Hi, my name is Meghan, and I’m addicted to homeschooling.
{Hi, Meghan.}
Not really! But judging by the looks we get when we admit that we’ve started school already, I think some people think so. In fact, we started in June.
I’m not advocating never taking a break. We had a three-week break in May when we traveled, and we’ll have another three-week break in August.
But, for our family, we don’t have a two-plus-month summer break. Here’s why ~
Too many skills are lost or forgotten over long breaks. Teachers deal with this reality every fall when students return to their desks. That’s why typically the first month of each new school year is spent in review. In fact, many of our local schools are now offering workbooks for students to take home for the summer. The pupils do a couple of pages each day to keep their skill set sharp.
When temperatures reach the upper 80s and 90s, the children don’t want to go outside. Quite frankly, I don’t blame them, especially with the humidity levels here in the Midwest. Sure, there are excellent indoor activities as well, and my children love to read, do puzzles, and play with Legos, among other activities. But too often, I hear the plaintive wail of “Can I watch a movie?” I absolutely do not want my children to spend a summer in front of a screen. Spending a little bit of time with school work helps make for a screen-free summer and still provides opportunities for making their own creative play. We save our time off for colder weather, our favorite time of year, when we can jump in piles of fall leaves and build snowmen.
It gives a jump start on the new school year and, thus, wiggle room for the future. You never really know what’s coming next in life. You can plan and prepare, but, too many times, we’re thrown a curve ball. When that happens, whether that unexpected event is good or bad, it can be helpful to have a few days of school in already. My 80+ year old mother decided, mid-year, to sell her condo, downsize, and move to an apartment in a retirement community. It was a wise decision, but it also took some time…cleaning out, listing the condo, selling a ton of stuff, deciding who is going to take which items, hauling things hither and thither, finding boxes, packing, unpacking. You know how that can go. But because we had started school earlier in the summer and had a few wiggle days, we were able to make the hour drive (each way) and help out several times.
If you have a lot of activities or commitments over the summer or if you take long family vacations, this may not work for you. I know some families take schoolwork on vacations, but I’d rather just leave it at home. That’s the true beauty of homeschooling, though. It can be arranged around your family’s needs.
Do you school in the summer? Why or why not?
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