The end of the traditional school year lends many homeschoolers with questions of continuing through the summer or taking a break. The flexibility of homeschooling allows us to decide if we want to teach all year round, take vacation, or do a combination. I have known some parents to take mini-vacations during the school year and use them as learning experiences, others have taught all year through with shorter days during the warmer months, as a way to complete more grade levels. I also have heard of some parents who have skipped the traditional vacations to finish early and have more time to enjoy at the end of the school year. The flexibility allows a parent to create a schedule that works for them and their students.
We have always gone with the traditional school year schedule, sometimes adding workbooks during the summer to keep them up to where they should be. We have wanted to explore other ways to continue their learning and make it fun, unsuccessfully. We will expand our learning through more experiences this summer and see how that works. The children have joined a summer reading challenge through our local library. I am also planning a few "Fun in the Sun" days for the last days of school to ease into the summer.