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3 Week on, 1 Week off
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Just wondering how many of you do the 3 weeks on, 1 week off (I assume year round).
Sonya, I know you mentioned it….
I’m just wondering if you find that kids get out of the routine you get going for school with that type of schedule, and if you get the type of break you need doing it that way…
Just considering alternatives to our current schedule….
Thanks!
I guess add the question if the kids have problems in the summer when other kids are off and they are doing their school….
We’ve always schooled our children year round for the flexibility it affords us to travel and take breaks as needed. In the past, I scheduled six weeks on followed by two weeks off year round. In reality, we would take off a day here and a day there and most of those off days were full of educational opportunities, too. While this approach has worked well for five years, it’s time to shake things up. The idea came to me when our weekly co-op chose to move to a three weeks on, one week off approach for the 2011 – 2012 year. EUREKA, what a great idea for our family’s homeschool! This schedule will allow for one week off every month of the year and two weeks off in December and March and August gets three weeks off to plan for the following year. This should really make planning for travel, dentist appointments and shoe shopping for four kids all the easier and bigger projects around the house, too, IMO. My kids are used to summer schooling, but it is so hot that we’re inside anyway. I’m really looking forward to it and plan to stick to it as much as possible.
We will be trying a schedule similar to this, this year. I haven’t decided if we’re going 3 on and 1 off or 6 on and 1 off. We’ve always tried to do a year round schedule because the summers here are so hot that we’re inside anyway and i’d rather do something productive with all that time, my kids love getting their birthdays off. This year I plan to take our breaks when they are scheduled instead of pushing on through and then burning out in Feb. or Mar.
We’ve always schooled year round since we started; and usually begin our new year in June or July. We are using a 3/1 rotation this year and just finished up our first cycle. So far, so good! But we have also been ones to take breaks when needed in the past so that may help with breaking often in a predetermined/set way (as far as the first week back on after a week off).
I have it mapped out to take off almost all of December (will likely continue math, but not all studies—we do seasonal/advent things then) and have about 3 weeks off at the end of the “year”.
-Kim
I was thinking it would be nice to do 5 months on 1 off with a 1 week break midway those 5 months. So December and June off? Hmmmm…
I couldn’t ever manage 5 solid months on. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems an eternity! Also, I need a set time to deal with larger projects like reorganizing closets and such. I also don’t like entire months off, we get out of routine and it’s just not as pleasant at home then.
However, that’s what I love about homeschooling, we all get to choose what works best for our families!
We’ve been following the 3 on/1 off schedule for a couple of years. Originally we did 9 weeks of school with 4 weeks off but we found the 4 weeks was too long. We start our school year in July and we have 3 weeks off at Christmas and 3 weeks off in June (for me to plan for new year). We thought of doing 6 weeks on/2 weeks off but my kids wanted to go with the 3 on/1 off schedule. We are a little more flexible in the summer. We still do full school but I might let them play in the morning when it’s not so hot and we do school in the afternoon. But most times they want to get school finished first and then play. It’s really hot & humid in the summer where we live so they are inside most of the time anyway. Every family is different but this schedule really works for us.
Blessings,
Susan
I used to school year round when I was going to Weekend College. We had all the Fridays off. I can’t remember now how many other weeks we had off. I loved it but my kids wanted their summer vacation like the neighbor kids. So after a couple of years we went back to traditional follow the public school calendar. This fall I am returning to Weekend College but Christy is a junior and takes some classes at the public school so we wil still follow the PS. But even so she continues to read on the weekends and in the summer.
We do a variation. Ususlaly 6 weeks on to 1 week off. It depends on the study we are doing. Say it’s an 8 week study, we see it through before breaking. 🙂 We also do more then 36 weeks of school in a year too.
This is interesting to me as I need to find a new schedule for this coming school year. Hmmmmm….lots to consider.
Ok, pending approval from the principal (aka dh)… I think I have our general plan for the year (as in what are school days and what aren’t…)
I think we will do 3 main terms and a summer term, with 10 weeks of instruction per term (and 3 weeks off)
Term 1 is Sept to Nov
Term 2 is Dec to Feb
Term 3 is Mar to May
Summer term is June to August. (here ps has July and August only off…)
Generally the term will go 4 weeks on, 1 off, 3 on, 1 off, 3 on, 1 off – and then you are at the next term. Term 2 is slightly different with 3 on, 1 off, 4 on, 1 off, 3 on, 1 off – that is to align one of the off weeks with a Christmas Break.
A few (Canadian) holidays lign up nicely with that pattern, a few don’t… but I think it’ll work out good. The summer term will be more flexible… we will take some time off when my dh takes his vacation, probably in June (nice weather, but no crowds as everyone is in “school”!), and they will probably go to a summer camp. We will pick something “different” to do during that time too – maybe a good science course like Botany that would be hard to do during the year here….
Great question. I’ve been wondering this same thing myself. Enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. Now I just need to sit down and block out our year….soon =)
I like the idea of 3 weeks on 1 week off. Although I think the 4th week here would still be a school week, but more of a relaxed week. So projects/fun stuff, no bookwork. We are planning on starting our school year in July, which will be a first for us. Usually we start in Sept. We have to get in 175 days of school per year. I have always counted those days between Sept-June. While we have still schooled through the summer, it has been light and not counted. Then after speaking with friends I thought… why don’t I start our school year earlier and count the days? So we are this year. Our school year will go from July-June. Which will allow for more freedom in the winter (around the holidays) to take time off. Also when my mother in law comes to stay twice a year we can freely take time from schooling without feeling guilty. She comes in Sept and May.
So today my goal is to print out that school year calendar and block out our schedule! Then work on planning the year. It will be a good day for it, as we will have a drizzly raining day.
Blessings,
Carrie
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