Why School Year Around?

This is a question many homeschoolers ponder at some point in their journey. As a year-around schooler, I can tell you there are definite rewards to adopting this schedule! Thinking about ditching your county’s school schedule? Here’s some reasons why it’s a good idea.

First of all, schooling year around does not literally mean you school every single day all year. It simply means that your school year is in fact lasting all year. However, your break schedule (or off schedule) is entirely at your discretion.

For us, living in the topics, we schooled heavily through the crazy heat and then took time off when it was more temperate to enjoy the better weather while our public school counterparts were in a stuffy building all day long.

Using this method enabled us to spread out learning throughout the year, avoiding those intense pockets of overschedule and overlearning that come boiling together when sports, co-ops and academics collide! When we left the more hardcore academics for periods when co-op and sports weren’t so intense, it made for less stress and better learning for everyone!

Another obvious benefit is that time off can be taken for emergencies without as much stress over lost time. Since learning happens year around, picking back up after an emergency passes isn’t so life shattering. You’re able to deal with the emergency without the extra worry!

You can also pre-program times of rest or “Sabbath weeks”. These can be scheduled every 6-8 weeks making for pleasant respites in between busyness. These periods of rest help academically, mentally, and emotionally. This is also a great way to incorporate periods of travel into the schedule which can coincide with subjects being learned during formal learning. Not only is this a great way to expand learning, but, will build some fantastic lasting memories!

Schooling year around afforded us the freedom to be in total control of our schedule. Other perks were the ability to take Thanksgiving through Christmas off to enjoy the holiday thoroughly. Being able to go to public places such as museums and amusement parks and historical sites on off peak times thus avoiding crowds and being able to totally immerse ourselves in the experience. And of course, not fretting the times we had to take off due to emergencies or extended sicknesses.

If these bonuses are something you’d like to see in your homeschool life, I would suggest giving year around schooling a try!