Year Round Homeschooling: Am I Crazy?

Year Round Homeschooling: Am I Crazy? ~
Written by Jessica Waldock of The Waldock Way

Don’t worry, I’m not crazy! Homeschooling year round is actually our best kept secret to having a relaxing summer.

Year round homeschooling gives us the freedom to take breaks throughout the year and adopt a more laid back approach when we need it.

Summer definitely lends itself to relaxing, but it’s a great time for learning too. Our summer lessons are less structured and full of fun. In fact, we really like our summer routine and I’m not sure what we’d do without it.

So why do we homeschool all year long? Don’t we like taking time off?

Keep reading to get the scoop on why we love year round homeschooling and how we take time off throughout the year including the holidays.

Why We Do Year Round Homeschooling

We can do school whenever we want! Our homeschool doesn’t have to line up with the local public school calendar.

At first, it can be challenging to wrap your head around this idea, but it’s actually wonderful news. 

Once I embraced the idea of setting our own schedule, I realized that we can take breaks whenever we want. Homeschooling all year means I can take time off for birthdays, holidays, family vacations, whatever!

There’s a big benefit to taking time off throughout the year, not just during the summer season.

Homeschooling all year long helps us structure our day and keep a routine that works for everyone too. We really thrive on our routines and it wouldn’t make sense to just put them on hold during the summer months. I have a feeling that would just make everyone cranky.

We aspire to be lifelong learners, and it’s such a big part of who we are that we could never really take a break from learning.

Keeping our homeschool going all year round just makes sense when you’re learning everyday. Plus, it means we don’t have to pack everything into a certain time of the year.

What Year Round Homeschooling Is NOT

Year round homeschooling isn’t like doing traditional school all year round with no breaks – at some point that would be torture for all of us.

Instead, we adopt a much more relaxed approach during certain times of the year including the holidays and the summer months. Imagine if you could take a more relaxed approach to your homeschool lessons during the spring slump?

We’re all familiar with that point in the spring when suddenly everyone is ready for a break. The weather is perfect, schoolwork begins to feel monotonous, and we all really need a change. What if you could give your family that break you crave?

Year round homeschooling doesn’t mean we spend the entire year glued to the table doing worksheets and reading books. Instead, we have space to get outdoors and work on our 1,000 hours outside challenge in nature.

We can spend the month of January just reading books aloud and playing our favorite board games with my “a book and a game a day” challenge.

How We Change Up Our Learning in the Summer

Homeschooling all year doesn’t mean we don’t change it up in the summer. We like to relax and have fun during the summer months too.

We change up our learning in the summer months by getting outside to play in the pool or go for a nature walk first thing in the morning before it’s too hot to be out.

We also play waterproof card games in the pool and keep a nature journal. When we come inside, we watch fun documentaries and do hands-on activities. Plus, we spend a lot of time traveling during the summer months.

Summer is the perfect time for field trips to the beach, national parks, and local museums too. We take full advantage of our location here in Florida by exploring the parks and beaches in our state. This year, we’re using our summer months to explore my daughter’s passions by learning all about the ocean.

Our complete ocean unit study incorporates crafts, hands-on activities, science experiments, great books, fun games, and a whole lot of great information all about the ocean. We are taking it with us as we explore several of Florida’s national parks this summer.

Year round homeschooling gives us the freedom to teach on our schedule and the way that works best for our family. The summer months provide a plethora of opportunity for hands-on experiences and unique field trips.

I hope that you are able to find inspiration and encouragement this summer in your homeschool to be more laid back, have fun, and never stop learning!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!