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As I've been thinking ahead (& oh, so very excited for starting this fall ), I was wondering how you have decided whether to do homeschooling during the traditional school year (Sept-May) -or- to do homeschooling year-round!? Does one work better for your family? Why? What are the pros & cons to either/both?? And how do you handle the longer breaks (whether it be all summer, or a week or two in between schooling), so that your children don't "forget" everything they have just learned?
Thanks!!

We do school during a "traditional" school year... usually Aug/Sept until about May. I am not worried about the kids forgetting anything. It's only 3 months or so. And, the next year we just pick up where we left off.
During the summer we are so involved with reading programs at the library and book store, along with just having fun in the sun! It gives the kids just enough free time to get rested and ready to start school again.... that new feeling of new books and supplies... ready to go! Plus, I enjoy that break, getting ready for a new school year too. I know that I would get burnt out if I didn't have a break... I think the kids would too.
We usually have a first day of school party, along with an end of the year party! The kids really enjoy it! It gives them something to look forward too!

LeAnna

I follow a traditional school year because my husband is a public school teacher. We don't want to do school when he is home and ready to play. He often teaches 5 weeks for summer school and we do fun unit studies during that time.

I'd go year round in a heart beat if I could. I'd love the idea of taking off whenever we needed a break instead of during the summer months. The temp was 111 here yesterday. It would have been better if we were doing school than sitting around a dark house like hermits hiding from the sun.

We school year-round. My dh is a pastor and has Fridays off, so we do school 4 days a week so that Fridays are available to spend with him.

We follow a traditional year for the most part, though we don't start or end on the exact days schools around us do. We start near the end of Aug. or beginning of Sept., and we end by Memorial Day in May. We do this for these reasons...
1. Weather in SD: summers are some of the best days we have to be outside and my dh is an outdoors guy and likes to take our dc fishing at the drop of a hat, winters are harsh so that season is a great time for us to be indoors and really homeschool, my dh travels a lot in the fall and spring, and this is a good time for me to homeschool
2. I work part-time, and my busy season is spring/summer.
3. I like a definite start and stop to the school year.
4. I use the summers to "deep clean" the house, go through each room and throw/sell/give away/fix/renovate whatever needs to be, etc., and then I don't do any of that during the school year.

In Christ,
Julie

The Principal (dh) says we are to follow a traditional year....so that is what we do.

Last year we followed a traditional schedule, end of August to end of May. However this year I am entertaining the idea of year round school; 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off and a 6 week break between manuals for a sense of "completion!" (And for some extended play time!! )

We followed a a modified trad. schedule last year, but with frequent breaks that we had to take, due to my job and jury duty. We started this year two weeks ago and I plan on taking 2-3 week-long breaks during each season, with a longer break after we are done for the year. The summers here in Las Vegas are HOT and mostly unpleasant so it doesn't make a lot of sense to take a long break in the summer. Maybe next year will be different! The beauty of homeschool is that you can tailor the schedule to your family and your needs and not be a slave to someone else's schedule.

We school all year. I tried to take last summer off, after 10 days my son told me he was bored can we please do some school work. During the summer I omit the extras, like Latin, so that we have more time for nature walks and pool parties! HOD only takes us about 2 hours a day, we do it first thing so we are done, and can play for the rest of the day.We generally do 8 weeks on, 1 week off. For Advent & Lent we pretty much take those entire months off, we stay busy with plays at the church and I add in seasonal crafts and unit study. This is what works for us, you will find what works for you too. The nice thing about homeschooling is you can make your schedule to suit your needs on a day by day basis, whether that is a new baby, sickness, or just plain tired of hitting the books! Have a great summer.
Kim

We have done both. A few years back we schooled for 3 weeks then had a week off. We really liked it because on our weeks off we made appointments, and played catch up on any housework and if needed any school work. That gave them motivation to get their work done in the 3 weeks. Then I didn't feel like I had as many interruptions during the 3 weeks. Last year we ended up with a more traditional school year. It seemed long. We have enjoyed our summer off but are ready to start again. I hope they haven't forgot much.

I think whatever you decide is what will family and other friends be doing? What I mean is will your kids be schooling when others are off to the pool or riding by on their bikes? We have cousins that attend public school and a few times it has been hard to stict to our schedule because they want to play on their breaks. And don't forget that you can change your mind during the school year. If you start taking breaks and decide that it is an interruption. Change to a more traditional calendar. This year we are going to try 6 weeks on and 1 week off. We'll see how it goes. This is our first year with HOD and maybe we won't want to stop!

Thanks everyone for giving me a glimpse of what you do & why you do it! I am excited (& a bit nervous) to find out what works for us. It seems like both ways definitly have their pros and cons. hmmm.. I am so glad to have found HOD & am able to make decisions based on our family.
Have a great day!
Jessica