Middle school "gap year" -- Have you ever heard of this?

[RootAnn]

I wonder if you might look at these opportunities for growth for a week every six weeks vs. taking six months for all of them.

Travel to Boston for a week.

Volunteer helping .... somewhere, doing something (Habitat for Humanity?) for a week or two.

Etc.

[regentrude]

If you want practical skills: friends of mine bought a foreclosed house (literally on the courthouse steps) and rehabbed it with their homeschooled kids so they could get an opportunity to learn about construction, plumbing, electric work etc. Their kids were between 6 and 11 at that time.

[LMD]

I love this idea, will have to come back and read more thoroughly.

For my dd's next school year (6th ish) we're taking a bit of leeway. I'm planning a big journal project based on Country Diary of an Edwardian lady (we just moved to the country).

I also want to do some creative writing - she loves it, possibly trying to self publish/enter competitions - philosophy and logic.

Maths and history will have to continue, and her violin commitments are stepping up.

I love the idea of bigger projects, building etc.

[Rosie_0801]

If you want practical skills: friends of mine bought a foreclosed house (literally on the courthouse steps) and rehabbed it with their homeschooled kids so they could get an opportunity to learn about construction, plumbing, electric work etc. Their kids were between 6 and 11 at that time.

 

I was reading this thread and thinking if I had money to throw at this, we'd build a house.

 

It happens that my brother wants to subdivide this place and I've been trying to convince him to take an option that includes at least a little owner-building. We might get to do this in a few years time.

 

Otherwise, I'd be looking for a cheap block in a small country town to do it. If I had money. :)

[Rosie_0801]

I love this idea, will have to come back and read more thoroughly.

For my dd's next school year (6th ish) we're taking a bit of leeway. I'm planning a big journal project based on Country Diary of an Edwardian lady (we just moved to the country).

 

The Aussie version is Amy Mack. She doesn't illustrate, but was writing her journal around the same time as the Edwardian Lady.

[LMD]

The Aussie version is Amy Mack. She doesn't illustrate, but was writing her journal around the same time as the Edwardian Lady.

Ooh, thanks!

[Farrar]

Sahamamama, my kids can take the bus, navigate the city, and have seen poverty and affluence... but I worry they'll never be able to spell or be the sort of academic superstars that glide into college. Which is to say, it'll be okay... hopefully for all of them. We just keep working on it all.

[Soror]

Sahamamama, my kids can take the bus, navigate the city, and have seen poverty and affluence... but I worry they'll never be able to spell or be the sort of academic superstars that glide into college. Which is to say, it'll be okay... hopefully for all of them. We just keep working on it all.

There will be gaps, there will always be gaps!

[Farrar]

Mind the gap.

[Soror]

At least as hs'ers we have a lot more say in what those gaps are, we just have to pick the ones we can live with....

[daijobu]

Don't forget to ask your students what they would like to do with this extra time.  

[Reefgazer]

This is so true!  After this thread discussion this morning, I talked to DD on how we could ease up a bit on some of our strictly-academic obligations and she came up with a workable solution that I hadn't considered.  I like getting my kid's opinion on this; she's usually got some good insight.

Don't forget to ask your students what they would like to do with this extra time.  

 

[Sahamamama]

Sahamamama, my kids can take the bus, navigate the city, and have seen poverty and affluence... but I worry they'll never be able to spell or be the sort of academic superstars that glide into college. Which is to say, it'll be okay... hopefully for all of them. We just keep working on it all.

 

LOL, then when we come to see DC, your kids can be tour guides for my kids. ;) Ha ha, I'm only half joking about that.

 

Didn't you guys go to Namibia a few years ago? I just thought of that, for some reason. That is what I call out of the box! A friend of ours (choir director) just got back from three weeks in Namibia, with her teenage daughter. They did a music camp. Our favorite pic was of them riding camels on the beach. It looked so painful, though. They also went dune boarding. Amazing sunsets.

 

We probably couldn't manage Namibia. Well, I know we couldn't do that, but we maybe could get to Boston in the fall. Or DC in the spring. ;)

 

And spelling is just... spelling. I mean, it matters to Word Nerds, but in the end it is just spelling, not a measurement of brilliance. I've known so many brilliant people who couldn't spell well. I wouldn't sweat it.

[Sahamamama]

Don't forget to ask your students what they would like to do with this extra time.  

 

I couldn't afford the amount of glue, glitter, and tape that would require.

 

[quark]

Don't forget to ask your students what they would like to do with this extra time.  

 

:lol: Every time I ask my kid, he says "what's wrong with what we are doing now?" and goes back to burying head in a book. Sometimes I think it's just me that needs a change.

[Arcadia]

We have time to go slow so we are letting kids just explore whatever catch their fancy. We are looking at any opportunity for kids to learn to work with others.

 

We have gone back to Asia to visit family and kids are decent at public transport and airports and not getting lost in San Francisco. Since I do not have a driver's license, kids are taught young to take the bus and train to outside classes.

 

:lol: Every time I ask my kid, he says "what's wrong with what we are doing now?" and goes back to burying head in a book. Sometimes I think it's just me that needs a change.

Both of mine want to climb trees, even DS10 who is usually reading. We spoke to an acquaintance about tutoring and he made the comment that kids change a lot mentally from 10-15 and to look out for burn out.

[Tsuga]

Yes, I think that's it. To be honest, since we're talking about my oldest child, I don't really know what it is, LOL. She's the Guinea Pig Kid. Actually, it's all three. They would all be in on it, like a pack of puppies.

 

I would absolutely consider whatever we do as "part" of the school year, but in my state, who is keeping track? No one. We don't turn in anything to anyone, so there is no big deal in middle school. We can do what we want. That being the case, no, it isn't holding them back (at all). If I say, "This is what we're doing for the first half of this year, then we put the schoolish requirements aside and do X, Y, and Z for the second half," no one will even know or care.

 

I remember when the girls were... 4, 4, and 6, I think. We took a family trip to Williamsburg, and they rode the bus. It was the first time they'd ever been on a bus. :blushing: They were so proud of riding on that bus, LOL, but it struck me that they needed to do more real things. They grew so much from that trip, and then later, when we went to CA to visit family, they grew some more. No amount of book work could do what those experiences did for the girls, if that makes sense.

 

We live 1.5 hours from NYC, 3.5 hours from DC, and 5 hours from Boston, depending on how people are driving in Connecticut. We have family in CA, FL, NC, and NY. There are volunteer opportunities in our area that would probably be a good fit for my girls (at that age).

 

I guess I was thinking:

 

Travel Focus -- one day a week (or longer, if the travel warrants)

 

Volunteer Focus -- one or two days a week (math + job)?

 

Physical Focus -- one day (math + hike) or one day (math + yard work)

 

Practical Skills Focus -- one day (math + PS)

 

Free Reading/Projects -- one day (math + reading/projects)

 

And, FWIW, I don't have a son.

 

This makes much more sense to me. 

 

I think that given that hiking is usually free and yard work is better than free, I'd do that all the time. I know it's overwhelming but she surely needs it and that's a great way to get in a sport if you don't have the opportunity to join a team or if you don't want to. Another option for physical activity is charity 5ks. It only costs $35 to register, you can train yourself, and you don't have to run the whole way. You can walk part. Your daughter can get sponsors to donate to the charity of her choice. I don't know where you are, but I'm sure there are great charity 5ks for animals, refugees, etc. out there.

 

For practical skills / volunteer, what about setting a specific goal to do something for someone? Soldiers get a lot of candy, but quilts are something that they can share (same for refugees). What about sewing outfits for newborns? While it's not what I would recommend to an adult seeking to make an impact, for a child who cannot earn a lot of cash, that's a great thing to do.

 

For travel, look into city passes. In our city, getting a single annual pass to a museum is really economical. You can never see the whole thing in a day. Particularly as you're bringing the whole family, I say go for the family pass. It's a lot up front but you save!

 

Good luck. We do a lot of those things all the time, but less often. I think all of them are worthy of pursuit and will enrich all of your lives.

[Sahamamama]

You're right, we should just get started. We'll begin with...

 

Operation Christmas Child

 

Feed My Starving Children (packing)

 

I like the quilts idea, too.

[Soror]

We are doing Christmas Child with our AHG group this year. I've been burned 3x now trying to volunteer with kids, so I finally decided anything big would have to wait, for now we do little activities here and there, some on our own and some with our hs or Scout groups. We have a big food drive push coming up here, although food pantries always need stuff. Our homeless/addicts shelter does a big thanksgiving and christmas dinner and we make desserts for them and donate stuff. Our hs group is adopting a military unit and sending stuff. We donate money too, I know often that is what is really needed, I know you are a social worker too, it is hard when you want to make a big difference but doing so with little ones is a lot harder, so I quite understand the idea of waiting.

 

You know I seen a very interesting opportunity through 4H it was working at a Heifer International Farm, it was for 13yrs+, they are working stateside but to help an international organization. I didn't look into it much because all of mine were too young but definitely mentally filed it away. 4H really has a wide diversity of activities and is cheap to join. Might be a good resource. I just looked and they also have a global exchange program which is a short=term exchange program, they also have short term opportunities to host. 

 

 

http://4h.missouri.edu/global-experiences/4h-exchanges

 

sorry if this isn't coherent fighting the stomach flu and posting between heaving, why i don't know it is a distraction

[T'smom]

A couple of ideas- you could give them a budget and let them plan a trip. If it is a trip to a large city, you can practice using the bus or subway system. A really big home improvement project that you can do as a family. Adding a deck or building a shed would provide lots opportunity to apply knowledge to real world situations. Do a financial planning class. Have them plan out a fictional life- like they choose a job, find out how much it pays in a certain city, find an apartment/house that they could afford, a car payment, etc. They could research using actual classifieds. Give them a budget for a week's worth of meals and have them do all of the shopping and cooking. You could add requirements that they meet certain nutritional standards! They could choose a few meals to become really good at making. You could assign books like "7 habits of highly effective teens" and discuss them.

 

I like thinking about the possibilities that this opens up!

[wintermom]

I've never heard of this in a middle school-aged student, though the concept of hopping off the traditional academic "train" for a year (or part of a year) is very common in older students (high school- or  college-aged). I think that the learning and growth possibilities are phenomenal at this age. In a minor aged student it would be a LOT more limited as it would probably have to be far more parent-led than student-led. The places a minor child are allowed to volunteer are often limited due to liability. The travel they can do on their own - or even desire to do alone - is limited. There are far more exchange and work-abroad programs for high school and college aged students.

 

I guess my biggest question would be why do it at this age? If there is a perfectly good reason to do it now, then why not. I just see so many more possibilities in waiting a few more years.

[Farrar]

LOL, then when we come to see DC, your kids can be tour guides for my kids. ;) Ha ha, I'm only half joking about that.

 

Didn't you guys go to Namibia a few years ago? I just thought of that, for some reason. That is what I call out of the box! A friend of ours (choir director) just got back from three weeks in Namibia, with her teenage daughter. They did a music camp. Our favorite pic was of them riding camels on the beach. It looked so painful, though. They also went dune boarding. Amazing sunsets.

 

We probably couldn't manage Namibia. Well, I know we couldn't do that, but we maybe could get to Boston in the fall. Or DC in the spring. ;)

 

And spelling is just... spelling. I mean, it matters to Word Nerds, but in the end it is just spelling, not a measurement of brilliance. I've known so many brilliant people who couldn't spell well. I wouldn't sweat it.

 

We did go to Namibia... and briefly on that trip to SA where we did the Soweto tour, which definitely made a lasting impression on my kids, if you want to talk about seeing poverty and affluence...

 

If you come to DC, we'll show you around via Metro. Seriously. :)

[abba12]

Haven't read other responses

 

I would far, far rather keep going now, even moving ahead of other kids, in order to give my child a gap year (or two!)  at the end, time to persue their interests as young adults, time to take a break before college, or time to delve deeper into subjects of interest before moving on to adult life. So a gap year isn't something we would consider at all. If they're ahead, great, that means in high school we can really get into the interests and passions and career ideas fully without pressure to get it all done.

 

Having said that, to me, nothing on your 'gap year list' excludes schoolwork to me. You can travel, work on physical fitness, community service, and just life, while still doing school.

[Hobbes]

Just want to echo all the suggestions to incorporate these things throughout your hs years, instead of a big block. Unless the big block is "6 months in France" or something, in which case I'd still plan some academics every day for quiet focus and continuity.

 

We took a month last year to drive from Ottawa to spend some weeks in Florida, stopping along the way in Charleston, D.C., etc. It was was amazing. We did the academic basics during our longer stops and it was nice to have those chunks of 'normal' in there. We also journaled a lot.

 

It might be personality, but six months of unusual-to-us activities and schedule would wipe me out, but a week or month here and there is more my speed. With the physical things, I'd just add them in to our normal schedule as possible.

 

I love this thread... it's gotten me thinking about how I want to incorporate life skills into our days more often.

[T'smom]

I have more ideas rolling around in my head-

 

Take a first aid class.

Take a babysitting course.

Plan and execute a class for little kids.

Babysit/be a mother's helper

Shadow a few people in different career fields.

Get some job applications from around town and fill them out just for fun/practice. (We actually had a careers class in 8th grade where we did this.)

[Bluegoat]

I think that is a great age for doing some different things.

 

Travel would be great, especially some sort of long term immersion situation.

 

I also think that one of the things a lot of kids don't get much of in schools is hands on work - be it carpentry or working in the community or inventing things or running a small business.  A lot of kids at 13 are ready to do those things and actually work at learning a really practical skill.  I think if I had a child who was ready to head off to university at 13, I would look into doing some sort of more practical education for a while, maybe even some formal trades training.  Or even getting a job.