HE during the summer

[Karlwho]

Hello everyone, after your opinions.
I have an on-going 'debate' with my husband over what the kiddos should do during summer. DH thinks the kids should AT LEAST do a bit of maths/English everyday. Nothing intense, but he believes they should keep 'something' going throughout the summer break.
I'm more in favour of letting the kids 'have summer off' and letting them do whatever they want.
We've kind of agreed on the kids doing a little bit of Khan academy at the weekends and leaving it at that. They love reading, and tend to study for fun anyway, so I'm a lot more relaxed about summer than DH.

What do you guys do?

I think it depends how old the kids are. If they are younger (up to 10) i would allow screen time but say that 10 minutes of it has to be educational (think the reading eggs app or Rock star maths on the computer). if they are older, I would do a little maths/english at the weekends, 20 minutes max, just to keep them ticking over. (the 10 minute maths test book is great, as is the 10 minute english paper book.)

I found that the thing that works best for us is quite a structured routine from late August to late April and then moving to a more autonomous style. The clock change has always had a big impact on my youngests sleep patterns (even now and he's a teen) and we all suffer badly with hayfever. This allows days out and enjoying park/beach before it gets busy. We do lots of hands on science and arty stuff, read aloud and watch documentaries. I don't worry about linking stuff to the course or project we are doing like I would other times, because we want to is good enough. Yes we do lots of screen time too.

I know it isn't for everyone but it really works for us. I don't find they forget stuff I find they need the break to digest and make sense of it. Plus to be honest I need a rest too. By end of summer we are all ready for routine again.

Even now we are into GCSE study will still take a proper summer break. I need the planning time for one thing :)

All that aside you need to be led by your kids. What do they want, what do you think they need; rest or routine.

Thanks for replying.
My kids are ve ry close in age; 8&7. They're not remotely interested in tablets! So using one, for them, isn't seen as a treat lol. I've just added those books to my amazon thing, @sleepismysuperpower1. Thanks for the recommendation.
My youngest enjoys doing things like Khan, or watching stuff like crash course on Youtube, so if she wants to continue doing that I don't have an issue with it. My eldest actually studies for fun but doesn't realise i t lol. Maybe if I keep their 'education' stuff to things like documentaries/internet based 'fun stuff' if/when they want to do it, rather than pens, paper, workbooks, it'll be more chilled for them, and it'll be a break from the regular routine.
@itsstillgood I feel I need a break too! DH is out of the house 12 hours a day, so I dont think he realises how much we do. When he comes home, the kids are off playing or at clubs so he's never seen a typical day. He also studies in his free time, so he thinks th at will be fun for the kids aswell

I think it's very much a case of what you regard as educational. There is a rather depressing attitude in this country that education is limited to what comes in the shape of a worksheet.

Reading a book because it's fun is educational.

Telling stories to a younger sibling is educational (basically creative writing).

Playing in the park is educational.

Making a cake or even preparing a meal is educational.

Building a den or sowing some seeds is educational.

We tend to do more formal sit down work book style schooling during official school holidays as all our normal groups close down and we have grown to dislike visiting places when they are full during holiday times.

You have to find what is right for you and your family

Thanks for answering. I agree corythatwas with what you said about worksheets. Dh and I both understand that everything the kids do is in someway educationa l, an d the examples that you gave are worth more than the rote learning done in a lot of schools. Dh just wants them to do a bit of 'traditional' maths frequently so it becomes almost a second language.
@Basecamp65 that's actually a really good idea. We always go to the park on Wednesday's, and with it being half term next week, my kids have flat out refused to go lol.