to not give my kids the summer 'off'

[Jockjockjock]

YABU - Cruel! Let them have 8 weeks off
YANBU - sensible, go for it

Kids been out of school since March, both primary age, and not back til Sept - if even then. Been doing home schooling routine, fairly easy going, but 9am start, lots of outdoor time in afternoons, and no screens allowed til after 5pm.

Summer hols are coming up so I was thinking of ignoring that fact and just carrying on, given how much school they've missed, and we aren't going anywhere.
IS that cruel??? to skip their summer break? We have a local caravan booked for 2 weeks so they'd have that time off.
Can't think what else they'd do all day otherwise, given the lack of holiday clubs, or mixing with friends that they would usually do in summer.

[Fatted]

My youngest has only just turned five. I hadn't even started school at his age. We will not be working through the summer.

[Jockjockjock]

@Fatted - mine are older YR 4 YR 5 so the school work does matter at this age, if they were in Infants still I wouldn't even be on here asking for opinions, they'd be off.

[feellikeanalien]

DD is in Y5 and has SN. Our home schooling has been somewhat sporadic. We're getting into a bit of a routine now and usually do one to two hours a day. We will carry on over the holidays but the way I see it she has already had early summer holidays and we will probably do other things like baking, nature type things.

Left to her own devices she would quite happily have hours of screen time so I would rather carry on with the school work. Obviously if we have nice weather then it will be flexible but we won't be abandoning school work completely. I

[vanillandhoney]

[quote myself2020]@vanillandhoney mine are nursery and year 2. Oldest will read, write, do mathsfactor and some workbook pages. youngest will do some online activities and counting plus colouring. and loads of play. but if i just let them without any structure all day and stuff to “get done” all day they get frustrated and fight. Its not much fun to be stuck in the house all day, much easier with a purpose and some structure[/quote]
I suppose I just don't think they need to be doing schoolwork in order to have structure to their day.

Children are experiencing a huge upheaval in their lives - I don't think making them do schoolwork during the holidays is really going to help them - they must feel lost and confused as it is, why take away their summer holidays on top of all this?

[AIMD]

I’d say it depends on what works for you and them and what work you do at home.

I’d think it was unreasonable If you were getting them to work 9-3 everyday doing work sheets. However if they are only doing a couple of hours, the activities are varied and interesting and the family/children thrive on routine then it’s not unreasonable at all.

[AIMD]

Sorry just read your further comments. I think if your ‘work’ includes going out and cooking and experiments that’s fine. So long as they have adequate rest mixed in too I don’t see the issue with continuing.

[myself2020]

@vanillandhoney their summer holidays have alreadt been taken away thanks to covid 19. i can’t change that. plus schoolwork isn’t a punishment! Reading a book and summarising the content can be fun. mathsfactor is fun. Seeing yourself getting better is rewarding.
I really dislike this view of school as some horrendous punishment that requires months off to be endured. a good school isn’t!

[equuscaballus]

I plan on doing about an hour a day over the holidays. I want to make sure mine goes into yr3 with as solid a foundation as I can help make.

We actually did very little during the full lockdown. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to cycle safely locally and we made full use of it.

To offset this I feel its only right to continue into the holidays to consolidate his learning.

[GetUpAgain]

OP your home schooling sounds idyllic and well balanced, it simply sounds like a lovely life where kids learn and have fun, why the feck would you not carry on like that over summer?!

My teens are shite at this home schooling thing, especially as I work full time, ffs enjoy this phase whilst you can!!!

[Jockjockjock]

@equus totally agree in the life skills
Stuff, we have confident road cyclists now, and they’ve learned to sea swim properly and surf

[vanillandhoney]

[quote myself2020]@vanillandhoney their summer holidays have alreadt been taken away thanks to covid 19. i can’t change that. plus schoolwork isn’t a punishment! Reading a book and summarising the content can be fun. mathsfactor is fun. Seeing yourself getting better is rewarding.
I really dislike this view of school as some horrendous punishment that requires months off to be endured. a good school isn’t![/quote]
In a traditional sense they might have been taken away, but childen having a break from schoolwork is only healthy imo, even if they don't spend their break in the usual way.

I don't think school is a punishment but I don't think young children shouldn't be doing schoolwork all year around. It's healthy for them to have a total break from it all - just like it's healthy for adults to take their annual leave and to have regular days off and breaks from work.

I enjoy my job and think it's fun - I still wouldn't want to do it during my annual leave.

[Sittingontheveranda]

I’m going to continue with schoolwork for half the summer hols and have the other half off. Mine have missed far too much schoolwork and one has had very little work sent from school. We have had very short schooldays - 2-3 hours max while at home. I would continue it for longer except we are going on hols so will have to stop it then. Hopefully will continue with reading everyday though. I am spending money i’d have spent on camps on online lessons where they can choose the topics which interest them most but will still be somewhat educational though not curriculum based.

[WeveGottaGetTherouxThis]

I definitely plan on getting my two (5 and 6) to do a bit of work each weekday during the holidays, as my eldest certainly needs some extra attention, so I’m doing it for her benefit, as I don’t want her to struggle when she returns to school in September. There will obviously be days where we’ll be out doing things, and that will be our priority.

The way I see it, we’d normally be having educational visits (to museums etc), but those visits will be few and far between this summer, so I’m happy to supplement it at home.

[WowOoo]

I’ve noticed when checking school work in the evening there are things I need to go over on my days off.
They’ll also be doing actual hard physical labour by helping me dig a pond and whatever else they can do. Practical stuff too like cooking, costing their choices.
There will be lots of discussions/arguments!!! One teen and younger lazy bones.
Reading too. One hates it at the moment but libraries still closed.

[Sittingontheveranda]

just like it's healthy for adults to take their annual leave and to have regular days off and breaks from work.

The children have weekends off and a couple of weeks break is enough esp as most only do a couple of hours curriculum work at home every day anyway.

[BoogleMcGroogle]

We won't be doing any formal learning during the holidays. Maybe some handwriting and touch typing practise, and a bit of times tables. They got a bit too keen on screens for a while, so that's now limited to a 30 minute TV programme before bed and a film/ gaming session at the weekend. They are much more settled now screens are very limited. They'll read loads ( long, complex novels for one, comics for the other), but that's not planned, they just like it. We plan to spend 2 weeks of the holidays in Norfolk and 2 in France, so I guess they'll practise some French. Other than that it'll be lots of walking, kayaking, board games, art and entertaining themselves while I work. I plan to listen to all the Harry Potter novels as we drive across France. Maybe that counts?

[Iminaglasscaseofemotion]

No, it's going to be hard enough for them when they go back, mine won't be doing structured work through the summer.

[AbsolutePleasure]

Carry on doing the stuff they enjoy. Don't push it if it becomes a point of conflict.

[WowOoo]

Our ‘geography’ trip to Portugal will not be happening either. Bugger. I hate camping.

[JaniceWebster]

You could also give them a summer "project" - something to build/experiment... anything (nature, sky, history, art, coding) and if needed write a diary about it around photos or drawing.

There are plenty of ways to keep with learning. I think the summer holidays are far too short in England, but I don't agree with doing absolutely nothing.

[Attictroll]

We will do some home schooling just to give structure to days and avoid too much screen time. We balance schooling and wfh and having tasks to occupy DC helps

[Abbazed]

Alright you're back at work. I've cancelled your bank hols & weekends. :) See how much you like it.

[Sittingontheveranda]

Abbazed Please show the posts where people have said they are doing schoolwork at weekends?

[girlicorne]

I wouldn’t do this but whatever works for you OP. Mine are 10 and 12 and have worked hard throughout, DD finishes next week and I have told DS we will too. We go for country walks and country parks, zoos, the beach and we love theme parks. I think at their age it’s all a learning experience. I am self employed and currently working from home, I work termtime only luckily, I wouldn’t normally finish until state schools do but for the next couple of weeks I ll do some work in the evenings then we can go out all day 😀 we don’t have lots of money either, but we have merlin and National trust membership so lots of free days out!

[midnightstar66]

God no. We've pretty much filled up our holidays with fun stuff and running out of time. Dc worked hard and it's been stressful. So glad to see the back of home schooling and now for some down time with puppy, ponies and camping