When we first started homeschooling, I heard of people who “homeschool year-round”, and I
thought they were extremists. I felt sorry for their children who never got a break, who were
driven to educational rigors that no child should have to endure. I pigeonholed these parents as
being excessive and obsessive. And I was wrong on all accounts.
When we started homeschooling, we aimed for the traditional “3 months off” that I was used to,
having been raised in public schools. But what I realized, as our first “summer” went on, was that we were missing the opportunity to capture a lot of really great experiences as part of our required number of days to meet the homeschool requirements. I realized, finally, that “home education” did not need to look like the public schools that I was choosing to avoid by educating my child at home. I realized that we had freedom and flexibility to create our “school” as we wanted it to be, as it suited our family and our needs. I realized these “year-round homeschoolers” were onto something.
After 8 years of homeschooling my children, here is what we now do and why. It might not work
for you and your family, and that’s okay. Perhaps you can find some takeaways to incorporate
into your rhythms and routines. = )
Our homeschool calendar year runs from July 1 until we finish. Sometimes this is April,
sometimes May, sometimes June. We are really laid back about formal bookwork until after
Labor Day. Summer school days for us are all about adventures. Some things we have counted
and logged as “school” during the summer include:
~ gardening
~ walks on the beach and exploring tidepools
~ swimming
~ hikes with friends
~ summer camp
~ Vacation Bible School (VBS)
~ extracurricular events offered by local museums and organizations
~ state fairs
~ fishing
~ nature walks and nature journaling
~ bird watching
~ pickleball
~ playground days
~ waterfront concerts
~ field trips to places far away
~ mini golf
~ following the maps on my phone to help get us to far away destinations
~ artist’s receptions at the local art gallery
~ sleepovers with other homeschool friends
~ whatever personal interests they pursue in their spare time
~ arts and crafts
~ lemonade stands
~ budgeting their money at carnivals
~ playing pool and ping pong
~ story time
~ Bible study/church
~ trips to the library
~ snorkeling
~ bike rides
~ trips to antique stores
~ playing family games
~ local festivals
~ and so much more!
As you can see, there is plenty of learning happening all summer, without it even feeling like
school! I generally try to give us the month of June off from logging any sort of school days, no
matter how educational, just to give me a break from the record keeping and to add a more
relaxed feel to the days. We love that by the time public school starts we have already logged
20-30 days of school. This gives us so much more flexibility during the year, and the ability to
travel, take snow days, go sledding, have sick days, or just take days off when we feel like it (all
of which can be counted as school days if you look for the learning, by the way.)
We also tend to group 2-5 calendar days together to create one “school day” worth of logged
learning. Nothing in the law says that a school day must occur within a 24-hour period. As an
example, perhaps on Monday we attend a one-hour nature journaling workshop at the library,
and we check out a couple of books while we are there. On Tuesday, we go on a one-hour hike
with friends and have a picnic lunch that the kids helped pack. On Wednesday, we do a few
pages of math and snuggle up for extended story time. For elementary and middle school
students, we would group all those activities across 3 days into one “school day” for
recordkeeping. (For us, high school involves more rigorous studies and records.) Also, keep in
mind that public schools take field trips, and that trip may last all day and count towards their
required days, so you can do the same in your school. = )
In summary, schooling year-round does not have to mean that your kids are doing bookwork
every day. Rather than year-round school adding pressure, it can actually add joy and freedom
and take a lot of the stress off. Hoping this helps as you find your own path.
Be gentle with yourself,
Brandi Schunk
Homeschooling mama of 2 in Ellsworth, Maine