Back in May, River put down her Calvin and Hobbes book and exclaimed that summer vacation was less than a month away. I laughed out loud before I could stop myself – summer vacation? What summer vacation?

Our whole school year has been “relaxed”. With a baby in the house, even our best laid lesson plans were often interrupted by nursing and changing and napping and teething and dimples that would distract even the most committed scholar. And besides that – I’m the first one to toss lesson plans out the window on a nice day, choosing adventure instead.

Given our leisurely pace of study, there was never any doubt in mind that we’d continue school right through the summer and catch up as much as we could before starting the next grade in the fall. But when I told River that there would be no summer vacation, the look on her face made me feel like a tyrant. Calvin and Hobbes had told her that summer time is the pinnacle of childhood and I was denying her that glorious gift of unfettered time.

I immediately caved a bit. “Well, we won’t do everything in the summer. ” I said. “Like, we can just play math games instead of doing math lessons.” I was relieved when she nodded enthusiastically – math games are fun for both of us.

“And we’ll do more hiking when we can.” I continued, “And maybe we’ll try and do more science experiments.”

“And can we keep reading our science books?” she asked.

“Of course. We’ll do our geography stories too.” I replied.

“And keep reading Airborn?” That’s our current family read aloud.

Right. So our summer school wouldn’t actually be that much different than the rest of the year, other than dropping ten minutes worth of spelling and copywork. River was satisfied and so was I.

But then summer came, bringing camping trips and Vacation Bible School and endless park dates with friends that are normally stuck in desks during the year. Without realizing it, five weeks slipped by without us picking up a single school book. Suddenly we found ourselves in the dead of summer and I had absolutely no motivation to start up lessons again.

Beyond September to June

The idea of learning through the summer might sound strange to non-homeschoolers, but year-round lessons are somewhat common in homeschooling circles. A curriculum is typically designed for 36 weeks, but there is no rule anywhere (not in Ontario, at least) that says you have to complete those 36 weeks from September to June. Some families choose to do six weeks on and two weeks off all year long. Some families choose to take June and December off instead of July and August. Some families start in January instead of September. You just pick the schedule that works best for your family.

It’s kind of fun to be in charge of your own school year. I think it would be great to take a whole month off in spring and another one off in fall – I love to be outside as much as I can during those seasons anyway. Cancelling classes for all of December sounds good too – life is already so busy then. When I think about it, though, I know that year-round schooling works best for our family. My kids thrive on predictable, structured days and they become unsettled when we deviate from the schedule for too long.

I’m constantly amazed at how much more peaceful our lives are when we do our lessons. On school days, River is more cheerful. She’s more helpful. She’s engaged in her readings and she’s far more interested in her school work than in pestering her sister. Harbour does better too. Without River picking on her, Harbour is free to play unhindered. She hasn’t done formal lessons yet – she comes and goes as she pleases, joining in our lessons when they interest her. At four, I don’t expect much more than that.

On school days, I’m also a better mother. I have more energy because I’m not wasting my time dealing with 487 fights before lunch time. I’ve got a plan for the day – things to do. A purpose. I notice that I yell less and I smile more. On school days, I’m far more likely to pull out the paints or bake bread. I’m more the kind of mom that I want to be. I earn my mom apron.

But somehow I forgot all that this summer.

Then one evening I was telling my husband about a particularly horrific day and I remembered. I remembered that every time we move away from our structure for more than a few days at a time, my kids start to act out. I remembered that my kids need rhythm and routine. Honestly, I need this maxim embroidered on some canvas and hung above my bedroom mirror.

That night, my husband and I decided that school lessons needed to start up again right away. I began reading through lesson plans and making lists of supplies and books. As I worked, my motivation slowly returned. When I had a good grasp of the lesson plan, I turned my attention to the house and gave it a good clean. Next, I examined our schedule and decided that I need to take control of my mornings by getting up earlier. The summer sluggishness has melted away and I’m raring to go.

When Your Kids Need Structure

Have your kids been fighting non-stop? Maybe they would benefit from a simple summer rhythm. It doesn’t have to be school-based, like ours is – you certainly don’t need to start each day with math drills in order to bring peace to your home.

Instead, think of some fun activities or themes that you could incorporate into the days until school starts. Mondays could be joke day, as an example. Maybe Thursdays could be board game day where you play Snakes and Ladders or Wildcraft or Monopoly after lunch. Pick a day each week to have a picnic at the park, or do a puzzle, or go for a bike ride after dinner. It doesn’t matter what the activity it – the point is that it happens consistently on the same day each week. This gives your child a bit of structure on those long, limitless summer days.

Every book I’ve read suggests that having absolutely no boundaries isn’t freeing for kids – not the way it seems to us as adults. It can actually be stressful for them. I can only imagine how two months of total freedom could actually be overwhelming to a child – that’s a lot of time to fill.

Summer Camps and the Sensitive Child

There’s another part of summer that interferes with a regular rhythm. I’ve noticed with my own children – River in particular – that week-long summer camps create an emotional roller coaster. Think about it: you have a quiet week at home where you’re relishing slow mornings and lazy afternoons, then the next week you have camp and it’s suddenly GAMES! NOISE!! FUN!!! It’s a sensory-overload for a full week. When River participates in summer camps, she consistently has meltdowns after the second day and isn’t sleeping well by the fourth day. The fifth day is exhausting because she’s devastated that she’s losing her teachers and new playmates. The next week is spent in recovery mode as life is quiet and boring again. But everything is done in week-long stints – it’s rare to find programs that run all summer long and allow for any form of weekly rhythm.

If you have sensitive, introverted children, you might have noticed “summer camp syndrome” too. Sure, some kids seem to thrive on new adventures every day – but there are plenty of children that don’t. It’s up to us as parents to determine if our kids can handle the “fun”.

I’m thankful that I remembered the emotional overload from last year and turned down all the camp programs except for one week of VBS. We even found a place that does swimming lessons weekly instead of every day for two weeks straight like most local places – and the lessons will continue on for the rest of the year. Once we start our homeschooling lessons next Monday, our weekly schedule will be almost the same as it is in the fall. And honestly, I can’t wait. My kids are desperate for a little less free time.