I don't know what it is about having to set a mental date of when to actually start a new school year after a long break... My original plans were to take a break from the end of May (Kindergarten Graduation) until July 4th. Well, that date came and went and still no school. Somewhere along the way I got sidetracked with travelling, cleaning closets, picking blueberries and surfing the net.
So now it's the end of July and I'm planning on taking a weeklong trip to South Korea at the end of August. The kids are not going with me...just me, my mom and one of my sisters. We're visiting family that I haven't seen since I was 5 years old! Do I start school now or wait until I return from my trip?
I'm definitely open to comments on this one! Wish I could figure out how to do a poll on this... So would ya'll start school now knowing you'd be taking a weeklong break at the end of next month? Or would you wait until after the trip and start around September 1st (which is also when soccer and several other activities begin)? Oh and our main curriculum last year was Five in a Row (FIAR) and we are now switching to Sonlight...so it's a new system for me. We have no required number of days here in TX and plan to school year-round (minus the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's--just relaxed light school then).
The whole school supply sale always gets me motivated (previous day's post) and I've just been notified of the Scholastic Books Warehouse sale where everything's under $5! 
(there is the fine print of the infamous * of course!) Crayons, paper and books...what more do I need?! Okay, I digress...
8 comments:
That's a tough decision. We will have a wacky school schedule this year,all year. Maybe you could do a lot of reading this summer and start "school" in September. Just a thought.
If they are, there are TONS of learning opportunities in S. Korea. We were there for 20 months and even DH & I learned a lot. If they aren't coming with you, you could always study up before your trip and then share some of what you learned when you get back. ie. before check out books about the culture and after the trip compare what you saw to see if it match up and how different it was.
There's lots of stuff growing this time of year there and that's always a great lesson. I can't remember when the pepper picking season is, but it was always fun to watch them spreading out the peppers to dry. We once crossed over a bridge where some farmers had spread out rice to dry.
For us we don't do a start date or end date. I take advantage of learning opportunities all year long. We've been learning since DD was born.
All three prior responses were good and I agree. Maybe you could start kind of informally just to get their juices flowing and they could expound or work on some of that while you are away (draw pictures of what was covered, write a short story, etc.) but keep it informal so that you don't put undue pressure on yourself or them and you'll have a little piece of mind that you started. If you're starting to feel pressure before your trip then I would just wait till you return.
Thanks for commenting on my blog. Don't feel alone, I'm not sure what "trackback" is used for either! LOL If I find out I'll let you know!
God's Best 2 U and have a safe trip!
Cathy :o)
I like your idea of a more visual chart ... he's definitely a visual person and this would probably help. I'll give it a shot! I've thought of doing it before, but didn't follow through on it!
Kris
Thanks for the sweet message! Soooo very cool that you play the flute, too. What a beautiful instrument.I played in school. I have just recently started taking violin lessons with Gage. Whoa.... did we sound THAT bad when we first started the flute??? How did our parents live through it?Gage picks up things so fast... I trickle along. A humbling experience. Your family is precious, Marsha! God bless you , and take care!
Holli
I don't work well with a lot of interruptions, so I would start whenever you will have the best chance at uninterrupted work. You may have sports occurring at the same time as schooling, but would it be after school hours?
I have a friend who uses Sonlight. In May, she always purchases books for the next school year so her children can start reading them over the summer. Sonlight has quite a lot of reading. As one of the other comments suggested, read between now and your trip to Korea!
Have a wonderful trip to see your family!
Blessings,
Harriet, Homeschool Mother of Many
That's the best way to solve your scheduling problem ;) Just start when you feel like it, break when you need to. We generally don't start until some time in September as our 'new school year'. Mostly because I just can't seem to manage to get our new curriculum until then LOL But hey, it works. It all evens out. I have to school my kids year 'round or they will drive me absolutely insane! Kids need structure...my kids seem to thrive on it, lack of structure = chaos = momma's loss of sanity and patience We do have a lighter schedule in the summer. Especially this summer, with me being pregnant and sick. But I'm doing better now so they're finishing up some things we were behind on as well as just keeping their minds fresh with some math drill work. And reading...lots of reading! We still go to the library once a month and bring home a load of books to keep them busy.
In short...I say...no problem in starting your school year in September. Plan on schooling year 'round and it'll work out even better ;)
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