This is the quick notes in written form of our podcast on February Slumps! If you’d like to listen to the full talk, please find us in your podcast app!
There is SO much that we want to share with our children. How do we pick and choose what to teach them and when? Especially for those who go to Classical Conversations, it can be tough to figure out the supplemental “must dos” throughout the traditional school year.
We school 11 months out of the year. Meghan takes December off, I take July off. So with that kind of schedule, it lends itself to block scheduling. Here’s what we don’t do during the traditional school year (which means we do these things in the summer months).
- Not super heavy in Latin. Meghan will be using Sing Song Latin this summer Molly will be using Henle Prep Latin(https://www.henleprep.com/) with her 4th and 6th grader this summer.
- No real curriculum for 4 year olds or younger. But a great book to do some basic work is the Learning Bridge books from Costco that are usually for sale in the Spring and Summer months.
- Spelling/Penmanship I want the kids to focus on creative writing, proper MLA format, fact checking, and grammar. I push aside poor penmanship and spelling for the time being so we can focus on the things that a computer program can’t fix. Ha!
- In depth science projects. I keep those for the outdoor summer months when we can get a little messier or are able to study the earth and all the science that goes along with that! Science projects take a lot of time when done right. So we wait to allow for lots of time. Check out Homeschoolsciencetools.com for super cool kits to dissect!
- Organized Sports. We love sports and being active, but it’s so time-consuming! But the kids do 2-hour ice skating once a week and rock climb indoors. In the summer the kids run hard, of course.
- We don’t go crazy with cleaning or allowing huge messes when it’s avoidable. My kids reuse their plates and cups all day long. That’s right, the breakfast plate gets rinsed off and reused for lunch. Or I use a paper towel for a “plate”. Less mess=less time cleaning.
- The kids make their own meal to save mom time. Having the kids making their own meal allows me time to get school prepped for whatever subject is coming up next. It totally saves time! Meghan’s kids make breakfast. Molly’s kids make their own lunch.
- Do our own grocery shopping. Click List saves alllll the time in the world! And money too 🙂