Summer School

One summer, long ago, we took a regular summer break from school. The next fall, my kids had forgotten everything they had learned in May and June and we had to spend the next two months reviewing all of that information before moving on to new material. Since then, we have never taken a full summer break. Because of this, my kids are far ahead in math (and their brains don't completely turn to mush throughout the summer).

The beginning and end of every math book is review material. If you aren't taking a summer break, you can skip the entire first section of every math book. Get ahead, and skip away. And that is why my 4th grader is in Pre-Algebra (also thanks to his natural math brain).

At the beginning of every summer, I have high expectations and tell my kids that they'll be doing 50-75% of their normal school work. However, that never lasts more than a couple days, because summer is the time for me to get projects done, and to play (thus ignoring my kids and not doing school with them). So here are the minimal requirements for my kids' summer school:

- Math
- Literature (read 1 chapter/day)
- Instruments
- Scriptures/Prayer
- Journal (sometimes)
- Hug Mom (everyone laughs about this, but how often do your teenagers hug you?!)
- Kitchen Job
- Room/Messes
- Spelling (only 1 child needs this)
- Times Tables (only 1 child needs this)


For younger kids, here is a four week summer unit I compiled. I've never done unit studies as my base curriculum, but it's fun to do when there is a certain topic you'd like to explore together. And summer is the perfect time to do so.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DTtcavR3tlJS9HoXcvSjcpp472V1PX7s5ndVe94JLuo/edit?usp=sharing



  

Curriculum in a Nutshell

My other curriculum post is long and detailed. Here is a condensed version of it. I've been using some of this curriculum for one year, and the rest of it for 3+ years. I really like everything I'm using and am not planning on changing any of it any time soon. If you are looking for an all-inclusive curriculum, this is not the one for you. Check out OakMeadow.com for the Waldorf all-inclusive curriculum I used while my kids were young. I LOVED it. I still use their math, and still use it for my youngest. But over the years I have tweaked and changed and it has brought me to what I currently use. (You can read about why I changed my curriculum in my other posts).

Religion: Come Follow Me (ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Music: private instrument/voice lessons + listening to classical composers
Math: Oak Meadow, Pattern Press, Larson + the greatest math tutor ever
History: Story of the World, A History of US, YouTube, current events
Literature: Center for Lit, Timeline of Classics, Well Trained Mind
Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing
Spelling: All About Spelling
Science: Berean Builders
Spanish: Rosetta Stone
Art: private class
Sports: so many
Field trips: Beach, Museums, Hikes, Ski Trips...

There are four things I love the most about the curriculum I've chosen:

• First, the use of great, classic literature. Learning from and about great people.
• Second, how the different subjects tie together so well. History is the backbone, and everything else ties into it (literature books are chosen from the time period we're studying, writing is history-based assignments, science is historically organized and presented, and music, art, and field trips could be too if I chose). 
• Third, the religion behind it all. Our "religion" lesson used to be separate from the other subjects. We'd talk about it then, but no more throughout school. Now, because I've switched to Christian curriculums, they'll either have more lessons with God directly mentioned or the lesson will have a Christian view point or moral behind it. In this day and age, with all the evils of the world at their fingertips (cell phones/internet), my kids need as much religion in their lives as I can put there. 
• Fourth, the minimal planning required on my part. We just have to follow along in the books. I have to grab or print a few things here or there, but for the most part, I really don't have a lot of weekly prep work to do.

The Homeschool Schedule - Yearly, Weekly, Daily

Our yearly schedule:

School is year-round. Three days a week we do homeschool. Once a week we have tutors (music, math, art). And once a week we have a Field Trip day (beach, museums, etc). On field trip day we don't do any real school work, so it's a very fun, hands-on-learning day.

Over the last two years we went on many ski trips throughout the winter. So we cut out most of the field trip days and did school four days a week instead of three (plus the day of tutors). That way we didn't have to do school during our trips. 

We do not take a break during the summer. I tried it once, and it's horrible for so many reasons. However, I cut out most of their school work and focus on the most important subjects (math, reading, religion, music). 

Here are a few of the reasons we don't like summer break:

#1- The kids forget everything they had learned in April & May. The entire month of September is a complete waste-of-time review. Or you could say the entire months of April & May are a complete waste-of-time because you'll be re-learning it in September.

#2- My kids' independent play time ability falls apart without our regular school routine going on. All of a sudden they're given a big chunk of free time that they're not used to having. Even though my kids are really great at coming up with things to do, for some reason it works a lot better when it fits into our regular school routine (ie. school in the am, lunch at noon, free time from 1-3pm). They become whiny, dependent, and they constantly ask to play on screens (tv, computer, ipads, etc).

#3- I ignore my kids too much. When we don't have our school routine going on, I get busy doing my own projects that I usually don't have time for. Which is AWESOME. However, I could go days and weeks without giving my kids any real attention. And then I start feeling guilty for it, our relationships suffer, and my kids start acting out because of lack of attention.

Our weekly schedule:

Monday- Thursday - homeschool days (plus one of those days is tutors)

Friday- Fun day/Field trip day. This is our favorite day, and we are so very lucky to have it. Our kids play a lot of sports, which take up most of our Saturdays. Sundays are reserved for rest/family activities. So having this free day allows us to do all the things we would normally want to do on Saturday, and do it on a day when there are no crowds! We go on outings like the museum and the fair, we go to the beach, we relax at the pool, we learn new skills or do projects around the house. I feel very lucky and blessed that we still get a free day plus my kids can still do the kinds of sports that have games on Saturdays.
Saturday- sports, play with friends, etc.

Sunday- church, family activities, etc.

Our daily schedule:

6-9 ish - I work out, do scripture study, meal prep for the entire day. Or sleep in if I need to.

9-1 ish School (with a break for lunch)
1 ish - Once the kids are done with all their school and jobs, they have free time (and so do I!) By this time they are tired of being told what to do and happily go off and play independently or together. This is also my productive time. I can get caught up on my to-do list, work on projects, etc. I occasionally join them in their play. 

3 ish- Sports. Every day every child has something (except my youngest). Swim team, water polo, basketball, volleyball, etc. I use this time to work out if I haven't yet, or be productive. Plus of course shuttling them around (with the help of carpools).

6 ish -  Dinner. We probably only sit down all together twice a week because we're all over the place with sports. 

9-10 ish - Bedtime. I hate how long bedtime takes (brushing teeth is the worst). We try to lay with each child every night (although this never happens with the teenagers anymore). It's great for one-on-one time, it has helped keep our relationships solid, and it has led to some deep conversations about moral issues. We're now trying to find other times to have one-on-one time with our teens. My husband takes one kid to Costco with him every week, which they all love.