I had originally planned to just unschool over the summer, but as we near the end of this academic year and I look at the strengths and weaknesses of my kids, I think maybe we should do some very light schooling over the summer. So here are my utterly random thoughts about this...
Elf:
Needs improvement in reading level and remembering math facts...
Idea for reading: Have him read aloud daily, starting with easier books (like level 2 and 3 Bob books), then work his way up to level 2 readers. Also work through Phonics Pathways. Supplement with Starfall.
Idea for math facts: Drill pages left from Saxon Math 2, flashcards.
Fairy:
Need to make sure she recognizes letters A-Z and numbers up to 20. She can verbally say all her letters and can verbally count to 30+, but falls a little short on recognizing the same things on paper.
Idea: Alphabet activities on Starfall. Counting activities from Learning Page.
Does this seem reasonable, or am I being a cruel mom taking their summer away?
I think it's totally reasonable. I know I said this before (recently!) but keeping skills up during the summer just make sense, particularly with young ones and those whose grasp on certain skills is a little tenuous. (I have one like that.) We don't do math and writing and such every day, but we do it some days. We continue on with our history reading but that is because we love it. We do a lot of reading in general anyway.
ReplyDeleteA good friend of mine once told me that she had clear memories of going back to school in September unable to write her name. She vowed she would not allow that to happen with her children.
Also, think of how much school time is taken up in September with review to get kids back on track.
OK, enough with the advice. You will figure out what's best to do.
I think that if you're not in public school then there's no reason to follow their schedule. Hence, year-round schooling for us. It does get much lighter in the summer just because we end up busier (how could we possibly be busier than we are right now???) or just plain end up out back in the sprinklers more, lol, but that's ok. We skip school for illness and field trips and for just plain having the blahs during the traditional year, so I don't worry about it either way. Working through the summer gives me the mental freedom to take things at our own pace all year long. I don't try to catch them up to "grade level" over the summer though. That's just not the way we do things and luckily we don't have anyone to report to. That's probably the main reason that I've avoided the charter schools. I don't ever want to feel like we should be anywhere other than where we are. Maybe closer to high school I'll worry about that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, long unfocused ramble to say go for it! Do what feels right because that is why you are homeschooling in the first place.