Do you school year round? In past years, we have followed the public school schedule and stopped schoolwork in the summer months. We would have an occasional unit study day (that I would count as a school day for the following year), but otherwise we would give our brains a big ol' break.
But this year, I have plans to do things differently. We will have a modified schedule for summer that will involve fewer subjects. The kids are in the middle of learning their multiplication facts and I don't want to break when we are making good progress.
They have also really improved on their reading skills and in their stamina with read alouds, so I want to keep reading everyday!
Since we don't get to a lot of science in the school year, and since the kids are planting a Square Foot Garden, we will do Science unit studies all summer.
And I came across a really neat short Bible/Culture lesson that will take us around the world.
And we will also have various Schoolhouse Review Crew products we will need to be reviewing throughout the summer.
So here are our summer plans:
- We will start each day doing a Math-U-See workbook page and then will split up to play Math Rider and to practice facts on our Multiplication Wrap-ups. This should take us about 30 minutes.
- The kids will read independently for 15 minutes every day out of the book of their choice. I will also read a chapter or so out of another book as a read aloud. This will take us about 30 minutes.
- We will work on our unit study. In addition to caring for our garden, we will be doing a summer-long study on the LifeCycle. We will be hatching chick eggs in July (using a program offered by our local university extension office), growing butterflies (as part of an upcoming review), and (hopefully) gathering some tadpoles to watch the transformation to frogs (gonna have to get those the old fashioned way ... out of the pond). This will likely take us about 20-30 minutes a day.
- We will finish our lessons by doing Around the World in 60 Days by Thriving Family (by Focus on the Family). This is a daily devotional, cultural, activity and prayer program that covers 27 countries in 60 days. We will add stickers to our passports as we study each country. This will take us about another 15-20 minutes a day.
- We will also have to put in our time doing reviews as they come available. That will take a few extra minutes a day, as well.
All total, we will do about two hours of schoolwork each day. I plan to keep track of our hours. Every five days of summer school will earn us two days of logged school. In 60 days we will earn 24 days of school that we can take off throughout the rest of the school year on trips to Florida or extra days off around Christmas! That's totally worth a couple of hours of school work a day, huh???
We will definitely be done by noon each day and our afternoons will be spent at the city pool soaking in the rays, reading (mom) and playing with friends!
How about you? Will you have summer school?
We were going to follow the school calendar this year too, but I JUST decided to do pretty much the same thing you are! For us, I knew Josie needed to work on a few skills that aren't quite where they need to be and, like you, we didn't do much science over the year but love it so I planned a few in depth unit studies to do. We also go on a lot of trips during the normal school year so this will make that easier. Josie is only starting 1st grade, but I still want her brain to grow all year long! Plus, school is just a part of life for us. She won't even notice we are different than other families!
ReplyDeleteWith everything going on in our lives right now, we're taking the summer off. I can't wait! I need that time to "chillax" and refocus and work through some personal issues and de-stress. (I should be divorced on 5/31 if things go as planned.)But we'll still do the summer library reading program - there's even an adult one for the first time this summer - and go to the Rec Center for free lunch and the lake for swimming and kayaking. We're gardening. And another single Mom and I might take our kids to her families camp on the lake. And in August we're still supposed to go to Alaska with my ILs. So...no "formal school" for us...but each of us should do whatever works!
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like the summer schedule, Nicole! I love doing part-time summer learning for so many reasons--it keeps life enriching and gives us more wiggle-room during the school year (it's how we keep to a four-day school week). I also find that we don't always do the schoolwork in the mornings. If it is going to be hot we play outside in the cool morning, then head inside and do reading and unit studies when it's too hot to be outside.
ReplyDeleteWe school year round too since we are mostly unschool/Interest Led. Sounds like you have a great schedule worked out. You know, I have read your blog on and off for years. I always loved seeing what Dawson was doing since he was a few years ahead of Keilee. I am glad he is doing so well in PS. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good plan. Also very similar to what we will be doing this summer.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Diane
I like your plans for the summer. Enough to keep them in the swing of things and not forget what they learned.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a great idea! We don't homeschool, but I'm keeping Dylan and Lexie busy this summer. Lexie has a packet of math sheets that she received from her teacher in preparation for first grade. They both have a journal that they have to write in every night, and they each have to read 1 age appropriate book a day. For Dylan, that means 1 chapter a day from a chapter book. The journal and reading was my idea to keep their minds active!
ReplyDelete