Do you make your dc "work" during the holidays?

[Sunhasgothishaton]

My eldest has a presentation to prepare for September, a maths workbook to complete, and a D&T project to complete.

My youngest has got to do 30 mins (2 instruments) music practice, 15 mins theory work and 15 mins general reading to do - 5 out of 7 days.

I appear to be the only one of my RL friends who's children do work during the holidays.

Please tell me that yours do too so that I can tell my kids they aren't the only ones in the world who have to work.

I agree, mothertheresa- apart from the maths book- that's work! As I said earlier, I do have a non reader, so I do insist on reading. But apart form that, we just do stuff. I would hate my children to look on going to a museum as "work".

Curlew- I'm with you... reading isn't work and there is a problem if DC's view enjoying a good book as something for school. Bedtime stories read by parents aren't work. Outings to museums aren't work either, or any other sort of day trip. All of the above are enriching but don't think they should be viewed as "work."
DS plays violin therefore practice will be encouraged but is this work or a hobby? They are going swimming on a one week course and doing football and tennis every week but these are also hobbies not "work."
So in short no "work" planned here just lots of fun Roll on summer hols!

I think the summer holiday is grim for kids who parents have no money to do nice stuff

I agree too. We can't really do much this holiday and I do feel The Guilt. As well as a lack of cash we also have my health to contend with - I am not able to go out and about much. Thankfully DH is only doing casual work and I work 3 short shifts a week, so we can basically manage without booking leave and still have some time all together. DH will do the stuff like park trips, walks in the woods etc that I am not up to.

I only have one 'day out' planned but thankfully despite being in central London it will be very cheap - following DD's artist topic this term we are going to swiftly tour the 4 main galleries (free!) to see her favourite paintings/sculptures, and the main costs will be the travelcard and the shuttle boat between the two Tates.

That said, DD doesn't seem to resent not going out to places all the time. Perhaps she is too young (6.1) to really know that lots of her friends are much wealthier and get to do more! It means on the odd occasion we do something, it is very memorable. But anyway, she is more than happy just milling at home and playing outside. We have new neighbours with similar age children so that's great too. And it's been an incredibly stressful school year (starting with DH having major surgery, and ending with a family funeral on the first day of the summer holidays) so a chance to relax is very welcome.

One thing we did last year was a 'science day' when my teen DSDs were staying, it was brilliant! I got loads of 'science experiments for kids' type books from the library in advance, and we did stuff like vinegar/bicarb volcano, mentos in diet coke, dying chrysanthemums with food colouring etc.

Will only 'make' them do Reading Challenge & practising times tables.
DD will probably want to go on Bug Club as she enjoys it, plus the usual holiday activities of spending money, internet research, spending more money...

I have DD4 (almost 12) doing chores while I am out working. In return I pay her a little every week. She empties the dishwasher, hoovers bathroom and kitchen and other common areas as required, cleans the bathroom sink, and tidies up the sitting room. She also spends about an hour doing maths on a maths site.

She is free to go to the pool or the library or watch tv every day and is also free to bake something if she wants (she loves baking) as long as she cleans up properly afterwards. She does a lot of reading. Next year she will be old enough to volunteer in the library doing activities with small children.

6 weeks? About 10 in Ireland, and in the US..

The older DCs have always had a summer maths packet to complete and a book to read and annotate. This will be DD4's fate soon.

Occasional times tables, occasional piano practice, and each has a personal 'own goal' - in dd1's case, learning to touch type from online program - with rewards

Reading is just something they do regardless.

The rest is just so as not to go backwards over the long holiday.

Just reading, but stealth work too. Every year we get together to organise a couple of weekly activities among friends, just so they don't "forget" to write etc. Last year we made junk models, did a treasure hunt, made a map of the town and did some orienteering in the park, and made a log book of the things we found on the beach. I also always make a scrapbook of things we've done with them, with photos and a bit of writing. This is lovely to look back on, they still get them out for bedtime stories and to think about the Summer come January.

This year, I am brassic, so we will be making a puppet theatre out of boxes, makng puppets out fo junk, and staging, according to the kids, "Spirited Away". They also want to make lemonade and sell it, and have a yard sale, plenty of scope for maths there. One weeks camping by the beach.

Stealth work. I don't want to work too much either. I love my break.

My DDs love to read so will be doing lots of that. DD1 will be writing a book based on a big idea (it's about a 12yo girl and her dragon). We will be taking them to zoos, museums and nature reserves.

We will not be doing any kind of formal learning set by the school, though. DD2's school set something formal last year - we did it the weekend before they went back, as we would have done with standard homework.

Children need a break, I never did any school work at all when I was a child and have turned out reasonably intelligent and employable.

God no. Apart from the 2 weeks family holiday, DH and I are at work so DC3 is at a holiday club and the older 2 were when they were his age. Holidays are for playing, going on trips, meeting up with friends and generally mucking about, not school related work at primary age.

DS1 has various assignments to do over the holidays for his Higher year, but he'll spend a lot of time doing nothing. Both he and DD have chores to do while we're at work (he's currently painting the garden fence, a massive job I've put off for a long time) to earn his walking trip to the West Highland Way in a couple of weeks.

we tend to do free outings so lots of going to the forest to see things, beach/cliff/rock pools (if I can find some), science experiments are fantastic. One of my girls wants to know how a robot works and how a lightbulb is lit so I think we might do a basic circuit. lots of hulahooping and games etc. Our flour mill trip is free which is why I like it. free, different but still educational.

Museums and days out are just so expensive it is scary.

I don't see these things we do as work but I do see many of them as educational. playing in the garden is just fun but planting seeds and watching them grow and understanding about it all is educational as well as fun. Reading is for fun but it is still 'work' in a way. I see these as things which will extend their education and hopefully inspire their interest. The fun my girls had watching the stag beetles we have had recently in the garden was amazing.

I ask them to tidy their bedrooms, put clothes away and dry dishes

they read anyway

they make things out of boxes

roll about on the floor together

watch too much TV, chortling away at Tom and Jerry together

they're doomed

No fixed time per day apart from 5x a week violin practise. If she wouldn't do this then there is no point in re-starting lessons in September.

She will do the reading challenge and she needs to work on her letter writing so she has she choice between a diary or a research project.

We have maths workbooks which we always carry around when we are somewhere like waiting in a restaurant or in a plane to cover the waiting time.

But DH and I work so DD will be in holiday camps 4 days a week, the rest should be relaxed as possible.

She is 6 and just finished Year 1

Answering a couple of questions asked:

1. The elder's is work set by the school
2. The younger is music set by the teachers and the school have given them a reading list to complete.

Reading is seen as a chore in this house unfortunately, despite me being a complete bookworm, my kids are dyslexic and struggle with the reading.

Music is a funny one in this house as term time practice is completed without a murmur of complaint and hours are put in each night, the minute the holidays start music becomes a battle.

All the other stuff that people mention, holidays, activities, museums, outings take place.

We are another lot with the pleasure of 9.5 weeks to fill!!!

ubik...are you in my house in the hols? Doomed too!

www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk/
this might interest some - you can find things near you

I would much prefer our holidays to be longer. I like the holidays even if the kids do drive me nuts. under 6 weeks isn't enough IMO

DS is just finishing reception and I'm not sure what homework will be set yet. We'll definitely do some reading for fun, and the summer reading challenge at the library. I might take a look at maths websites/games to keep his brain ticking over as he finds it fun. He loved the cbeebies website last year, but has grown out of that now.

We've got a few field trips planned, at his request, including plane spotting at the local airport and watching his parents giving blood.

surely it is tough though, teaching children in sept if they haven't picked up a pen or book for the whole summer holiday?

Reading a book, or using writing in your everyday life are not work. It's just life. I would be very surprised if any student had not read over the holidays.

Education is not always about 'book learning'. Kids learn about weights and measures by helping their parent bake a cake. They learn about tides by going to the beach. Children are constantly learning. It doesn't need to be sitting down at the table and doing worksheets (which have pretty much zero educational value anyway).

And no, I have no problems with students that have been required to do any sort of formal school work over the holidays when they return. They are generally quite eager to get back in the classroom, see their friends and start working again by then.

They both want to do the reading challenge (not really work) and 8yo DS needs to revise times tables (definitely work!). DD can start learning them at the same time.

Writing practice for DS who has huge problems with his writing and for him to have 5 weeks without doing any would impact badly on his y4. We will probably do the speed up! Programme with him. He could also do with learning to touch type because of the writing problems but that will probably have to wait until next summer.

Not including reading, they'll do about 30 mins a day except for the 2 weeks we're away in holiday. Hardly onerous (I am aware they would disagree with this!)

We went camping last weekend and left school early. I said to the teacher (who I love) 'I hope you don't mind?' and she said 'The more experiences the better! if they don't have experiences what are they going to write about?"

That's my attitude to play - the school holidays - life.

I ABSOLUTELY hate the way play and joy is being taken out of schools and I will resist for as long as possible it being taken out of our free time as well (no homework here).

I can't comment on any other school but my DD's school is definitely full of play and joy :) I just found out the year 2 topic for September "storms and shipwrecks" and DD is really excited. When they set topics, they give out sheets in advance for children and parents to write down any ideas for activities, related things they would like to learn about etc (from DD "how do thunder and lightning work?")

Mind you my best mate who is a reception teacher in another county has to set frequent homework, even for holidays, because the parents complained when the school didn't set any.

DD had none in yrR except reading, and in yr1 has only had one piece every fortnight (although in reality it was less often, not sure if that was intentional!) and that felt about right - DD really enjoyed it all and only 2 pieces throughout the whole year were worksheet type things.

DS1: catching up on the German & Latin vocabulary from the past year that he should have learned for his exams in June. Piano practice. Science revision for assessments in September.

DS2: nothing. Wants to start teaching himself the clarinet though.

DD & DS3: flute/drum practice, speed drills of their multiplication facts (at the request of their teacher, as this is starting to hold them back at school). Summer reading challenge (but they think of that as fun rather than work).

Reading books (she loves it), writing a vacation diary (assignment from school - once a week kind of thing), playing audio stories and music on the tablet, watch TV, and playing outdoors as much as we can. Travel. Get immersed in mother tongue (English is her first language of choice but we speak another language at home).

But mostly play, play, play and have fun :)

I guess that's a lot of 'work' for a 5-yr old who's just finished Reception.

Speaking as a parent of a Y9 (going into Y10) dd I would let them rest and recharge their batteries ... apart from reading, some music practise and a trip to a museum or two ... An hour a day seems excessive unless there is an area you are genuinely concerned about and they need to catch up. My daughter's school used to give out practise sheets (eg in maths) to a few kids who needed some extra practise ...

we are in Joburg and returning back to the UK probably for the start of the academic year in September 2014. DS1 will have to be sitting 8+ exams come Nov/Dec/Jan 2014 so he has a horrible timetable to get him up to UK speed (he is only half way through his first year of proper school here and just turned 7).

That said, we have a smaller holiday though August (4 weeks) and we are going to ILs in NZ for 2.5 weeks of that - we are putting together a project and daily journal to encourage his creative writing, and he will be having some brilliant experiences so hopefully this will help.