Homeschooling - Summer Edition
We got back from our vacation just as the NYC schools were letting out for the summer. Back during the school year I thought I would ignore the fact there there is such a thing as summer vacation and continue school as usual. But we got back and the sun started shining (finally!) and all sorts of free summer programs are popping up so I decided to change gears and actually let Rocketboy have a summer vacation.
Part of what led to the decision to have a vacation is that I have been floored by his reading. He recently hit a whole new level of understanding so now he's reading everything everywhere and is enthralled by this whole new decoded world. He won't go anywhere without a book. If that's not success, I don't know what is. He deserves a couple of months of vacation.
Don't get me wrong, we're still doing some schoolwork, but minor amounts compared to the rest of the school year. We spend at least an hour or two on concentrated reading every day. The way I see it, if I can get him to be fluent reader by the end of the summer, all the rest will begin to fall into place. We're covering all manner of subjects when we read and we're doing fun educational field trips at least once a week; the NY Hall of Science is his current favorite. I'm really easing off on the writing too. We don't write daily like we do during the school year, but as I see him grow confident understanding that he's unlocking a code, I get the feeling that he'll begin to want to write more and it won't be nearly as much of a struggle.
We are filling our days with lots of play, sports, and fun classes. He has a regular all day play date on Mondays where we explore a different playground in a different part of the city each week. He's got track & field, tennis, swimming and music classes. I try to get him good & tired each day. I'm definitely letting him watch more TV than usual, but heck, he's on vacation. At least I'm keeping it limited to PBS. No Power Rangers here, thank you very much.
And as for me, I'm spending my day shuffling him around and gestating. I get to enjoy the park, pleasure reading, and taking in the sun, while he solidifies friendships with the other kids. I suppose I need the time off too. We're coming into the home stretch with this new child and we have a whole lot to do to get ready. We're doing a bedroom shuffle and will have to get at least two rooms painted. We're going to undertake a major bookshelf/storage making project, and I ma hoping to eliminate a huge amount of stuff that we just don't need or want. It may be wasteful, but I have a feeling we'll be getting rid of a lot in the next two months. I'm fed up with the mismatched bedding. We have more toys than Rocketboy and his new sibling can possibly use, ever. After another growth spurt, 3/4 of the boy's clothes are unwearable. I have to become mercenary about what I want to keep of my clothes and shoes, and good lord we have more books than we can possible ever read and more that I know we will never want to re-read. It's time to eliminate in a big, comprehensive way. It's the only way we'll be able to squeeze another child into this house without bursting.
Part of what led to the decision to have a vacation is that I have been floored by his reading. He recently hit a whole new level of understanding so now he's reading everything everywhere and is enthralled by this whole new decoded world. He won't go anywhere without a book. If that's not success, I don't know what is. He deserves a couple of months of vacation.
Don't get me wrong, we're still doing some schoolwork, but minor amounts compared to the rest of the school year. We spend at least an hour or two on concentrated reading every day. The way I see it, if I can get him to be fluent reader by the end of the summer, all the rest will begin to fall into place. We're covering all manner of subjects when we read and we're doing fun educational field trips at least once a week; the NY Hall of Science is his current favorite. I'm really easing off on the writing too. We don't write daily like we do during the school year, but as I see him grow confident understanding that he's unlocking a code, I get the feeling that he'll begin to want to write more and it won't be nearly as much of a struggle.
We are filling our days with lots of play, sports, and fun classes. He has a regular all day play date on Mondays where we explore a different playground in a different part of the city each week. He's got track & field, tennis, swimming and music classes. I try to get him good & tired each day. I'm definitely letting him watch more TV than usual, but heck, he's on vacation. At least I'm keeping it limited to PBS. No Power Rangers here, thank you very much.
And as for me, I'm spending my day shuffling him around and gestating. I get to enjoy the park, pleasure reading, and taking in the sun, while he solidifies friendships with the other kids. I suppose I need the time off too. We're coming into the home stretch with this new child and we have a whole lot to do to get ready. We're doing a bedroom shuffle and will have to get at least two rooms painted. We're going to undertake a major bookshelf/storage making project, and I ma hoping to eliminate a huge amount of stuff that we just don't need or want. It may be wasteful, but I have a feeling we'll be getting rid of a lot in the next two months. I'm fed up with the mismatched bedding. We have more toys than Rocketboy and his new sibling can possibly use, ever. After another growth spurt, 3/4 of the boy's clothes are unwearable. I have to become mercenary about what I want to keep of my clothes and shoes, and good lord we have more books than we can possible ever read and more that I know we will never want to re-read. It's time to eliminate in a big, comprehensive way. It's the only way we'll be able to squeeze another child into this house without bursting.