Page a Day

Every summer it seems that math is the one skill that gets sucked into a void in my children's brains.  I've thought I'd schooling year round so often, just to avoid this from happening.  However, I love summer and often need the break myself.  I have other goals in the summer for myself and my children.

This summer, amidst play practice and the summer reading program at the library, and swimming, and free summer movies, I couldn't let math skills fall off again in my youngest.  She is right in the middle of learning multiplication and division.  I don't want that to fall away.  I don't want to spend the first several weeks in our school year reviewing. 

My compromise with Megan was she would do a page a day, at least four days a week, in her math book.  This way she would be reviewing various skills all summer.  It was that or we would school year round, with longer and more frequent breaks throughout the school year, but a short summer break.  That way the odds of her losing skills would drop. 

Math is the only skill that drastically drops.  We are a reading family, and our skills actually jump in the summer during free reading.  Megan skipped a year of phonics a couple years ago because her free reading had strengthened her skill level so drastically in three months.  

So far, even though it isn't her favorite. the page a day rule has been successful. She has weekends and Wednesdays math-free.  On Wednesdays we have the library program and the free summer movie.  It is a busy day.  

I haven't decided when to start school again, though I am considering beginning after the musical Megan is a part of in the beginning of August. Until that day, I anticipate being very busy with all the extras she takes part in.