Thursday, September 03, 2009

Why we start our school year in July

Some people think I'm crazy to start our homeschooling year in July. They have fond memories of their own long summer vacations and think I'm cruel to have my kids doing math before Labor Day. That's OK; they can do things their way.

We have over 30 of our 180 required school days done. Some of those were accomplished over 2 half days. We didn't have to spend a lot of time reviewing math concepts forgotten over the long break. (We have enough trouble with math after a short break.) We continued on with our history and "language arts" and started some interesting science work while I continue to search for a good, "regular" science curriculum. (Nothing I come across seems quite right, but they're "doing science" in any case.)

But here's the real reason: today is a gorgeous late-summer day. It hasn't been a terribly hot summer by most standards, but my kids wilt when it gets over 85 or so. They don't mind being inside reading and doing other work when it's really hot out. (I'm not pretending that they enjoy all their schoolwork, but they know they have to do it, and why not on a miserably hot day?) But today, it's mild and beautiful. They went out to bounce on the trampoline (a recent hand-me-down gift from some friends) and are now playing commando with all their duct-tape-and-cardboard-tube weaponry and backpacks full of canned goods. I love it that my 12-year-old will still play this way with his sister.

And I can let them do that because in the hot days of July and August they were doing their math.

1 comment:

Sandy said...

I concur. This is the way we did things until my kids reached middle and high school and started making their own schedules. They still more or less choose to school year 'round taking breaks when it works for them, not because that's when the calendar says to.