What It Is

Basically, instead of taking 2-3 months vacation in the summer, you take shorter vacations throughout the year. For example, you might decide to visit the grandparents for a week in February and take that time off from school.

Why it Works

While it might take some getting used to, the fact is that many students forget things over the summer. I also was recently talking with a homeschool family of 10 that uses this method and they informed me that two months with the kids on no routine was just too hectic and things worked better if they pretty much stuck to the schedule year round.

As a child, I had a learning disability that affected my memory in areas of patterns and pretty much anything mathematical. I would often forget what I`d learned in math over the course of a weekend, so after a couple of months, it was like starting from scratch again . . . a year round schedule would have worked far better for me.

An added bonus is that you can often complete more in the same amount of time. Most homeschool families find that they go through about a year and a half of school in one year, which means the children graduate early. This may or may not be your goal, but it does give them a head start.

Some Potential Issues

One of the advantages of having a summer vacation is that you and your kids get a break. It can be frustrating to be together all the time and school can become drudge work if you aren`t careful. Schooling year round would probably tend to cause burnout faster.

A possible solution for this issue is to make sure you DO take vacations, albeit smaller and shorter ones. Also, rather than do coursework on a daily basis, you might want to change things to include at least one “fun” school day each week where you get out of the house, go on a field trip, play games or something else that breaks the monotony of the school day.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried year round schooling? Does it sound like a good idea?

Now, I`ve seen a lot of families turn to homeschooling because they felt it was a good idea or their children had trouble with mainstream schooling and I`m curious . . . would these people teach their children at home if it were against the law? As law abiding citizens, at what point do we buck the system and go against it?

Personally, I would go against the law on this one. I`m not exactly pro-government in many situations at any rate and I wouldn`t allow the government to decide how I get to raise my children. Fortunately, that won`t be an issue here in Guatemala, but for some people living in other countries, it could be a consideration at some point in the future.  It`s a difficult issue since most of us try to raise our children to respect the laws of our country and how can you do that if you are going against them? This is an area that each family would have to decide for itself and I suspect there are many people who would choose to send their children back to school if push came to shove.

Would you continue to homeschool if it suddenly became illegal to do so? Which is more important, having control over your child`s education or obeying the law and setting a good example?

There are so many opportunities for family learning that I can`t possibly do them justice here. However, since spring has sprung, a good place to start might be your own backyard. Why not start a garden? It`s a great project that lets the entire family get involved and even if you`ve gardened for years, I guarantee you`ll learn new things by looking through your children`s eyes.

Taking up a new hobby like stargazing or geocaching as a family is a lot of fun, too. You can all learn as a group and your kids will be thrilled to teach you sometimes, too. There`s really nothing better for a child than to realize he knows something his parents don`t . . . it`s exhilarating!

There are many stories of people heading for greener homeschooling pastures. One family was warned by a social worker who delayed the paperwork required to take their child while the family fled to Central America. Another family moved to Austria, but they will never be able to return to Germany, since as soon as they step foot in the country, the government will put their child into protective custody.

Another German family has made the news because of their move to the United States, a move they made in order to maintain control over what their children are being taught. After a terrific stand off with the police that ended in their children being dragged to school, the Romeikes headed for the US and pleaded asylum. Their case was heard today in court and we should learn soon what the results are. You can read more on this story here.

For most North Americans, these stories are something of a horror show. But what we don`t recall is that only a few short decades ago, teaching your child at home was illegal in both Canada and the US. In fact, when I first started school at home, in first grade, my parents instructed us not to tell anyone that we were homeschooled, for fear of the law!

One of the best reasons, parent-wise, to school your children at home is the fact that you are going to be able to forge bonds that last a lifetime.

We are all too familiar with the concept of teens . . . angry, self-loathing adolescents who rebel in any way they can. We hear about their antics constantly from parents of teenagers, see it on television (if you watch it) and read about it in the news. Yet, many homeschooling families find that they traverse the waters of adolescence without all that extreme behavior. While it`s still completely normal to have some issues while your teen makes that transition from child to adult, the majority of homeschool families find that they are able to still maintain that bond with their teens, at least to some degree.

Why Homeschool Parent-Child Bonds Are Stronger

When you send your child off to school for 7-8 hours a day at a tender age, it`s not surprising that they find other people to confide in and learn from. Within a few short years, they are far more likely to turn to a teacher or, more frequently, a peer, for counsel and information rather than a parent. It`s very easy to lose touch with what your children are up to when they are attending school outside the home and you also run the risk of losing that special bond that parents and children have.

When you are with your children all day, you will find that they trust you more and are far more willing to talk to you about things they are facing in their life. It`s good for both you! After all, do you want your fifteen year old getting advice and tips from another fifteen year old? Wouldn`t it be better to be able to get that same advice from someone older who has already lived through it? It just makes sense, doesn`t it?

Being in contact with your children for the majority of the day can be a challenge. No one ever said homeschooling was easy! But the benefits are huge and being able to sit down and talk with your teen and have them open up to you is just one of the biggest ones.