Since we began homeschooling in 2002, we’ve been all over the place with our yearly schedule. The first year we homeschooled, I wanted to make sure that we started later than the public schools so that my daughter, just coming out of the public school system, could start to see benefits right away.
Then, we did year ’round schooling for a year or two, thinking that we might as well be schooling during the hot summer months since it was too hot and miserable to do anything outside. This way, we could enjoy some days off while the weather was cooler. After a couple of years of that, we were ready for a long summer break, which we took and thoroughly enjoyed.
Last year, I decided that I wanted to arrange our schedule so that we could take off the entire month of December since we find it so hard to have any desire for academics when our minds are on the holidays. It didn’t work out last year, due to some unexpected changes in our schedule, but it is going to work out this year. We’re so excited! We’ll be taking off the week of Thanksgiving through the first week of January.
Does this mean that no learning will occur? Absolutely not! It’s just that the learning that occurs may not look like the typical academic stuff. In preparing for Christmas, I’m sure that there will be plenty of consumer math going on. ;-) We’ll also be doing some holiday baking which will include life skills, as well as measuring, reading recipes and, most likely doubling them. Ah, a practical use for fractions!
There will certainly be some reading going on, some educational TV viewing, hopefully a fun field trip or two, maybe even a “just for fun” unit on Christmas, and definitely some of that “socialization” that folks are always so worried about.
I’m really excited about our December schedule — or lack thereof — because we’ve never done this before. What is your school schedule like around the holidays? Any tips for a family enjoying their first holiday season with no set school schedule?
For more ramblings from this classically eclectic, slightly Charlotte Mason, sweet tea drinking, homeschooling mom, visit Kris at her blog, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Photo by flik
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We tend to have our last week of school prechristmas the first week of December and start again the Monday after New Year.
There is baking, crafts and Advent ‘Meditations’ (prayer, bible reading, songs). Fun stuff
We homeschool year round and take between 2 weeks and one month off in December. This year we’ll do a gingerbread unit study the week before Christmas and then take off the week of Christmas and the week after.
We’re planning to take off a week or two at Christmas time. Since this is our first year homeschooling, I think this will work for us this year. But, I am not sure we will do our calendar exactly the same way next year.