Does anyone start their school year in January?

[AimeeM]

Every year, without fail, we get almost nothing (school-wise) done October through December. Between Halloween and harvest activities, Thanksgiving and Christmas activities, traveling during those holidays, and the fact that it's finally nice enough weather to actually get out of the house (summers here have been around 100; outside of playing in the pool, we stay inside during the summer months).

I'm seriously considering making the change (starting our year in January). The only downside I can see is that much of the boys' curriculum literature books (and hinges things like picture study and language skills on the literature choices, so it would be hard to deviate from) around the season and holidays. 

[mama25angels]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/495264-jan-dec-homeschoolers-i-have-a-few-questions/?hl=%2Bjanuary+%2Bhomeschoolers&do=findComment&comment=5332597

 

 

Here's a thread about homeschooling Jan-Dec.

Edited November 18, 2016 by mama25angels

[LindaOz]

Yep. We do. But that's the way our school year runs in Australia and Dec-Jan are our summer months. Still...it could work. Christmas and New Year do kind of seem like a natural end then fresh start. I find it nicer to get out in winter than summer too.

[IsabelC]

Same here: we 'officially' school from February to halfway through December, as January is summer holidays here.  But in practice we school year-round anyway, so the only difference is that the kids don't have many extracurriculars during the school holidays. But the other thing is, we're not trying to complete a set amount of curriculum for each year; we do language and math on a "do the next thing" basis, and everything else is worked out as we go along (although with some broad goals for each term). 

With your curriculum, would it be possible to just pull out the holiday-themed items and keep them aside for the relevant date? If not, would it really upset them that much to be writing about Christmas when it's February, or whatever?

[lanalouwho]

I've been thinking about doing it this way as well. We are also in TX so we schooled through the hottest months. It makes no sense to be outside when it's over 100 degrees. And both of my boys are January babies, so the new year really is a fresh start all around.

Also, you can plan in Oct-Nov and take advantage of Black Friday deals for your curriculum.

It really makes a lot more sense to me than the traditional school calendar.

 

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[AimeeM]

Same here: we 'officially' school from February to halfway through December, as January is summer holidays here.  But in practice we school year-round anyway, so the only difference is that the kids don't have many extracurriculars during the school holidays. But the other thing is, we're not trying to complete a set amount of curriculum for each year; we do language and math on a "do the next thing" basis, and everything else is worked out as we go along (although with some broad goals for each term). 

 

With your curriculum, would it be possible to just pull out the holiday-themed items and keep them aside for the relevant date? If not, would it really upset them that much to be writing about Christmas when it's February, or whatever?

Because of the way the language skills program works in this particular program, it builds on itself, so skipping around would definitely not be ideal. And, yes, it would bother my particular kiddos to read about Christmas more toward Easter, lol :P

 

The other thing I'm struggling with state accountability. We live in a generally low-reg state, but we are required to turn in report cards and progress reports at certain times during the year. In particular, I have a high schooler who would be required to turn in transcripts by a certain time and final report cards at a pretty specific time.

[KeriJ]

I considered doing it, but we've always had problems with so many activities being scheduled during the summer.  We are used to having camps, attending/working in VBS, relatives who are off school and want to visit.........I've never figured out how to work through all that.  When we did a version of it one year, my kids struggled with comments from friends who couldn't believe they were doing school in the summer.

 

But yes, I think it totally makes sense.  I really want to try it some year.  Right now we are outside all day since the weather is so beautiful.  Then we're stuck inside during the months of blazing heat.

[MinivanMom]

I've always wanted to, but it's too hard to work through the summer when their friends are out of school and camps are going on. Instead, we have been starting our school year at the beginning of Aug so that we can do very light school during November and then take off all of Thanksgiving week through New Year's.

[Soror]

I've always wanted to, but it's too hard to work through the summer when their friends are out of school and camps are going on. Instead, we have been starting our school year at the beginning of Aug so that we can do very light school during November and then take off all of Thanksgiving week through New Year's.

That is similar to our schedule. We start in the beginning of July, take a very liberal Fall break(3 wks this year) and then finish the year by the end of April. Ds did have 1 wk of camp after we started so we squeezed that work in other weeks to get him back on track. So we have during the nicest parts of the year and work the hardest when it is the hottest and coldest. 

[Petrichor]

We school jan-dec, mon-thurs and take short breaks throughout the year plus a full month of super light school during ramadan. 

 

I let DS tell his friends he is in [next grade up] somewhere around end of summer time/early fall, since he is young elementary and grade=age=friendship to those kids. 

 

I don't really see why you couldn't do eng curriculum sept-june, slowing down after easter, or adding in something of your own making from june-aug - novel study, writing assignment, or poetry memorization, for example.

 

We are in a no-reg state though. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I did when my older two were younger.  We had so many things going on in late Nov. to and Dec. it made perfect sense to start the school year right after the new year. 

You can simply schedule those weeks as an end of year break and start your school year in Jan. 
You can make time for unschooling where the kids pursue their own interests diligently.

You can make it "homeschooling light" time and focus on essential reading, writing and math assignments for a very short school day.

 

You can do whatever suits you in your situation.