I hate taking homeschool attendance, as required by Georgia Homeschooling Regulations. As far as I am concerned, since we HOME school, it is somewhat hard to not attend. Technically, if you wanted you could just check off every single day including holidays and weekends on the attendance sheet. However, it can be difficult to explain or justify homeschooling activities on Christmas day.
Here is a list of learning activities that you could record on Christmas Day:
1. Reading: Reading instructions, that is!
2. Order of Operations: If there is an item to be assembled, they will quickly learn the importance of order of operations if they jump ahead.
3. Etiquette: Learning to say thank you, even when you don’t like the present.
4. Writing: Require hand written thank you notes to be written to anyone who gives a gift. Have a stack of cards ready to be promptly filled out.
5. Math: Children compare their gifts to those of their siblings. If they notice an inequity in value or quantity, they will know.
6. Geography: If you travel for the holidays, you are effectively experiencing a geography lesson. Just get out a map and review. If someone travels to visit you, have him or her discuss his or her trip over dinner.
7. History: Once again, dinner conversation can include the “when I was your age, I used to walk a mile to school, up hill, in the snow, barefoot” stories. As long as that is the only fictional part, your child will absorb a bit of history.
8. Home Economics: Have you children help cook, or set the table and serve guests hors-devours. My kids have a dessert bake-off each year.
So you see, taking attendance to account for 180 days with 4 hours or more of learning time each day is pointless, as far as I am concerned. By taking advantage of teachable moments that happen spontaneously throughout the day, it is obvious that children are always in attendance when they homeschool.