When do you start the school year? My children are unhappy with our start date

[foxbridgeacademy]

I've lived in Texas, north of Dallas, and I was quite annoyed that school had a long summer break June-August, right when it's 110+ outside so you have to stay inside in the A/C (can't play at playground because you'll burn yourself going down the slide, etc). I really wished they had a nice long fall and a nice long spring break instead and no break in summer.

 

 

:iagree: Exactly! I never understood it either.  All the schools I went to had A/C, I'd much rather had nice Spring days to run free than in the Summer where it was so hot and humid you could barely breathe.  

 

 

As for start dates.... I was thinking August 15 but realistically it will be at least the 22nd.  DD wants to start now, she's bored.

[zarabellesmom]

We usually start back when the public school starts back and run about the same schedule because my oldest dances a lot and the studio follows the public school schedule. So, we finished end of May and will start back first of August. I understand why you would want to change that because of the temperature (it's super hot here too), but it's just easier for us to be doing what our friends and extracurriculars are doing. I second showing them the calendar and letting them see that they are getting just as much vacation as everyone else just at a different time and explain why. Your kids are old enough to be reasonable about these kinds of things. If they don't like it, you can go one of two ways with it:

 

1. Tough luck kids, I make the schedule.

2. If you don't like this plan, get together with your siblings and present something you think you would like better and be prepared to convince me that your plan is superior.  (I think this sounds like a kind of fun assignment actually.)

 

 

[luuknam]

:iagree: Exactly! I never understood it either.  All the schools I went to had A/C, I'd much rather had nice Spring days to run free than in the Summer where it was so hot and humid you could barely breathe. 

 

 

I've heard that here in WNY we have a February break (one week) to lower heating expenses, so I'd imagine that all the hot states happily take summer off to cut air-conditioning expenses. If I were in Texas I'd happily pay more taxes to have the entire months of April and October off and have the kids be in school in July and August (which would, btw, lower the A/C expenses at home, so it would probably all even out). Oh well.

[HS Mom in NC]

I've lived in Texas, north of Dallas, and I was quite annoyed that school had a long summer break June-August, right when it's 110+ outside so you have to stay inside in the A/C (can't play at playground because you'll burn yourself going down the slide, etc). I really wished they had a nice long fall and a nice long spring break instead and no break in summer.

 

 

For the same reason people want national standards in ps-it makes transferring less problematic.  Here it's hot (I'm using the term hot the way most people in the US use it, not they way long time Arizonans use it) from late April to mid-October.  If we took off longer when the weather was nicer transferring from another region would be a mess. Most people here over 30 moved here from another state and had school aged kids (except for our snowbirds.) Here's the population growth chart for my city: (I have no idea what SWB is paying her software people, but it's waaaay too much.  People should be able to copy and paste a chart and other things should work on this website but don't.)

 

1970 year

13,763 population

4,232 population gain

44.40% growth

 

1980

29,673

15,910

115.60%

 

1990

90,533

60,860

205.10%

 

2000

176,581

86,048

95.05%

 

2010

236,123

94,404

53.46%

 

No way could we have a school year that was significantly different than the rest of the country, although they've moved to a near year round schedule:

 

1st day of school: July 25

Fall Break: Oct. 3-18 (2 weeks +2 days)

Winter Break: Dec. 23-Jan. 9 (2 weeks + 2 days)

Spring Break: Mar. 13-27 (2 weeks + 1 day)

Last Day of School: May 31

Edited July 5, 2016 by Homeschool Mom in AZ

[73349]

We school year-round, but keep the day short enough to have plenty of time to go to the pool, etc. I do a separate summer session for July and August and promote DS to his new grade on Labor Day.

 

ETA: Some public schools here are year-round and open as soon as next Monday.

Edited July 5, 2016 by whitehawk

[kirstenhill]

We don't start until the last week in August (most schools here don't start until after Labor Day, so this is actually early here). But here summer is the only nice time for outdoor activities like swimming and my kids do many outdoor camps and sports classes all summer. We go to the pool many times per week since it is only open for 10-12 weeks out of the year!

 

I guess you could say that summer is "PE" season of school for us (though not all the camps my kids do in the summer are sports related though, I guess). ;-). We do try and get a little bit of schoolwork done when we can thru the summer.

[shawthorne44]

Who would want to do school work instead of video games?    I think your mistake isn't starting school when it is 100+ out, but allowing video games to be an alternative to schoolwork.  

[Kerileanne99]

We pretty much school year-round, although since hubby teaches at a Uni he takes the first summer semester off. This means we have a lovely six-week trip. This year we did every national park, major city, science museum, art museum and such we could manage in a total of 11 states:)

We did manage a lot of reading, all of the SOTW audio books, a ton of history DVDs, Popular Mechanics, audio books, and science DVDs in the car as well, so I guess it was still 'school' but very different from normal so it felt like vacation.

The rest of the summer will consist primarily of camps, gymnastics and swimming, music, but we will do math everyday and what I think of as units: all those extras that don't get done regularly during the year. Dd wants more cooking so we have a week set aside for that. A week for chess strategies, a week of 'weird science', a week of only dissections?!, and so on...

The traditional 'school year' will begin when Fall semester for Daddy begins in late August...

[katilac]

We always start the first Monday in August. I'm pretty unreasonably excited that it's August 1st this year! 

 

We try to hit it hard before the inevitable holiday slowdown that starts with Halloween and goes through New Year's. 

 

We always take a vacation during the school year. 

 

By June, we are on a pretty easy schedule, just finishing up this and that. Short days and and usually only 3-4 days a week. 

 

Oldest graduated this year, and we took extra time off for school visits and such, so youngest will actually finish chemistry tomorrow! July is generally our full month off, with lots of sleeping in and video games on their part. 

 

Then back to it in August! 

[fdrinca]

We school all year, with very relaxed days and a few weeks off here and there. 

 

We live in a touristy part of the world, so we prefer **not** to do activities during the summer, when the beaches and museums are crowded. 

 

Plus, our beautiful time of the year is in the early fall, so we reserve extra time for beach days in September and October. 

 

I try to be attuned to rhythms and habits, and find that my children are easier when we have a predictable flow to our weeks. No day will be the same, but they understand what the general framework for a given week is.

 

[ForeverFamily]

I was hoping to start back July 5th, however most of our school stuff has not arrived yet. Mostly I was just not done preparing for next year. So now my goal is July 11th. As soon as May hits it is really hard to have the discipline to keep going with school. It is so nice outside in May, and a perfect time to get yard projects done. Working outside mid June to August is just miserable. So this year I am trying to be smarter and do school during the hot and cold months and off during the nice months. I am also trying to leave more wiggle room for sick days, as they happen ALL the time in our house through the winter months.

 

Maybe your kids would be more willing to start back if you give them something to look forward to. For example you could plan a week off in September that you could do an activity that they have been really wanting to do. Just a thought. :)

[SeaConquest]

We break from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They need a break and I need one. The kids are in camps all summer long, or we are on vacation. We don't do any review during the summer. But, the weather is glorious in San Diego during the summer, which helps.

[happypamama]

We'll be starting back the 18th of July but will probably have half days that week.  My children aren't exactly thrilled about it, but we've been on very light work since mid-May, so it'll be okay.  We take a half day once a week every week, so if we don't start in July we have trouble getting everything finished by mid-May and still taking two weeks at Christmas off, a week at Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc.  Last year we started in mid-August, and that was tough (which is why they're still doing light work now).

 

I started starting in July the summers we were expecting summer babies, intending to get a little work done before the baby arrived so that we could have the flexibility to take off for six weeks post-birth, if we needed to.  My one summer baby ended up coming a couple of weeks early, so we only got one day of school done before he arrived, but then we did get several weeks' worth of work done a different year before the other summer baby arrived.  Now I like it, because it's too hot to do much outside in July and August, and then we can be done when the nice weather hits.

[happypamama]

Oops, double post.

Edited July 6, 2016 by happypamama

[mamiof5]

Probably July 19th. Tried to do school in June and it was pointless. Our year didn't officially get finished, and now I feel more behind than ever. Hope to find energy to start in a couple weeks, FULL strength, since there's lots to be done 😞

[Guest]

We started back on June 13, right about when it begins to get miserably hot and humid here. We're in heat advisory every day stage right now, so I echo the others who say October/April are the better times of year here- although sometimes even October is miserable too.

 

We also tend to end some subjects at different times though so it's also, we are just done when we're done with individual subjects type of thing. We are doing big blocks of four subjects during the summer. Let's dd get two semester subjects done and a good head start on two others. She still has plenty of time to hang out with her public school friends too. We will take a week off in August and then try six weeks (approx) and then a week off until December when we take the whole month off. December's pretty nice here and then we can actually enjoy all of the decorating and stuff.

[Sahamamama]

I think that so much of when to "start" depends on what you've been doing all along, what your outside commitments are each season, how you structure your school "year" (if you think in those terms), and what pace you've been keeping up. IMO, a break can be a wonderful time to recharge, reconnect, and do things that are different from the usual routine. OTOH, for us at least, even our summer break needs a bit of structure, and some of that comes in the form of assignments. My kids are free to manage their summer days, but some parameters are in place. No electronics until evening, and then there is a limit. The girls have to work on their daily chores, pets, exercise, hygiene, meal prep, organization (bedroom & playroom), instrument practice, and even a bit of "school work." This is primarily reading, and they would do that, anyway. So "summer school" consists of some assigned reading, any bits of leftover work from the regular school year, and any of the things from the list above. That, plus a few VBS camps, a few short family trips, a bonfire or two, hayrides, fishing, swimming, biking, getting together with friends, goofing off -- that is summer.

 

We gradually start back up a few weeks before the first activity begins in September. This gives us a chance to settle into a new routine and new materials for school, before we readjust to the outside activities. I also like to have a bit of wiggle room in September or October, so if my husband has a day or two off, we can do something outside as a family. Our weather then is usually better than it is in July or August!

 

OP -- perhaps if you promise your children some time off in September or October, they will be happy about that? April is a long way off for them, but September is around the bend. HTH.

[Momling]

With several kids in public school and only one homeschooling, I always followed the district's schedule.

[rebcoola]

We school light all summer.  We will begin to add stuff back in the week of 8/8 and be going full after Labor day.

[ScoutTN]

We have never been too stressed about it. Generally we go mid-August through mid-May with some math review and lots of RA in the summer. 

 

Due to some family medical circumstances, we got a late start this past year and needed to do some more focused summer work to catch up and review some things, mostly math. We will have done a 4 week summer term from late June to late July. Math, writing and lots of reading - just mornings. My kids got a solid three week break at the beginning of the summer and will get another one near the end. 

 

We too are in the South and public school begins here August 1. So my kids are happy because even though we will have done some summer school, we will be off the week that public schools go back. We will do a fun Not Back to School week - the zoo, the science center, a matinee movie, play at the park with friends etc. Many homeschoolers here do a summer term or begin in July to keep December from being too crazy and keep flexibility for the fall and spring when the weather is so nice.

 

The pool is still open late afternoon, evenings and weekends through Labor Day, so that keeps my kids feeling relaxed  even when we get rolling with school. Amazing what some sun and a swim can do for a bad attitude! Most of our extra curriculars don't pick up until late August.

 

 

[birchbark]

Sheeesh! I feel like a slacker. We completely break from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our summers are short and pleasant and no one feels like doing school then, especially me. First day of school this year is Sept 6th. 

[happypamama]

Sheeesh! I feel like a slacker. We completely break from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our summers are short and pleasant and no one feels like doing school then, especially me. First day of school this year is Sept 6th. 

You're not a slacker; you choose what works for your family.

 

We aren't doing more work because we take a shorter summer break; we just take more days off later throughout the year.

 

I don't completely school year round because I really need some time when I'm not teaching/grading to catch up on projects around the house.  Also, last year we did some major interior work on several rooms in our house, and this year we are doing a major bathroom remodel, so that means DH is really busy since it's all DIY.  That means I'm doing much more of the evening housework and childcare, as well as trying to work on some small projects, so teaching and grading are really right out right now.

[lanalouwho]

We are also in Texas. My 5 year old went to public pre-k last year. We took 2 or 3 weeks off and then started in June. I plan to take a few weeks off in fall, a longer Christmas break, and be done in spring. Being outside in this weather is not even an option. I don't know how I survived my childhood without A/C.

 

Sent from my HTCD200LVW using Tapatalk

[mschickie]

Normally we take off June and July (my planning time) and we start back the beginning of August with Math.  I then slowly start adding in new subjects so that by the beginning of Sept. we are in full swing.  This year we did not finish till mid June so I am a bit behind but I plan on getting at least Math started by the beginning of August.  I also normally take around 3 weeks at Christmas but I am not sure that will happen this year.  She is in 8th grade and many of her classes are high school level.  It will all depend on if she does not get behind.  (working on those time management skills).

[freelylearned]

We use a California charter school so we follow the local school district's schedule. We start the second week of August and finish the first week of June. We have a week off for Thanksgiving, Easter, and President's week and two weeks off for Christmas. In the summer we have swim lessons, VBS, and camping.

[Aurelia]

Still working away. We'll take a two week break in a couple of weeks, then get back to work. I want to be doing all "new" school stuff full speed by September 1. DD has tried the "but OTHER kids get a whole summer break!" line, but I told her even if she went to school she'd still have to do some work in the summer so she wouldn't forget everything, and this way she has more free time during the days, as her school days are shorter but there are more of them.

[TKDmom]

We started this week. Except not really. I managed to get three of my kids to do math today. And read some. But I haven't taken away the Wii yet, so it's hard to be too serious about school. Maybe next week...

 

I'm in FL. It's in the 90s, but heat index is well above 100. It's hot even when you're in the pool. October won't be here soon enough. It just occurred to me, I should schedule a break for the last 2 weeks of October, so we could just sit outside and do nothing except enjoy temps below 70.

[TKDmom]

Sheeesh! I feel like a slacker. We completely break from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our summers are short and pleasant and no one feels like doing school then, especially me. First day of school this year is Sept 6th.

No you're not. If we had pleasant summers, I'd take a full break too. It's so much easier to school when everyone else is in school. But I hate going outside in the summer, and I don't have the energy for lots of (indoor) activities, so we try to do some school in the summer to make up for all the breaks we take when the weather is pleasant.

[LucyStoner]

They get about a week off before my older son started his 5 week philosophy class. My younger son is in a daycamp for kids with ADHD or ASD or other quirks which runs roughly the same time period as the philosophy class. When that is over, there will be a free week before we go on vacation. When we get back from vacation (camping), we will start. Aside from finishing up his last week of AOPS online at the beginning of the philosophy class, I don't assign other work when he's in his summer intensive class. His next AOPS class starts right after we return from camping. We have some hiking and swimming planned as well plus my younger son plays summer baseball 1 evening a week.

[Saddlemomma]

We always start the last full week in August. The only holidays we take are those that DH has off from work: 9 total.  We do take the same Christmas break as PS, but unlike PS, we don't take off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  In addition, we don't have a winter or spring break.  However, we do take off for our birthdays. With this schedule, we complete 175-180 days (depending upon sick days taken - usually 1 or 2) and get done in by May 15 or so.  This is DD's preferred schedule.

[LisaKinVA]

Well, this year, it will depend upon the subject!

 

Back home it was the 1st Monday in August, although since we've moved here, we are more in-line with the school's schedule.  This is our first year with truly hard deadlines for school  We have to finish school by mid-May this year (except for Math), as we're traveling to the states for the summer.  Our summer work next year will only consist of math, foreign language practice, and my high school kids pre-reading for AP courses.  In 2017, we won't begin until 21 August (ds's senior year, he'll finish up again after AP exams in May).  Beyond that, I have no idea where we'll be living, so no ideas.  My preference is to start 1st Monday in May, though.

[MinivanMom]

The longer we homeschool, the closer we get to the public school schedule. It's just too hard to do anything different when camps are held in the summer and their friends are available to play. I would have a hard time convincing them to do even light schoolwork in the summer; they really need the break.

 

This year we are starting the 2nd week of Aug which is just slightly earlier than public schools.

[2_girls_mommy]

I set July 11 as our start date a while ago. Thing is, we are in the south. It is already over 100 degrees. We already are more relaxed about our days. We never have a day longer than 4 hrs, but most days are even shorter. I want us to be done by April to leave us free to relax when the weather is actually nice out. We tend to have a lot of activities in September and December also. 

 

Ever since 12 yr old has been home, dragging feet and whining and not getting anything done has been the standard. And really, if they were in public school full-time, I would expect them to use some time during the summer to review for fall. They both seem to think summer is about sitting around and playing video games and have failed to do even a little review. 

 

Anyone else? Is anyone already doing school, as in, doing it now, not on break? Or when is everyone else starting back?

Haven't read the other answers, so sorry if this is no longer relavent.

 

We start when PS starts here.  But we are in a year round district, so our start date is always the first Mon. in August.  BUT we school year round.  Our official stop date is the end of May, giving us officially June and July as our summer months "off." But we always do summer school of some sort.  I have gotten the whining about it too, but I nip it in the bud.  I let them know the same as you, that the things we do in summer are the same things we would do if they were in PS.  And remind them that their friends get summer reading packets and homework packets to complete over the summer too.

 

 

Our load lightens a lot in the summer.  They have completed their co-op classes, so all homework related to those stops.  So some subjects are just done. And I use the June and July to teach unit studies and do fun topics if I can on topics I want to cover.  So the look and feel of summer school is a lot different, plus the fact that it happens around daily pool visits, summer camps, and whatnot.  I write it all into our summer calendar.  2 days a week : 9:00 am individual school, 10:00 am chores, 11:00-12:00 swim, 12:30 lunch, 1:00 read aloud together, then silent reading. 3 days a week: 9:00 am nature hike in nearby nature park with journaling, 11:00 swim or library class depending on the day, 12:00 lunch, 1:00- 3:00 baby nap, summer camp (our summer school unit study together.)

 

So my soon to be 9th grader is doing: Algebra 2 days a week right now.  She is expected to read daily from an assigned book, and can free read all she wants.  I am reading several books aloud to them. I generally do that 2-3 times a week.  We are doing one book as a family that includes all kinds of how tos and games and activities.  We do this on Sundays with dh. And three days a week we are doing a unit study with all of my kids for an hour and a half in the afternoon instead of the math and other read aloud.  For us, our week is broken up, only because I have a babysitting child 3 days a week, and I want to include her in that study. And we are going on a morning nature hike 3 days a week and doing a nature journal.  We go to the summer library programs as often as we can around all of their camps and such.

 

So they keep working.  But it feels a lot different than it does the rest of the year.

[...................]

When we lived in South FLorida, we schooled year round and took off the whole month of December.  When they were little it was great.  As they got older, it really started to get in the way of a LOT of fun that our friends were having, both homeschooled, and not homeschooled and even cousins! As they made more friends and became more aware, it became harder and harder.  We moved when they were 9 and 11, but if we hadn't I still think we would have had to adjust our schedule. 

 

I don't think we still would take the ENTIRE summer off, because I really appreciated getting inside the AC and having something productive to do, but even then I think I would have just done summer bridge book instead of actual school, so we could take off whenever we want.

 

But looking at the ages of your kids, it may be time to consider their thoughts and adjust.

[Wheres Toto]

I wanted to continue at least math and reading for the summer but we had a death in the family, an unexpected trip south to deal with that death, my youngest decided to do swim team (5 days a week practice!), we have the 4-H Fair in two weeks, both kids have summer camps.  So, I'm going with plan B - we'll be starting again mid-August which will delay my fall plans by a few weeks.

[EKS]

We live in the Pacific Northwest and always started the Monday of the week that contained September 1.  So if we were homeschooling this year, that would be August 29.

[serendipitous journey]

We've usually started the week of September 1st -- usually that day -- but I am thinking that August 1st would suit us better this year ... hmmmm ... 

 

FWIW, "starting" is a somewhat symbolic idea here, though I do tend to reset our history and science at the beginning of the year and crank us back up to full days.  We keep our toes in all summer, allowing for swim lessons &c. 

Edited July 9, 2016 by serendipitous journey

[...................]

By the way, even if you just add a few weeks to the beginning of the year, it'll give you some breathing room for sick time, etc.  If you start about two weeks early they won't really feel too left out, assuming you take the day off if there's a big pool party bash or something....of course it never has to be "all" or "nothing"...I start my kids 2=3 weeks before the schools to give us sick time in winter.