Whether you school year-round, take a break for the summer, or follow our hexamester schedule should your child be taking a break? A time when there are no academics or at least not formally? I am firmly in the camp that no matter what your break schedule is you should let it be just that...a break. You need it, your kids need it.
When I was in college attending the traditional fall and spring semester school year I lived for summer break and the hardest years were those that I had to take a summer class or two. My brain needed a break. My calendar needed the break. My pocketbook definitely needed the break! I think our kids are the same.
Does this mean that they can't learn in their break, no of course not, but no traditional or formal schooling? Take them to the library and let them read...whatever! Take them to landmarks, museums, and aquariums...or watch them virtually online. Expose them to new thoughts and ideas and let them have times of boredom.
Sometimes especially when we are first starting out as a homeschool parent we need permission. Permission to only school for an hour a day, permission to take a shopping trip in the middle of the school day, and permission to take a break. You aren't neglecting your child or their education and you just might be enhancing it.
At A-TeCampus we build our calendar with plenty of breaks and we celebrate with our students when its time. I just said yesterday to my writing class, "Whew, this is it, we are almost done!!"
