Summer....it is time to take a break? or time to delve further?

Many of us who attended public school as children have fond memories of languishing summers free of teachers, schedules and homework.  Today my homeschooling family also has fond summer memories of bike riding, camping, fun at the beach and lazy rainy days spent reading books.

Does this mean that we don't continue our studies through the summer?  It does not.

For us, summer is a time when the rest of our obligations disappear.  No more trips to the violin teacher, no more swimming lessons, no more karate class, no more hustle and bustle.  Our days are our own to carve in whatever way we choose.

Because we love to learn and are creative people this means that we enjoy continuing to pursue learning through the summer.  And without the need to drop things and drive to "lessons" it means that we can truly take things at our own pace, reading for hours or getting really messy with some kind of science or kitchen project.

I also like the kids to get a daily dose of math and writing.   We do this in a relaxed manner and not every single day through the summer.  There are weeks that we do no structured curriculum studies at all because we've chosen to go on vacation or take a little break.  And there are weeks that we get so fired up about something new that we dedicate 30 hours that week to it. But to be honest, this is no different than the regular school year when we allow our life to be flexible -- and thank homeschooling for our ability to do so.

How do you spend your homeschooling summer?  Do you like to continue studies through the summer months?  Are you happy to take a few months off?  We'd love to hear your ideas and experiences.