A Break!

We are taking a break from school.

No one is more surprised by this than I am, but my husband suggested it.  "Take a month off," he urged. "You need a break as much as anyone else."

I do? Right! I do!

Actually Finn may be the most surprised of all. "A break?" he asked incredulously, eyeing me as though I'd lost my mind.  Then a smile.  "Okay!" Then he ran off to do what he's been doing for three days, which is play with sister-create costumes for playmobil characters-draw-go to sculpting class-run around outside-work on building a trail at his little lake-etc.

I am going to see how the pace of this break goes, how I feel; I'm considering a full month off of anything formal, but still doing reading aloud and math games.  After a month, we may pick back up, or I may do a modified summer school.  I made a list on the dry erase board of what I think that would entail:

*Math via games and maybe Khan Academy
*no formal phonics, just reading aloud and working together through readers
*lots of literature reading aloud!

And, of course, art: a few weeks of sculpting followed by a few weeks of pen-and-ink.

We also plan to do library programs, possibly a program for Annie at the art museum, and some field trips.

I could see us doing this modified schedule through August, then settling into a more formal routine in the fall.

What do I do with a break?  I almost immediately decided not to tackle the many painting projects that need to be done here (baseboards, one room of trimwork, shutters, etc.) We're outsourcing that! So I think my primary goals will be to stain our new playground set, help my husband finish our master bathroom (it is currently ripped out), and do some purging and reorganizing in the schoolroom and in the children's rooms.  That seems like plenty!