Lori's thoughts

Do your kids get a break from school during the summer? I am curious, because I know some kids go to summer school, some are home schooled, some attend private school and some may even be on year round school.

My kids really do get a lot of free time during the summer. I think that sometimes it is almost too much time. I have to confess that I make my kids do school work over the summer. Before you call me an ogre, (which my children think I am), there are a lot of benefits I have seen over the years. This has helped them academically and it also keeps them disciplined to earn privileges. By no means has it ever been harmful to them.

I have them do a certain amount of work Monday through Thursday that takes a minimal amount of time out of their day. They get Friday through Sunday off, which I think is quite fair. They all play instruments, so they have to practice for 20 minutes each day during the week. They need to read at least one hour a day, which they can do in the evening before bed (since they stay up later). They need to read a chapter from the Bible too. They need to do some math tutorials on the computer, which is based on what level they will be entering in the fall. They also need to keep a journal by writing at least a page (in cursive writing) of what they did that day or create their own stories. I have them record everything they do and of course I have to check it.

Over the summer months I want my kids to learn the basics – reading, writing and arithmetic. Why the basics? Because I think that too much time is wasted during the school year and that the public schools have lowered their academic expectations since I went to school. As parents, we need to do whatever we can to build academic performance. This will only help our kids succeed in life.

I am impressed with those of you who are committed to home schooling your kids. I really do think they have the advantage. They can go at their own pace, pursue their interests and absorb a lot more experiences over the public school and in a lot less time! Do home schooled kids get the summer off? What do you do with your kids over summer break?

Oh – by the way – we take vacations so it’s not all work! We have FUN too!