School over the summer?

We homeschool year round but I consider summer our catching up time when the kids can finish things they might not have finished during the rest of the year. I also use it to think about what we want to do for the coming year.

We'll be schooling over the summer as well - not much of a set plan, just will be studying things that interest the kids. Dinosaurs, stars/planets, things like that. We'll also be doing light math and reading and language arts. Might not be 7 days a week, but we'll work when and for as long as the kids want.

Most homeschoolers I know do a lighter version during the summer months and let their kids have more time to play then usual. Or they change their schedule to allow their kids more freedom with the other kids that are out and about. I wrote a blog post about it a couple days ago. http://www.momisteaching.com/what-do-you-do-during-the-summer/

Our approach to homeschooling is similar to un-schooling, but with some guidance, suggestions & goal-setting. We take many field trips & go on many "adventures" so for us, summer is usually busier than the winter months. Also I am expecting in October,I know I'll be keeping an easier pace for a few weeks/months then, and I'm trying to feel like we're ahead before then :)

We don't change our routine at all. We do year-round school. Math, reading, science, social studies, sign language. We continue to do everything as we do between August and May. That's probably why my 7 year old is working on 3rd grade math and my 5 year old is in the 2nd grade reader. We do our schoolwork from 10am until about 1pm from Monday through Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are reserved for trips, outdoor studies, camping, hiking trips, field trips, etc. My children have never known any different. Now we do take a 2 week break around Christmas time, a 2 week break around Easter, and 2 weeks in the summer for a long vacation but other than that, 4 days a week we do schoolwork.

Yes we are unfortunately :) This is our first year homeschooling and started in January of this year. Its been an adventure getting a schedule worked out, etc and so we will be working through the summer this year to be able to be caught up at the end of the year!

We're still trying to get a schedule in line, but I think we'll take about 3 weeks off each June, maybe do the same around Christmas, and then whenever we schedule our vacations. Otherwise, will do school year round and not go lighter during the summer. I remember how much I lost as a child each summer and how the first month of school each fall was basically to get us back where we left off in May. Seems like a waste to me.

We are not quite unschoolers, but very relaxed homeschoolers. That said, we do keep the same schedule all year. 5 weeks on, 1 week off; we take an additional week for Christmas, Easter, and the first week of summer.