Question for those who follow a lighter schedule in elementary

[Melissa B]

At what age do you feel it is necessary to make academic work more of a priority?

Right now my children spend 3-5 hours each day outside. This is basically free time. We sometimes talk about the things that could be considered science-y at an elementary level and they sometimes read or write while outside. We go for a walk of about 45 minutes three or four times a week. But, mostly it is just free time spent together (4 children) playing.

My oldest is 10 and I am feeling drawn in two directions lately. Do I require her to stay in a bit more and get more school work done? Or do I continue to let her play outdoors with her siblings and just keep chugging along at whatever rate we happen to go?
At the beginning of the year we had planned on her doing 30 hours of school work a week (schooling six days.) Right now she is doing closer to 15. She is a devoted reader and spends another one or two hours each day reading.

We do keep up in math and language arts (and Latin to some degree.) Everything else is just touch and go. Some weeks we do it and many we do not.

So, when does academics really need to become more of a priority than outside time with the family? When does a study of history, science, geography, art, music, etc. need to begin in earnest before a college-bound child begins to "fall behind?"

[Sue G in PA]

Going off my previous post on being totally exhausted and History/Science not getting done...we're just doing the basics now, too (dd11, ds9, ds8), while ds6 is taking a "break", ds5 is doing a loose K schedule w/ MFW K and dd2 continues to rule the roost :) I'm trying to add to dd11's plate b/c I feel next year will be a HUGE shock for her as far as workload is concerned if she doesn't ease into in this year. I'm one to let the youngers free to explore, engage in creative play, arts/crafts (which my dd11 and ds8 are doing as we speak!), etc. For example, my ds9 when left to his own devices can create the neatest drawings and he just used his video camera to take a series of still shots of his Star Wars clay creation to make it look like it's moving! It's sooo COOL! Anyway, looking forward to more opinions!

[Laura Corin]

Until about age ten, Calvin was still done in about three hours each morning. We were a bit more structured than it sounds as if you are, but didn't spend more time. I'm adding an hour a year, rather than making a big change. The coming year, that hour will be more Chinese and more science. The following year I'll see what we need more of then.

Play is still a good use of time, so long as it's balanced with reading. I think adding in more formal time gradually is fine.

Laura

[Jill, OK]

In answer to your original question, 8 years old is sort of a benchmark of sorts, for me; formal grammar, Rod and Staff math, and beginning history at the 'beginning' all happen then, unless there's some sort of extenuating circumstance.

Another benchmark is 'middle school'. Beginning more structured writing, aiming for algebra, and finishing a comprehensive course in American History (before starting in Ancients again in high school; a more relaxed approach in the early years means we only go through the four year 'WTM Cycle' twice, instead of three times).

I'm a big believer in short lesson times, in elementary school, and believe it or not...I've extended it to middle school, now that I've had children reach that age, and succeed with 'school' being done (mostly) within four hours or so. I'm working out our schedule for the first year of high school, next year, and trying to keep it as close to that as I can, although outside classes are going to hamper that a bit.

A lot of what I want for them, they're doing in some other capacity besides 'sit down' school. That's one way to increase academic 'workload' without using a schedule and staying inside.

Thirty minutes or so of math has been more than enough, so far, and we're in algebra now, and doing fine.

Bits of writing, read, edited, and edited again (on a laptop), in seemingly ridiculously short periods of time has yielded decent writing skills, that will absolutely be something workable in high school.

I don't have a lot of time to do this justice right now (leaving the house shortly, and I feel like I'm hurrying through this), but I just wanted to throw in an opinion on the "Serious Learning Doesn't Have to Take All Day" side. I honestly believe that if you really, truly want your child to have a huge amount of free time, and yet want to make some serious mileage on what time you do spend on formal academics, you can achieve a balance. You just have to really want to, and you have to give it some thought.

I think that the attitude I picked up from reading Charlotte Mason's writings, early on, really helped us. ("I won't ask more than I think you can really handle right now, but I want you to give me a great effort for the (short) time that I do ask you to sit here and do this.") It's sort of given an economy, a seriousness, and a brevity to our academic days.

I honestly feel good about how my kids are doing, academically, and I feel good about how we're doing it. (There are times when I fret, just a little though, lol...my husband would say it's more than a 'little' I'll bet.)

If it's important to you to let your dd keep the majority of that free time, *and* add in some more serious academics, I think you can do it. It might take some creative scheduling, lol...but I honestly think it's a worthwhile pursuit. :)