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Do homeschoolers take summer vacation?
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Ah, summer vacation! Those words alone evoke memories of sleeping late, hanging out with friends, and having no homework. As the weather gets warmer here in DC, kids are anxiously awaiting the moment when they can yell "Last Day of School!" Whether or not you have kids in school, you will no doubt hear this kind of excitement as May leads into June, and schools shut their doors for summer vacation.
Which brings me to the question: do homeschoolers take a summer vacation from school? Or perhaps even, should they take a summer vacation from their regular studies or program? Actually, it is question I hear from many people. They want to know if my daughter is excited about summer vacation. They wonder if we have to keep teaching through the summer, so she won't "fall behind." They ask how we know when to start our summer vacation. My personal favorite, they want to know if it is "OK" for homeschoolers to have a summer vacation, since homeschool kids aren't really "in school" the rest of the year.
Truthfully, I never seem to have a good answer for these questions, largely because I have never understood how you could stop kids from learning. And isn't that the whole reason for school/education, so kids can learn? Even if I wanted to, could I keep my daughter stop learning during the summer? If we go to the beach and see dolphins in the ocean, then she does some research about dolphins, reads some books about dolphins, and we go to see the dolphin show at the Baltimore Aquarium (which is awesome!), does that count as learning? Or is it not learning, because it didn't take place during the school year, behind a desk?
It is true that some things are different during the summer. For one thing, our co-op will not have its weekly meetings/events. For another, our Mad Science program will be over, and our book club will take a hiatus (because so many families will be taking a trip.) Her ballet school does not have regular classes in the summer, although workshops are offered throughout the summer, for those who are interested. However, my daughter does attend a fabulous three-week theater camp in the summer, and this year she'll be performing in "Grease." For her, summer vacation means going to theater camp!
For our family, learning is an on-going process, and it cannot be boxed up into a certain part of the year. We may take a more relaxed approach to some things in the summer, but that is due, in large part, to the nasty humidity that infiltrates the DC area. The influx of tourists is another reason; many of the wonderful attractions in our area (museums, zoo, aquarium, etc) will be very crowded in the summer, so we'll hold off on those trips until the humidity and the crowds have lessened considerably. But summer is a great time to explore learning in a different way. For example, our co-op is going to sponsor a reading/book club. One mom has volunteered to keep track of how many books each child reads (and it will be on the honor system). Our goal is for the entire co-op to read at least 100 books over the summer; an ice cream party is planned as a celebration when we reach the goal. Plus, we'll probably have game/movie nights each month, giving the kids a chance to hang out and talk about the books they have read. All of the local library systems will be sponsoring a Summer Reading Program, and these are usually lots of fun. The kids track what they read (last year this could be done on-line), and as they reach certain levels, they will earn little prizes. But some of the prizes are really nice, like coupons for local restaurants or tickets for a minor league baseball game! The program keeps kids going back to the library, which may spark an interest in any number of new topics.
So, what about your family? Do you take a break from homeschooling in the summer, or is it just another ebb and flow to your homeschool year? Please share your thoughts, experiences, ideas, and suggestions. I'd love to hear from you!
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