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As the school year comes to a close, most families are planning vacations or enrichment activities for their children to keep them busy. Our family on the other hand, isn’t really doing any of that. A few years ago, we decided to become year round homeschoolers. My husband actually was the one who pushed the idea, which I was very much against because we need a summer vacation!
The thing is that, because we homeschool, we actually already take lots of time off from school for random mini vacations throughout the year and especially during the holiday season. So when it comes to the summer, we’re not really planning any type of vacation. Summer time for us is a time to slow down a bit, obviously enjoy the weather but nothing really spectacular. That leaves us with a lot of extra time in our day to get schoolwork done so what do we do in the summer time?
Core Curriculum
During the months of June and July, I typically try to decrease the workload in our homeschool. That means there are curriculums that we let go of for the summer and will return to in August. I try to keep our core curriculum on a consistent schedule the entire year. That means that Bible, Language Arts, and Math are non-negotiables during that time. On days when it’s too hot to be outdoors, I like to squeeze in some creative writing and art to keep it fun and light.
Outdoor Time
It’s summer; that means outdoor time is obviously a must. I’m really not strict at all when it comes to outdoor time but during the summer I do require the kids to disconnect from screens as much as possible and head outdoors. We are not a “summer” family, we love cooler weather, but in the summer months I try to get the kids outside for at least an hour a day. There will be occasional pool visits, lakes and what not. But on the days we’re home, at least an hour of outdoor play is required. If they spend more than an hour outside, great.
Reading Programs
Reading is another thing that we don’t let fall through the cracks during the summer. As cliche as it might sound, reading is part of our lifestyle, not just something we require for school. Independent reading for at least 20 minutes a day and family read aloud will continue to shine it’s light on a daily basis. The only difference during the summer is that I don’t require any type of book reports; reading is solely for pure fun these months. As per prior years, we will also join some reading programs for incentives. The main ones we join are typically The Good and The Beautifuls program and our local library through the Beanstack App.
Library Programs and Events
Our local library is another resource we use a lot throughout the year but also in the summer time. They host so many educational events and when they’re not hosting an event or program, we still enjoy making an appearance, enjoying the kids section and learning on the computers. We especially enjoy the library on those extremely hot days that make us want to stay indoors.
Year round homeschooling might not give our kids a “typical” summer vacation, but with the freedom to take as many breaks as we want throughout the rest of the year, we really don’t need two full months off. That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the summer by any means, because we do, but we keep school at a minimum. That way we still enjoy the weather that doesn’t really last for too long but we still keep up with our learning without a huge gap between grade levels.
Are you year round homeschoolers? Or do you take a summer break? I’d love to know how you spend your summer! Lets chat in the comment section.
Let’s chat!