Every year I talk to homeschool moms who are going to keep plugging along on school work with their children throughout the summer. If you are considering this, I want to encourage you to set an end date for this school year and take a break.

You need a break from school, and your children need a break from their formal lessons. You can have some math practice sheets and some pleasure reading for your children each day to keep their skills sharp. You don’t need to plan a full schedule.

If you are staring at books your children have not completed this year, skim over the topics. You can cover the topics quickly. You do not have to finish every textbook that you start. You can just end your school year. If you are less than halfway finished with a book, you can use it the next year. If you are more than halfway, then skim it with them.

In the summer, I have allowed more free play with a little math practice and reading, and I see growth in my children academically. Their brains don’t need constant input from workbooks and textbooks to learn. They learn quite well when given time to observe life around them and experience lots of different things.

The end date for my school year is May 31. We will take off the months of June and July. We will start back slowly in early August. This is my typical schedule, but it has been different in the years that I had babies in July and August.

Enjoy this time of unstructured learning with your children this summer! Set your end date now, so you have a concrete date in mind.

Your Zone Mission for today is to clean the Master Shower.

Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.

My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and veggies.

Have a great day!