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Teaching Tip:

As we're heading into our summer season here in South Dakota, I'm reminded of the importance of having some time off from the rigors of schooling. Even if you are someone who enjoys schooling year-round, I think it is a good idea to take at least a month off at some time during your school year to recharge. I find I am much more focused during my "school year", if I have had some time off to regroup. During our break, my kiddos read endless books for pleasure, play outside, swim, play strategic board games, bake, bike, and work on projects. They love their time off, and so do I. It helps us all focus better on school when it rolls around again. So, I encourage you to make sure to take some time for both you and your children to recharge your batteries at some point during your school year. We take several months off in the summer, and then are very focused during our school year once it begins (taking little to no time off until summer rolls around again). This may not work for you, but whatever your schedule, be sure to make time for yourself and your kiddos to have a more lengthy break!

Carrie

Carrie,
We do take the summer off, but I was wondering about retention of skills, especially math, as my dd is VERY weak in this area. I was going to take at least two months off before we begin a new guide, but I wanted Angie to do some math through the summer. How much would you recommend without overdoing it during our summer vacation? I want to finish PM 1B (we are two-thirds through it) so we are ready for 2A when we start Bigger in August. We are finishing Beyond by the end of this month.

I'm also curious about math! Both my kids are behind in math and it's really tempting for me to use this time to help us catch up. Is this okay, or is it totally defeating the purpose of a break?

Maybe do one drill sheet a day to keep their skills fresh. Have a couple of problems from each of the areas they struggle with. I agree with Carrie that everyone needs some time off to refresh and relax! I live in Minnesota so when it is summer you better enjoy it because winter lasts a long time

Ladies,

It is food for thought isn't it! I know that during our longer breaks is when my boys truly develop their hobbies and extracurricular interests, whereas during the only short break we take (at Christmas) our days are very full with just the day-to-day things. With time on their hands, my boys can really develop all sorts of personal interests.

For example, right now since we finished school, my oldest son is making model airplanes out of paper and cardboard and playing an ongoing Axis and Allies game strategizing daily with my third son. He is also learning to fly an airplane with a flight simulator on our computer and choosing to research and read books on courtship and purity. My second son is making a flipbook movie of my third son's stuffed toys, drawing thousands of frames and then photographing them in order on his camera. He just completed writing and illustrating a book about my third son's stuffed crab family, and he wrote a story for each month of the year. My third son is making model airplanes right along with my oldest son, and he is also totally immersed in Axis and Allies strategies. He plays other board games with my second son (like Monopoly and Stratego) and is also getting quite good with the flight simulator. My fourth son has a scheduled playtime with each of his older brothers daily. He enacts battles with the Axis and Allies pieces and uses his airplanes to act out air battles. He plays moon dough or playdough daily and also loves to play Chess. He has a starring role in many of my second son's movies, and also loves to play "house" and "camping" with my third son. Our boys play outside every day of the week, playing everything from sword fighting with foam swords to biking to baseball and basketball. They play with their cousins once a week at the park and once a week at either my house or my sister's house. I share this to let you know that the things our boys do to fill their days are fairly ordinary and all can be done at home. Their interests vary in the summer as do their projects. Yet, they crave this time to themselves, and my husband and I feel it is time well-spent, because it will help our boys learn to use their free time well as an adult.

As far as math goes (or any other subject in which you may feel your child is a bit behind), I think it is alright to do only that subject 5 days a week during your break. However, I think it is important to keep in mind that you don't want that subject to take over your days, so make sure to keep it short and to the point. Phonics is another area that often makes good sense to continue through some sort of break, especially if your child is just learning to read.

Surprisingly, after a longer summer break (like the one I mentioned in my post), our boys catch up much faster than I usually anticipate once the "school year" begins again. Of course, it takes a bit of getting back into the routine again, and takes a bit of remembering to get back into subjects like math and writing, yet when my kiddos do dive back in I often find they are more able to do those skills that seemed so hard before. I honestly think that both the break and the maturity gained over the break have much to do with it.

I will share that my boys are avid readers, so they do read all summer long. Plus, many of their own hobbies and interests involve writing and art, so they do these types of things in the summer as well. They just do them with their own twist!

Blessings,
Carrie

My kids don't do well with long breaks. The longest break we've been able to take successfully is two weeks. By the time two weeks is up they are actually asking for school again and their moods are really off.

My kids are little still (6,4,and2) and BEG to do schoolwork. My daughter chooses to read child-friendly encyclopedias and such for fun! We are taking time off from the more formal structure of homeschooling, but still doing some thing with them like short unit studies I've gotten for free just because they really love it. I like taking my kids lead. They are still young enough that they don't do a lot of independent hobby stuff, except my 6-year-old who is really into crafts. I'm looking forward to that time in a few years, but trying to appreciate the fact that they need a little more structure at this point. I sort of see it as teaching them how to enjoy free time.

Carrie wrote:For example, right now since we finished school,...
Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie,

How have you managed to finish school so soon? Did you double-up somewhere or....? Please share.

We LOVE our summers here, too! I'm quite sure that the break is as much needed for ME as it is for the kids.