Homeschooling year round: Pros? Cons?

[Garga]

We'd like to homeschool year round but we're only in 1st grade, so not sure how it works.

 

What are some suggestions to making it work, year round?

 

For instance, if you have a curriculum designed to last only 9 months, how do you use is for 12 months? Do you use it less often in the week (say 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5) or do you just jump up to the next grade early?

 

If you jump up to the next grade early, won't the entire 12 years of education be completed in just 10? Or maybe one year your child just won't be mature enough to do the work early (like perhaps with abstract math concepts.)

 

Do you do heavier homeschooling in winter months and lighter homeschooling in summer months, when you're outside more? (or whichever months you need to be lighter for your situation?)

 

Is there some special thing I should know before homeschooling year round? We mostly want to homeschool year round, because honestly, if we're not homeschooling, what else do I do with a 3 and 6 year old for 3 months in the summer? We'd get bored without our history books and science experiments to do! And I don't want them to forget their math facts during the summer. (We've worked too hard to learn them, just to forget them over the summer! :) )

[Desert Rat]

We school year round. I do a 42 week year with 6 of those weeks being light or fun unit study weeks. We take 6 weeks off from Thanksgiving through New Years. A week of for both boys birthdays and 2 weeks off in August so I can prepare for the next curriculum. Technically we start again in end of August. If you use SOTW there are 42 chapters so we cover 1 a week. All other curriculums we work through until we finish them and then start the next. This means they're usually ahead of their peers but they work at their own paces so there's no stress about finishing.

We take time off in the winter because it's beautiful here. We school through summer because it's just too dang hot.

The cons to schooling year round are few but the major one is that if you have a lot of traditionally schooled friends summers can be hard. We handle this by schooling in the mornings and getting together with friends in the afternoon or vice versa. Friends are an important part of their growth, IMO, so we try to take time with them if possible.

HTH

[Retired]

well when younger we schooled 3 weeks /off one week for 11 months taking December off that gave them 165 school days

 

We now go 6weeks/off 2 and it works well for retention and gives us all a break and they get there 180 school days

 

This works for us. We live a climate were you can be outside all year long. The summer here is way to hot. This way we have several off times in the different seasons. This also keeps from reteaching concepts after to long of a break.

[G5052]

We cover the standard subjects during the "regular" school year, somewhere around 180-200 days.

 

In summer, I have them do the same math from a different provider for 45 minutes a day, a grammar review book, and more creative writing. We do Spanish twice a week and Latin twice a week, also with different materials to keep up with what they already learned versus advancing. Generally we do a 4-day week and do yardwork the other day.

 

I find that this covers any gaps we missed during the regular year and keeps them sharp. We're done by lunch.

[WTMCassandra]

We tend to do "light school" in the summer. If I let them off for more than two weeks, it was a really big pain to get them going again--they would forget everything.

 

Yet, I still needed a break myself. I give myself a break in history, writing, and science, which are more work for me, and keep Math and Latin, which are easier, "do the next thing" subjects. If I didn't do Latin in my home, I would do some sort of language arts.

 

Sometimes it's math one day and Latin the next. Sometimes it's both subjects in one day. I try to do each subject 2-3 times/week. I don't take the schoolwork on trips, because I figure they are learning about other things as they go.

 

It works out in the end--don't worry about finishing curriculum in 10 years instead of 12. You will find other things along the way you want to include and life will happen once in a while and it will work out.

[katemary63]

I've just made up my schedule for next year and I'm really excited about it. I'm trying to make our schedule fit our life style - farming and horseback riding being our main activities.

 

We will start full school Aug. 1, We get the whole week off for the county fair in Sept., 2 weeks off at Christmas, 1 week spring break in March to coincide with my 2 university student's breaks so we can do fun stuff together. My goal is to be finished with most curriculum on April 30th. The whole point is to have May and June school free! We will be riding our hearts out and taking lots of camping trips with our horses during the 2 most beautiful and comfortable months in Arkansas. Then, when it starts to get hot in July, we will easy back into things with suplements and reading, starting back up fulltime in Aug again.

 

This schedule really has me motivated to keep on track since the riding is for me too and the more I stick to it, the more I get to ride!

Edited January 16, 2009 by katemary63

[FO4UR]

I plan on schooling year round - 6weeks on/one week off. We will probably just start the next year's curricula as we finish, unless there is a good reason not to (not ready, not ordered yet).

 

Basics like math and reading and penmanship will be atleast maintained even on the weeks off. There is no point in letting those slide imho. 10min for a couple pages of math and penmaship and some fun reading (which we do anyway) takes very little time, and I would do that (and more) if my dc were ps anyway.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

We have been doing this now for about 4 years. I really love it!

 

I don't have a rotating schedule, we just take time off when we need to and also when we have a lot happening in our lives (our schedule here is very hit and miss!). It helps me to not feel so pressured into getting it all done by the end of May and being ready to go again my September 1st. 3 months off is too long for us! My dc are usually ready to get back at it after only a few weeks off, and actually, so am I! We like the flexibility it gives our family.

 

I wouldn't go back!!!

[Colleen in NS]

For instance, if you have a curriculum designed to last only 9 months, how do you use is for 12 months? Do you use it less often in the week (say 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5)

 

Yes, you could do it this way. Or you could spread those 9 months out through the year. Say it's a 36 week program. Spread the 36 weeks out and let the other weeks be break weeks. I do this, and start the new year in July. Our year ends in June, but everything is spread out among 36 or less weeks.

[lllll]

We've always done year-round hs'ing. Just seemed more natural for us. I can't think of any cons, offhand, so here are a few pros:

 

Take time off whenever you want or need. Nice weather, off-season rates, birthdays, holidays, burned out, dh on vacation, new pets in the house, 50 chicks arrived in the mail, paint the house, neighbors want help, hunters trespassing and blasting away on your land and have to go chase them down, .... etc.

 

Avoid the current illnesses - can go places when most kids are in school to avoid being coughed and sneezed on.

 

If you're in a neighborhood with hoards of bored, unsupervised kids all wanting to play at your house ... "Sorry, ds is doing school" works great for controlling that. It also kept our own dc from getting bored.

 

Less pressure to 'finish' - a book, a curr., anything, and you can cram more books in. ;)

 

Dc don't forget everything they've learned because they use it constantly.

 

As dc have gotten older, they've learned to manage their own time. For example, 18yod takes time off to work on her gazillion hobbies, here and there. 20yod takes time off in the spring to garden (as do other dc). It helps them learn how to budget their time - all their time - not just x number of months out of the year.

 

HTH

[orangearrow]

What are some suggestions to making it work, year round?

 

For instance, if you have a curriculum designed to last only 9 months, how do you use is for 12 months? Do you use it less often in the week (say 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5) or do you just jump up to the next grade early?

 

When we finished one book/subject, we just move up to the next level - at whatever point in the year that happens.

 

If you jump up to the next grade early, won't the entire 12 years of education be completed in just 10? Or maybe one year your child just won't be mature enough to do the work early (like perhaps with abstract math concepts.)

 

So far, that hasn't happened for us. We also take a lot of time for field trips, enrichment activities, and sometimes if something catches our fancy (like Shakespeare is at the moment) we will toss the curriculum to the side (when we've finished what it has to say about that subject), check out a lot of books and videos from the library - and dive into that subject for 2 or 3 weeks. With math, if a child is stumbling at a certain point, we put the curriculum to the side, and practice, practice, practice on whatever they're not getting. Once it's clicked, we start right back where we left off.

 

Do you do heavier homeschooling in winter months and lighter homeschooling in summer months, when you're outside more? (or whichever months you need to be lighter for your situation?)

 

Welllll.... we don't really do this, but we change our schedule a bit. We do a LOT more afternoon homeschooling in the summer (because it is SO hot outside), and in winter, we do more morning/ after dark school so the kids can play outside during the warmer part of the day - or we can run errands when it's warm(ish) outside instead of after dark when it's freezing again. :)

 

Is there some special thing I should know before homeschooling year round? We mostly want to homeschool year round, because honestly, if we're not homeschooling, what else do I do with a 3 and 6 year old for 3 months in the summer? We'd get bored without our history books and science experiments to do! And I don't want them to forget their math facts during the summer. (We've worked too hard to learn them, just to forget them over the summer! :) )

 

We hs year round just because it's easier on the kids and on me to stay in some sort of loose routine. If they take more than 2 weeks off, they retain nothing and I loathe re-teaching something they knew 2 weeks ago! But, there's nothing special I would add - except that we love it! This is our 3rd year hs'ing year-round. We do take days off here and there - and we take time off for vacations or family visiting. And some of our days are half-days and we make up for those on the weekends. :D

[Jenny in Atl]

We love schooling year-round. It leaves us with a lot of flexibility. We take off some in the summer for camps and other short brakes for holidays. Overall I find it makes school less rushed and more enjoyable. It's become more a part of who we are, and not so much what we must complete. Does that make any sense?

[vettechmomof2]

We also enjoy schooling year round.

If we finish something we just go on to the next item of study, either next level or whatever it is at the time.

The only thing for us that does not go year round is our homeschooling gym class. All of our other activites and sports go year round so it is easier to to that with our schooling as well.

 

We have not really found a down side yet, EXCEPT I have to use more than 1 log book per school year as we run out of room. So, I have just started printing extra pages instead of wasting a whole log book.

But that is just my state.

[TxMama]

We'd like to homeschool year round but we're only in 1st grade, so not sure how it works.

 

What are some suggestions to making it work, year round?

 

I plan on completing 9 weeks of school each season. This allows us to take 4 weeks off each 13 weeks. I do not preplan when these breaks are....except for planned vacations, Christmas break. We take off a week here and there depending on weather, illnesses, family visits or when I just want a break.

 

For example this winter season which is December, January and February. We took of 2 weeks for Christmas and will take off 1 week in February when grandparents visit. So we have a week that we could take off if we get sick or the weather is so absolutely fabulous that we want to spend the week in the park.

 

For instance, if you have a curriculum designed to last only 9 months, how do you use is for 12 months? Do you use it less often in the week (say 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5) or do you just jump up to the next grade early?

 

We start a new curriculum whenever we finish an old one. I only plan a season at a time which allows me to tweak as we go. We only school 4 days a week due to my work schedule. When my kids are independant they will do some independant work on the 5th day. None of this would change if we followed a traditional Sept- May schedule.

 

If you jump up to the next grade early, won't the entire 12 years of education be completed in just 10? Or maybe one year your child just won't be mature enough to do the work early (like perhaps with abstract math concepts.)

 

This has never happened. We follow our schedule and the kids graduate the weekend after their 18th birthday and then transitioned to college. They were always working on LA/Math at their own appropriate level. There are so many possibilities for History/Science/electives that there was always something to learn. I was not interested in having them graduate early or transition to college too early.

 

Do you do heavier homeschooling in winter months and lighter homeschooling in summer months, when you're outside more? (or whichever months you need to be lighter for your situation?)

We tend to have the same schedule year round. We do our school work in the mornings in the cooler months with the hope of spending time outside during the afternoon. In the warmer months we do our schoolwork in afternoons when it is triple digit heat index and spend the mornings outside when it is "cooler".

 

Is there some special thing I should know before homeschooling year round? We mostly want to homeschool year round, because honestly, if we're not homeschooling, what else do I do with a 3 and 6 year old for 3 months in the summer? We'd get bored without our history books and science experiments to do! And I don't want them to forget their math facts during the summer.

 

That's exactly why we always schooled this way. It is easier for us to school year round then to take a long break and then spend weeks getting back into the routine of school.

[SapphireStitch]

We school year round. We don't necessarily school more, it is just spread out differently. We take breaks as needed or desired. We roughly end up doing about 3 weeks on and 1 week off each month.

 

I don't really think in terms of grade levels or a set amount of work I want to complete for the year. We open the books and keep moving along at whatever pace is necessary. My son is all over the place with the various subjects so assigning a grade level makes no real sense. I do have to report his grade level to the district so I go with whatever grade he would be in based on his age.

 

:iagree::iagree: Agreeing with all of the above, except that we don't have to report to a school district.

 

It gets icky hot and humid here in the summertime, and we don't have the budget or inclination to join a pool and hang out. So we get up early, my son gets outside and plays in the cooler part of the day, and then we do school either late morning or early afternoon.

 

If my husband takes time off, we are off school. We generally do not do school on Mondays, either, although I make an exception to that occasionally.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

We school year round, it works best for us. What I like best is it allows us to be more flexible for taking a day off, or doing more fun activities during the week than if we were to take the full summer off. I never have thought of it as a negative, I find it easier to just move forward all the time at a relaxed pace.

[Parrothead]

We don't school year round because of the bitter winters. I'd rather us be outside playing as much as possible in the summer.

[LaxMom]

We school year round (July - June) for many of the reasons above. We just move on to the next level when we're finished. We don't report through the local school board, so there isn't any particular reason why this would cause record issues.

 

We also don't take regular, scheduled time off. We take a week off here and there for travel, holidays, etc. or days off when we're having an overwhelming week, but we don't seem to have a normal rhythm of on and off weeks.

 

One of the benefits that I've not seen mentioned is that my kids really thrive on routine and we don't have the ramping up and slowing down cycles in September and June that I remember from when my eldest was in public school. We just plug along in our "regular" life.

[yvonne]

I tried schooling year round the first year, doing a lighter summer routine of only reading and math, but I was so burned out by the next Oct. that we didn't accomplish much between that Oct & Jan.

 

The second year (last year), we did our regular load until the end of May, took 5 weeks completely off, regular load for 4 weeks, then another 4 weeks completely off. It was so worth it and I'll definitely do that again this summer.

 

I found a couple of major cons to trying to school year round, even if using a lighter load in the summer.

 

1) _I_ really, really, really, really needed the time off to recharge. Even having a light load to manage made it _not_ a break for me.

 

2) I loved summers when I was a child. I want my kids to have a similar experience of summer being different than the rest of the year.

 

3) I used the down time to lay out what I wanted to accomplish during the 4 weeks of summer and during the Fall. That planning took a lot of time but it made our regular schooling time go so much more smoothly and more efficiently.

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

yvonne

[Suzanne in ABQ]

We used to school year round, when the kids were younger.

 

At first (K and 1st grade) we would just do school 3 or 4 days a week, just trying to get in 15 days a month.

 

Then, for a couple years, we'd do six weeks on, one week off, then two off at Christmas. It worked well for us because we lived in a place that was really HOT in the summer. There was nothing to do outside because it didn't get below 100 degrees until 6:00pm. In the fall and spring, when the weather was nice, we really appreciated the time off.

 

Then, when we moved, and the kids got older, and we lived near cousins who went to school, and there were more summer activities available, it became easier to follow a traditional schedule.

[Mom2boys]

When my kids were younger, we schooled year-round three weeks on and one week off. During our off week, I would catch up on house work and plan the next three weeks. I really liked this schedule because I didn't stress about taking days off to enjoy beautiful weather, or outings with friends. And, my kids would have lost a lot of ground over a three month summer break.

 

Now that they are older, we slowly taper off, so we are done by the end of June with our curricula, take July off, and slowly ramp up with our new books in August. So, September through May we have our full load of all our subjects. June and August are school lite.

[Ellie]

We'd like to homeschool year round but we're only in 1st grade, so not sure how it works.

 

What are some suggestions to making it work, year round?

 

For instance, if you have a curriculum designed to last only 9 months, how do you use is for 12 months? Do you use it less often in the week (say 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5) or do you just jump up to the next grade early?

We usually did 3 or 4 days a week.

 

If you jump up to the next grade early, won't the entire 12 years of education be completed in just 10?

Yes. Why not? Who decided that formal education should take 12 years?

Or maybe one year your child just won't be mature enough to do the work early (like perhaps with abstract math concepts.)

So wait awhile to start the next book.

 

Do you do heavier homeschooling in winter months and lighter homeschooling in summer months, when you're outside more? (or whichever months you need to be lighter for your situation?)

Yes.:DActually, we took a break from Thanksgiving to about the middle of January. Other than that, there was no real plan for doing more or less during specific seasons.

 

Is there some special thing I should know before homeschooling year round? We mostly want to homeschool year round, because honestly, if we're not homeschooling, what else do I do with a 3 and 6 year old for 3 months in the summer? We'd get bored without our history books and science experiments to do! And I don't want them to forget their math facts during the summer. (We've worked too hard to learn them, just to forget them over the summer! :) )

Children learn 365 days a year, not just September through June. I think we should just help them learn and not focus on a grade level or a "school year" or anything else.

Edited January 17, 2009 by Ellie

[FriedClams]

We school year round. We have for the 3-4 years I've been homeschooling.

 

Our schedule - 4-5 days a week year round. Summers are lighter - math, bible and lots of reading. The summer reading program at the library is a big motivator. Kids are trained that they are in the "grades" they would be in at local PS - regardless of what their math book says. We usually "start" the year about when the local schools start and go to light school when the pool opens in the summer.

 

Curriculum - We go to the next level with math, bible, LA, etc. when we're done with one. If we need more time on something, we just get a different publisher and work through it. DD did 3 phonics and 2 first grade math curriculum. I didn't want her moving ahead that fast and the review was good for her. Right now they are doing well with challenging stuff. History and science - we just do what's age appropriate and interesting and move on when we're ready. We do one history program per year (this school year it's SOTW) and we add in fun stuff to stretch it out as needed.

 

Pros - We can travel when it's less crowded in the airports. Time off when we need it since there's never any pressure to catch up or a feeling we're "behind". We're well "ahead" and we could glide for a while if we needed to. We can go help family for a month and light school and it's not a big deal. Always ready to test since we've covered what's needed. Habits, attitude and work ethic are more consistent and easier to train. Education becomes a lifestyle not something we "get done" and then more on from. Better retention of facts. We can take full advantage of the weather. It's HOT here in the summer - so having the summer off is a little pointless. We take more days off in the spring and fall, swim a lot in the summer and get a ton done! You get a TON done when everyone else is on vacation!

 

Cons - Occasionally feels a little like a grind - so we skip a few days and then restart when we're ready. When DH is home it messes up our schedule. I think you get more easily bored with curriculum when you don't take a long break. That may be an excuse, LOL!!!

[Amber in AUS]

My plan is to school 4 days per week with the third day being free for field trips, Dr appt, shopping whatever else needs to get done. We will take about 3 weeks over Christmas & New Year and the rest of the time just go with the flow. A day off here or there wont be a problem.

 

If we finish stuff early then i will just move on. If they are not ready no move on then i will get a supplement and review what we have done, or focus on any problem areas.

[vansolkema1996]

I have been thinking about schooling year round also. This is my second year of homeschooling, so After 5years in a PS it was hard enough just to get my DD to do school in general. She is now starting to enjoy the freedom of picking what we sudy more. She even picked up school work over our Christmas break and started doing it. That was when I knew it might work to go year round. I plan on just stating with the next year as we finish. Then I figure when she is in high school possibly she can also take some college courses. ( I will see if she is mature enough for that when the time comes)

[Closeacademy]

How we make the year round schedule work for us:

 

We do 4-day work weeks with Fridays being for our co-op and playgroup. I schedule a 2 week break in May, a 1-week break for Halloween week and a 2-3 week break in December. We take holidays and birthdays off.

 

We work really hard Jan through April, do our work July through September, start to wind down in October and November and take it easy only finishing stuff up and concentrating on Christmas in December.

 

When we finish one workbook up we go to the next. I really don't worry anymore about where we will be at in High School. (This has releaved a ton of homeschool stress.) I just worry about what we are doing now and what we may, should or might be capable of next year.

 

Good luck.

[Christine]

We schooled year-round for about 5 years. It was mostly due to necessity. Lots of moves, Daddy deployed -- going / returning, foreign countries with opportunity to travel (it's cheaper to travel during non-vacation times).

 

And, because we did it out of necessity, I didn't do it last year, and we took the summer off.

 

Now, I'm rather glad I took the summer off. . .but I won't do it again. It made starting back to school so incredibly hard.

 

DH is about to retire from the military so a lot of stresses will be greatly reduced -- which, I think, was one of the reasons we NEEDED last summer off. But the "routine" of year-round school is "comforting".

 

We didn't have a set schedule (6 weeks on, 1 week off), taking time off as it fit in our lives and not worrying about it. I plan for 40 weeks of school. But, we work it so that as soon as we finish one book / topic we move into the next. I don't fret if we don't finish a book in a "year" (school-year), but we generally do.

 

It "flows". And as much as I'm a scheduler, it's the one area where I am perfectly content to go with the flow.

[jejily]

I wish we *could* school year-round. But, DD15 is in public high school, and it is hard for DS11 to be "in school" on the days his sister (and neighborhood friends) are off.

 

I might try the year-round schedule in 8th grade, as big sis will have graduated by then. Does the year-round schedule still work for high schoolers?! I imagine it would... unless I enroll him in special classes (I'm thinking some science classes like chemistry that are offered to homeschoolers). That might throw things off a bit.

 

Ah, well... if only I had started homeschooling 15 years ago, when my oldest DS was starting kindergarten... then we could have had our whole family on a year-round schedule, and would have been free to enjoy more travel time when we lived overseas! 20/20 hindsight... *sigh.

[lllll]

I might try the year-round schedule in 8th grade, as big sis will have graduated by then. Does the year-round schedule still work for high schoolers?! I imagine it would... unless I enroll him in special classes (I'm thinking some science classes like chemistry that are offered to homeschoolers). That might throw things off a bit.

 

Yes, year-round works in high school, too. One thing we do that helps with the more intense work is to do the usual subjects and group work on Monday through Thursday. Then, dc use Fridays to work on those longer papers or anything else that lends itself to longer, uninterrupted blocks of time. The only planned thing for us on Fridays is our tape from 12:30 to 1pm (= 1/2 of a sermon). This way they can even extend what they are doing into the weekend if they get realy absorbed in it.

 

Others can offer more about the outside classes. We've never done any of those.

 

HTH

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[ElizabethB]

You're right about those math facts!

 

I thought we would school year round, but I needed a break last summer, and I love teaching, I also teach as a volunteer remedial reading tutor!

 

But, my daughter lost half of her math facts over the summer (she lost about a dozen over the 2 week Christmas break.)

 

So, this summer, after a week or two break, we'll play math games and do math facts at least 2 times a week. My daughter is reading and spelling so well we don't need to do that, she was fine with the break there, but math facts are another story.

[swellmomma]

I haven't read all the replies but am eager to go bak and do so. I have decided that this year we are going to hs year round. THis will allow us to take shorter days/weeks without concern, tke more breaks for travel (like to my brother's wedding) without getting off track. In my case do to circumstances of the past couple years we are actually behind where I would like to be and want the time to catch up. For my younger 2, they will finish formal high school earlier this way, but then they will do independant study or correspondance courses from a college here until they are 18 and mature enough to go to college f/t.

 

I think another pro to it will be the kids stay in routine, I know by the end of summer I am going insane from the lack of structure and then the kids battle me for a couple weeks to get back into our school routine, hsing year round will eliminate that struggle and give us happier days over all I hope.