to rearrange it a bit to end up with a week off the week we move. We are only moving 10-15 minutes away, we started school mid July, and my kids are younger (1st and 3rd grade) if that makes a difference. I think keeping them busy in the morning with school and having afternoons for free play (which frees me up for packing) had worked well. Hopefully the same will be true for unpacking.

[lllll]

nm

[prairiewindmomma]

i would do math and writing every day--2 hours + an hour of reading or listening. That way you have afternoons for you to get stuff done.

[Ausmumof3]

I would probably try to squish in what I could fit. I find there are always reasons not to do school so doing what we can when we can is the best way to get it done. If you can realistically say you'll work through holidays or something that would be different. Or if it was a kinder year.

[AimeeM]

I would probably try to squish in what I could fit. I find there are always reasons not to do school so doing what we can when we can is the best way to get it done. If you can realistically say you'll work through holidays or something that would be different. Or if it was a kinder year.

Working holidays is generally easy for us, unless we're traveling. We only ever travel one major holiday of the year (this year that will be Thanksgiving), and we don't usually take off any more than a few days (day before, day of, day after) for the other holidays. At some point I may grab a copy of the local school calendar to see what their holiday breaks usually look like, to see what those days would add up to, but I'm not comfortable just ditching school for several weeks right now - especially when I just got word that my doctors are considering a double knee replacement surgery for me, so THAT would necessitate some time off (not a huge amount of time, but a couple of weeks immediately after).

[BooksandBoys]

I seem to move every time I turn around, and, yes, I've started school even though two of those moves were in the beginning of October. My kids do better when they have routine. To that end, school starts again as soon as the kitchen is unpacked (usually the next day).

 

However, I completely understand your concern about making your house safe for Marco because my 4 year-old is very similar (your stories often make me tear up in understanding). My kids have enough issues, that they aren't able to help much with packing and unpacking (another reason we school). You didn't ask for packing advice, but I'll share what works for us given our intense kiddos. What we've done is pack in sets. The first set, labelled with a 1, is all the things that we don't need for a long while but aren't decluttering (winter clothes, sporting equipment, tools, non essential toys). These boxes have both a 1 on them and the name of the appropriate room. These are all put in the back of a single room in the new house that can be LOCKED. You sort the boxes by room later, when you are ready for them. Stuff that is more necessary is labelled 2, marked with the appropriate room, and put in the middle or front of the same room that can be locked. Stuff marked 3 is essential, so when unpacking the moving truck, those boxes go into the labelled rooms and are unpacked as quickly as possible. I often fill the closets with the number 3 boxes so that I can tie the closet doors shut to keep him out.

 

I've moved into tiny houses and managed this method. It's not ideal to have my bedroom full of boxes for months, but if that's the door that locks, in they go (we have a room for a study this time, so that held all the 2s and 3s. This was good because this house didn't have deadbolts or a fence blocking the entrance to the street. We had to fix those issues as fast as humanly possible.).

 

Best wishes!

[FriedClams]

yes. As much as possible. 3 weeks can easily become 6. I'd do what I could before, during, and after the move. I will say that I'm very much a "homeschooling is my job" mom.

[MomtoCandJ]

School can be life skills until settled into new house

[Katy]

We basically school year round, but in that case I'd take a month off formal school and include some light online stuff now - khan 2 hours a day, reading 2 hours a day, a one-page essay per day.

[idnib]

No I wouldn't. I would focus my attention on decluttering while packing so I could easily set up everything on the other end. I would probably set the kids up with lots of books (picture and audio), a list of documentaries or educational shows with lots of episodes, coloring pages, puzzles, etc. 

[MomOfABunch]

I would not start school under those circumstances. Moving is a lot of work! At the most, I would have the high schooler do a little math every day, but not if you have to do it with her. I would get moved and unpacked and then start school. I may have the high schooler do shortened breaks or do school on Saturdays or something to make up the time, if I absolutely had to have her work done by June. I wouldn't worry about it for the younger kids.