We have slowly ootched (I am using that word a lot lately) our way toward a year-round school schedule for our "required days" - satisfying what the good state of Oklahoma asks of us.
I am very much in love with this. We are still off this week, meaning we all have so much extra time to devote to organizing, cleaning, scratching our butts and playing with Christmas gifts. I didn't think the spreading-out of off days would be that big of a deal, but it really is super (could I sound more like Beaver Cleaver?).
On a side note, it has been a fun observation to see that the Wii is still in the box since we returned from my Mom's Thursday night, but the kids have not put down the doll house and accessories that my mom got them - in a garage sale - for a super wonderful cheap-o price. YEA for recycling toys!! And no, Dad, you cannot have our Wii. It'll be back out before too long. NO! Stop asking!!!
We will only take six weeks off in the summer, which will keep the momentum of retention going. We have several weeks off in the fall and spring and a few other days scattered here and there. Having breaks more frequently has helped all of us to regroup and keep our enthusiasm for what we are learning.
I started out doing it "just to see." Since we homeschool ... I mean ... why not? I have a feeling we will keep this up for awhile.
If you are interested in trying something similar, you can do a google search for "year round school" or "year round school schedule" for ideas and more information.
(photo by Paul Pasieczny)
4 comments:
It's always so interesting to hear your homeschooling stories. Please don't stop blogging anytime soon. I'm going to be referring to you quite a lot when I get there!!!
I thought TwitchyMac was going to public school? Does that mean that you are homeschooling the other two only? How does that work?
Mac came back home around Spring Break last year (I'm sure I posted on it - just too lazy to look it up). So, I have all three at home.
However, if you have some at home at some educated outside your home, you just coordinate schedules.
By the time I hit highschool, I was doing my own year round school at public school. I didn't care for the english teachers at my own high school, and the school board let you take summer school 'ahead' (as opposed to remedial for failing a course). So for six weeks every July, I'd be taking an indepth one class. (We did one subject for 4 hrs a day or so.. 5 days a week and got all our required hours in one fell swoop). I loved it. :)
I ended up at a university that let me take classes year round (3 semesters a year), and soon learned that I learned better taking part time all year than 2 full time on and 1 off entirely.
It really does help keep momentum going. I'm a big fan of year round school.
I really enjoyed when I used to teach at a "year round" school. We had 6 weeks off during the summer, 1 1/2 weeks off for a fall break, 3 weeks off at Christmas time, and 3 weeks off for Spring Break. I liked it, and the kids really seemed to do well with it.
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