Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: start date

This topic has 11 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 8 months ago by Cindie2dds.

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

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September 22, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Cindie2dds
Member
When do you all start your school year? Does anyone start in the winter? I was thinking about starting in January since I’m still planning and that’s when we will finish up things we already were using before we found this wonderful place. Does anyone else start at an odd time of the year?
~Cindie
September 22, 2009 at 10:49 pm
crazy4boys
Participant
I “start” whenever I feel like it. We usually don’t really “stop” though, just take a week or so, or a month if needed. Just add stuff in or change it or start it whenever you want. It’s homeschooling – that’s what we do!!!!
September 22, 2009 at 11:13 pm
lsacher
Participant
We go year round (which is hard when everyone else is on their summer break and the doorbell rings all day) but take weeks and months off all the time. Since we are CMers with unschooly tendancies, this works well for us. We usually take 1/2 of August, 1/2 of september, 1/2 of december and the beginning of january, a week or two in march, and lots of weeks here and there in the summer. Our on weeks are lessons 3 mornings a week – the other days and afternoons are filled with activities, trips, and playdates with our homeschooling group. I love the flexibility. don’t think for a second there is anything wrong with “starting” whenever works for you. We just move on to the next level, book, or whatever, when we are done with something.
September 22, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Misty
Participant
Our offical school starts in August and runs till end of April/May. But we also school year round. We do more fun things I find and want to try out. We continue math and reading ALWAYS. We feel that it’s important to keep the brains working.
Start whenever you feel it’s best, don’t worry about it as long as you are doing what you want to get done! Misty
September 22, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Cindie2dds
Member
The reason I am asking is because I’m stuck on this “age thing.” My dd will be 6 in January, but she’s already narrating on her own (I’m not backdooring, Sonya, I promise ) and loving picture study, etc. I thought I could just start after her 6th birthday instead of waiting until the fall. Some kids go to first grade right after their 6th birthday, if they have a summer birthday. I’m going to take it slow and see how she does, maybe even take a year and a half to get done. She’s asking all sorts of questions and really enjoys school, especially after we switched to a CM approach.
Any opinions?
FYI: We will school year round, 3 weeks on 1 week off.
September 23, 2009 at 12:32 am
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
Do you have any local legal requirements that might be involved in the decision?
September 23, 2009 at 12:39 am
Cindie2dds
Member
Well, great question. It’s not crystal clear. I live in Texas and HSLDA says:
Compulsory age: “a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six
years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who
has not yet reached the child’s 18th birthday shall attend school”
This is the rest:
Required Days of Instruction: 180 days. Only required for public schools. § 25.081.
Required Subjects: Good citizenship, math, reading, spelling and grammar.

Home School Statute: None.

That’s all it says about Texas. There’s no reporting, no notification, nothing. Also, no History, Literature or Science at all! The way I read it is during the school years the above subjects are required to be covered. I’m not sure what the “at least 6” means.
Any thoughts?
September 23, 2009 at 11:55 am
nerakr
Participant
I was going to wait and follow the ps calendar, but dh said, “Go ahead and start already,” so we started the first Monday of July. We had some unexpected (and expected) dr’s appts and other things come up, so we finished 45 days last Thursday. If we don’t take off more than two days, our next 45-day term would end the day before Thanksgiving. But we may be spending the day at Grandma’s since our water’s running slow today. We’ll still finish before Christmas. Whenever we finish this term, I plan to stop until after the new year. We’ll still read. He’ll still count his cars and play math and language games on the computer, so it won’t be like he’s not learning anything.
Karen
September 24, 2009 at 12:31 am
Cindie2dds
Member
What do you think, Sonya?
September 24, 2009 at 1:47 am
RobynN
Member
I also live in Texas and I worked with my 6yr old very slowly. She is a little immature for her age so I go at her pace. She will be 7 in a couple of weeks and we will be speeding up the pace since she is ready for harder work. I would wait if that’s what you want to do. We are not starting school until October.
No where in the Texas law (that I’m aware of) does it say when you have to start school or what times during the year you must do school. 🙂
September 24, 2009 at 2:30 am
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
Sounds like Texas law won’t be a factor, so I agree with Karen and RobynN. Go ahead and start giving her a little more if she wants it. You’ve already been educating her all along, so just keep going as she’s ready and don’t worry about what the calendar says.
September 24, 2009 at 3:07 am
Cindie2dds
Member
Thank you. You are truly a blessing. I hope I can come to a seminar in person to give you a hug!