This is the time of year when many families are seeing the end of curriculums and lesson plans because summer break is around the corner. While there is a part of my heart that yearns for the summer break, treatment that is not what my family will be doing this year. This is the second year that we have embraced year-round schooling. We started out using the fall through spring school schedule but life happened and it is no longer an option for us.
We have a small family business and every other week I have to run the store. I take the kids with me and we work on school work at the store. This is not the ideal place to do school work, cure but it is working. Having one week at the store and one week at home is not easy and we often take more time off from school than I like too; this is what brought our family to year round schooling.
Some of our textbooks are nearing their end where there are others we have only just begun. The lines of scheduling are blurred and the calendar is only used to keep track of the date. There are pros and cons for schooling all year-long and I am not sure which way I prefer more.
A few aspects I have found that I enjoy are:
-Frequent time off school; on average we work on school about three weeks a month. The time that is taken off is rarely planned and never set in stone. We have learned to go with what life gives us. If we want to take a day off we do and there is no schedule to rearrange.
-The kids don’t have a long down time from school so there is no shift in routine where patience’s wear thin as we adjust to a more structured daily routine.
-We also don’t suffer from spring fever as bad. We know that school goes on regardless of the calendar and we just keep plugging away.
One of the drawbacks for me is the warm summer weather. I love the days when the kids are outdoors from sun-up to sun-set and we journey to grandmas for a dip in the pool. I love mowing the lawn and soaking up every ounce of vitamin D the sun can pour down on me. This factor alone makes me long for the day when I can go back the standard school season. I do try to take lunch, a blanket and a good book outside often as possible in the summer.
The ability to choose when and how you teach your children is one of the many benefits of being a home school family. If the standard is not working for your family shake things up a little and find out what works for you family! We school year-round now but this season will come to an end and we will have to change with the season.
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