During the school year we have only our youngest granddaughter, who turned 3 yesterday, with us during the day Mon-Fri. In the summer we have the oldest, who will be 11 in Sept, with us also. Those pre-teen years are a challenge. I am not sure if it is only this particular child, or if all children this age can't entertain themselves without benefit of electronics.
In any case, we end up trying our best to keep her busy without spending a fortune.
I cannot feel I am doing right by her to let her spend all summer in the house watching Youtube and TV.
We have been to the beach twice this week, and yesterday we went to the park. We also picked up our middle granddaughter, who is 6. Her Daddy was trying to build a new deck and didn't really need her help. It was good for her to be with us. They had to put down one of their cats 2 days before and she was still trying to process that. The girls played on the playground for awhile and we packed a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It is rare to see just blue, blue sky like that. I didn't take a single picture either.
Here is a picture from the beach this week. (Because it seems like a blog needs at least 1 picture).
We are counting the days until school starts and we can get back to our routine.
I am in favor of year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year. I think our kids in the USA are lagging behind other countries in academics. It is also no longer the norm for families to have Mom stay at home. Childcare is an issue for families during the summer. I know of some kids who are old enough to be left home alone but must stay in the house while parents work. I don't see how that is better for them than being in school.
There is talk about year-round school in Michigan, and a few schools are doing it. I'm not sure what other states do, but in Michigan school usually ends by the 2nd week of June and starts after Labor Day. I think year-round will become the norm eventually, but not without a struggle. Many are very opposed to it.
How do you feel about it? What does your school system do?
Have a great weekend!
Til next time,
Peace
We do traditional school calendars here. I am so INTO summer that even though no one goes to classes here anymore, I get sick when I see BACK TO SCHOOL ads!!!
ReplyDeleteI teach 2nd grade in Kentucky. We go back to school this Wednesday! We only have maybe 6 weeks off during the summer. We do have a fall break, along with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring breaks. Having school for a bit and then a break seems to work out for us.
ReplyDeleteI like year round school IF we extend the number of school days. Without the extension, parents are scrambling even more!
ReplyDeleteMy grandson is homeschooled. Now, there is a new and growing field- non religious reason homeschooling! Last year there were more kids homeschooled then in private schools!
Schools here (Vermont) start in late August. Seems as though some states start even earlier. I would just hope decisions like this would be made on what is best for optimal learning for kids rather than what is convenient for adults and "that is the way it is always done."
ReplyDeleteI would love year round school with a shorter break in the summer, I think the kids would retain so much more.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
This is an interesting question! I have always like the summer breaks but I also see the kids forgetting things over the summer and then playing catch up. Our children went to school on the traditional calendar but then did workbooks at home during the summer. Would you believe it was their choice, not ours! They were all into learning all of the time which has helped them immensely in their careers. I would not want to be trying to entertain kids in these days of electronic entertainment either.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
I think year round school would be nice with Spring, summer, fall and winter breaks!
ReplyDeleteIf year-round school ever comes to France, I hope it will be after I retire ! We have 2 months in the summer, 2 weeks in the fall, 2 weeks at Xmas, 2 more in the Spring and 2 for Easter. That's a lot of holidays ! Our school system used to be excellent but our kids don't do very well nowadays when compared to the rest of the world, but many reasons for that have got to be taken into account. I don't think I'll ever look after my grandchildren. My daughter is 32 and unmarried. By the time she has kids, if ever, I'll be too old to cope ! xxx
ReplyDeletewe have both systems here in Canada. I admire you doing the babysitting for your grand children.
ReplyDelete