just want to be prepared...

[ProudGrandma]

what do you do when your kids start ending their school books for the year?  (if you don't school all year round)...do you just let them be done? Do you find something else to take the subject's place? (and if so what?) or do you start the next year's book, knowing full well summer will be coming and you will stop at some point in the next couple months?  My kids are currently in 6th, 8th and 9th grade. 

 

or do you do something different that I am not thinking about??  

 

thanks. 

Edited March 9, 2016 by NEprairiemom

[Julie of KY]

It depends on my kid and on the day. :closedeyes:

My  most efficient kid, I give the choice of 1) me assigning more work, 2) he can pick anything to learn, could be computer programming, digital graphics, teaching company, reading, sports, etc. 3) help me with housework and yard work. He will either pick computer programming, watching TC, or helping in the yard (saying he figures he'll have to do it anyhow).

 

My two that are slower - they keep going with mom-assigned work.

 

My oldest will have to finish each subject for year (many will end with AP tests), start on one subject I want him to do over the spring/summer and then have free time.

[Squirkle]

It depends on the subject, when they finished it and why. We do math here year round so when they finish 1 book we just go onto the next one, regardless of the time of year. We also do LA through summer too but usually just 1 focused area e.g last year it was learning cursive, this year it will be creative writing. So in the unlikely event they finished all their LA ahead of time, we would just switch to doing our summer program instead from that time onwards.

 

Also if they were to finish something up in Feb/Mar, I would find something to do for the rest of the year. If they finish it like only a week or two early I wouldn't. They get time off for that subject until I had planned to start the next thing. If the reason they got done early is down to hard work on the student's part, then I think they should feel the reward of having a few weeks off from that subject, even if they do finish it way early in the year, they would get a couple weeks off before starting the next level.

 

However if they worked hard to finish say their spelling book a month early but were also a bit behind on grammar, I would then use that extra free time to catch up with grammar. It needs to be worded carefully though so they don't feel they are being punished for working hard, by getting given even more work to do as that removes the incentive to work fast through anything next time.

[HomeAgain]

Depends.  We used the time for more integrated projects in the subjects still going on, free time, or field trips.  Our days would get shorter, at least bookwise, but more fullfilling lengthwise.

[Loesje22000]

Our schoolyear runs from september 1st- june 30th

If a subject is finished in January I pick the next grade.

If a subject is finished in March I will get the funstuff we got never in to.

If a subject is finished in May I'll skip the subject.

 

I don't homeschool the year around.

[Jess4879]

It depends on the subject, when they finished it and why. We do math here year round so when they finish 1 book we just go onto the next one, regardless of the time of year. We also do LA through summer too but usually just 1 focused area e.g last year it was learning cursive, this year it will be creative writing. So in the unlikely event they finished all their LA ahead of time, we would just switch to doing our summer program instead from that time onwards.

 

Also if they were to finish something up in Feb/Mar, I would find something to do for the rest of the year. If they finish it like only a week or two early I wouldn't. They get time off for that subject until I had planned to start the next thing. If the reason they got done early is down to hard work on the student's part, then I think they should feel the reward of having a few weeks off from that subject, even if they do finish it way early in the year, they would get a couple weeks off before starting the next level.

 

However if they worked hard to finish say their spelling book a month early but were also a bit behind on grammar, I would then use that extra free time to catch up with grammar. It needs to be worded carefully though so they don't feel they are being punished for working hard, by getting given even more work to do as that removes the incentive to work fast through anything next time.

 

:iagree:

My middle kiddo is notorious for finishing ahead of schedule.  We celebrate every time she finishes something and she gets a week or two off from that subject, then we move on or fill that time with something else. 

 

Last year she finished her math a month early.  We use BJU for her and it's exactly laid out for a full school year.  I didn't want to move on to the next level, so I ended up printing sections from MM for her to do. She liked the change of pace and I think she would have been discouraged if I'd pulled out a new, big ol' BJU workbook. 

 

We are using the Pathway readers and workbook this year and she finished last week and promptly asked to use something else for next year.  Making her move on to the next reader seems like cruel and unusual punishment.  She is an avid reader, so I will not be requiring her to start a new reading program this year. She is very artsy, so I was thinking of having her do a matchbook report on a book of her own choosing....

[Syllieann]

For history and science we don't have a structured year long program. They are never done, hahaha...evil laugh. For math we go year round 4 days/wk during school year and 3 days/wk during summer, so we just go to the next level. DD and ODS are both on track to finish language arts early. For DD, I will fill the balance with a short bit of copy work each day. Ds will probably just be done as his is likely to end only a week early. I may also stretch out what we have by doing revisions and rewrites of things that are only scheduled to be rough drafts or outlines.

[Arcadia]

For my 6th grader, he gets the free up time from the finished subject to pursue his hobbies. So if he want to spend that time programming or composing music or trying out something new, he does that.

 

For my 5th grader, we use the free up time on his weaker areas. So if he has a harder time with reading comprehension of fictional works, we can spend more time on that without extending the "school hours". For math, we do review when he is done with the book because he needs more review than my oldest.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

When I opened the little mouse-over summery of this post, I read it as "when your children start eating their books" and I was like WHAT???  

 

Ahem.  I'm better now.  

 

Back to useful comments...

[clementine]

When a textbook is completed by one of my kids, I add enrichment assignments to the subject.  

 

My dd will finish up her Literature in April, but I will assign an autobiography of her choice with an essay or book report to finish out the year.  

 

For history I would add a report on a culture or country & assign an in-depth art project that would be relevant to that region.  

 

Science and math always take us to the end of the year, so those don't get added assignments.  

[zarabellesmom]

Sometimes I just do the next thing and sometimes we review until summer comes. Last year when my first grader finished her first grade math book in December, we obviously grabbed the next book. In April she finished 2nd grade. We reviewed 2nd grade until finishing school in May and I made sure to get harder math for her to do to keep her busy this year. ;)

 

My oldest just finished IEW Student Writing Intensive A and I went ahead and purchased the next in the series and we are starting it. If I had a high schooler, I'd probably call a subject finished (except maybe review math a little every day to keep it fresh...math has a bad habit of being forgotten at my house if we aren't constantly using it).

Edited March 12, 2016 by ZaraBellesMom

[MerryAtHope]

what do you do when your kids start ending their school books for the year?  (if you don't school all year round)...do you just let them be done? Do you find something else to take the subject's place? (and if so what?) or do you start the next year's book, knowing full well summer will be coming and you will stop at some point in the next couple months?  My kids are currently in 6th, 8th and 9th grade. 

 

or do you do something different that I am not thinking about??  

 

thanks. 

 

 

Um....celebrate?! 

 

But yeah, I guess it would depend on when they finished, why, and what subject it was. If they're done sometime in May though, they'd just be done. We school through the last week in May or first week in June typically.

 

If I saw that they were going to finish up something sooner, I'd probably assign a research report or some fun reinforcement to stretch it out a bit more. 

 

If they are finishing early because we had started it the previous year or something, then I'd probably go on to the next level or next thing.

[Sahamamama]

What do you do when your kids start ending their school books for the year? 

 

I generally do this :party: .

 

[Momto6inIN]

Also if they were to finish something up in Feb/Mar, I would find something to do for the rest of the year. If they finish it like only a week or two early I wouldn't. They get time off for that subject until I had planned to start the next thing. If the reason they got done early is down to hard work on the student's part, then I think they should feel the reward of having a few weeks off from that subject, even if they do finish it way early in the year, they would get a couple weeks off before starting the next level.

 

However if they worked hard to finish say their spelling book a month early but were also a bit behind on grammar, I would then use that extra free time to catch up with grammar. It needs to be worded carefully though so they don't feel they are being punished for working hard, by getting given even more work to do as that removes the incentive to work fast through anything next time.

 

This is the fine line I walk, especially with my oldest. I'm glad I'm not the only one! :)

 

[RootAnn]

We go year-round on Math. When they finish one book, they start the next.

With everything else, if they finish early, I (almost always) let them drop that subject & move other things up into that timeslot to finish earlier on a day, week, or annual basis. We're on track to finish grammar about a month early. They'll use that time for something they are currently doing in the afternoon, so they'll be done each day a little earlier. When we finish up our co-op Art of Argument next month, they'll do History or another subject one more day/week. That means that we'll hopefully get done a little early with that subject.

 

I plan for a school year's worth of material in everything, so when they're done, they're done. [Except, of course, math.]

[Tiramisu]

I used to add another book when we finished one. I don't really do that anymore because I burned us out, the exceptions are that they will always have math, writing, and reading to do until the school year ends in June. Some books aren't meant to be full year programs so I take that into account too.

 

I celebrate as those slowly finish up the other stuff and the kids have less stress and more free time, which may be as early as the beginning of May.

[fourisenough]

We go year-round on Math. When they finish one book, they start the next.

With everything else, if they finish early, I (almost always) let them drop that subject & move other things up into that timeslot to finish earlier on a day, week, or annual basis. We're on track to finish grammar about a month early. They'll use that time for something they are currently doing in the afternoon, so they'll be done each day a little earlier. When we finish up our co-op Art of Argument next month, they'll do History or another subject one more day/week. That means that we'll hopefully get done a little early with that subject.

 

I plan for a school year's worth of material in everything, so when they're done, they're done. [Except, of course, math.]

This. We still keep to our 'school hours' but rather than doing curriculum, by spring my DD11 (who is a fast worker) spends a lot of time crafting while listening to audio books. We also have a number of field trips, a couple of standardized testing days, and various other interruptions in the spring, so it seems to all even out. We continue math through the summer and this year DD11 will do creative writing, while DD6 will continue spelling through summer.

[KrissiK]

Depends on the subject. Dd finished Prima Latina at the beginning of April last year. So, we picked up LC1 and did that until summer vacation. Now, she's almost done with LC1 so she'll start First Form before the year is out. Same thing with math. She finished 4th grade TT and started 5th grade this past week. Spelling and grammar, we just finish and pick up the next book in the next school year. IMO, Latin and math are not subjects I want a big gap of time in, where knowledge can be lost.

[HilJoy14]

I think for non-daily items, I'd just let it be done.  Not that we've ever been "done" with a year-long program early, though.  :(

 

For math, spelling, grammar, we just dive into the next book.  DD11 finished Saxon 6/5 mid-February, so we moved on to Horizons 6.  DD9 will be finishing Saxon 5/4 end of April (school here goes until June 17th), so I've already ordered her the test/worksheet book for Saxon 6/5 (which we have from DD11 - might have made a different choice if we didn't already have this book available).  We finished our spelling books at the end of Feb. (we do a lesson in 3 days), so we started the next books the following week.  We also finished R&S grammar books in Jan. (because I only did the grammar lessons), so we moved on to Easy Grammar.  I want these items done daily, so I don't consider them ever "done".

 

That being said, if we finished a book with only a couple of weeks left in the school year, I'd probably push them to find something else they'd like to study - maybe an online math program, maybe something that interests them, etc.