Why is winter vacation a full week?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Jan 04 2025, 7:48 pm

amother Mintcream wrote:

OP I totally agree with you.
My girls had off Chanukah Thursday through Tuesday, then a month later Thursday through Tuesday for midwinter, then 2 weeks later for Presidents’ Day, and then we’re getting close to Purim and pesach.

When do they want parents to work to pay the tuition bills??

I am trying to understand who makes the decision for the schools and why they think it’s a good idea- what is actually driving their decisions- is it the parents with money that have the means to travel ? Their idea that a long vacation is healthy for kids or teachers? Something else?

amother

Tuberose ↓

Sat, Jan 04 2025, 8:01 pm

amother OP wrote:

I can tell you at my school every decision is made taking the out-of-town shlichus families into account. If it's not that snowy in our town but it is in other areas they will cancel or late start to accommodate them. It's such a slap in the face to those of us who live in town and pay full tuition.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Jan 04 2025, 8:03 pm

amother Copper wrote:

No a week is absolutely not necessary. I dont know why posters think parents can keep taking off from work. It's 4 days or chanuka vacation, taking off for yamim tovim , then midwinter , another week before pesach .. parents can't just take off from work so many times a year! There is no reason for a school to give off a few days for chanuka and then again 3 weeks later for midwinter. It's absurd and op I completely agree with you.

Yup, and I’m really trying to understand the schools decision making process around this

amother

↑ Maple

Sat, Jan 04 2025, 8:54 pm

amother Antiquewhite wrote:

Ideas for at home

Bring snow inside. Set up 9x13 pans and have the kids go outside and fill them with snow. Give them plastic cups to play with. Bonus points if you add mentchies or lego figures to play with as they act snow scenes out.

Have hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows ready to go after their indoor snow time.

You can buy kits for decorating wooden magnets for cheap on amazon.

Buy canvases and have a paint party. You can follow any online tutorial or have the littles paint what they wish.

Kosher.com has really fun drawing tutorials.

Make edible art snowman.

Bake sugar cookies and buy a snowflake shaped cookie cutter. Decorate with icing and clear or blue sprinkles.

Make snow out of shaving cream, salt and glue.

These ideas are very cute. I've done many, many similar when my kids were younger. I love being a fun mommy.

I wonder how old your kids are? And what genders?

My kids 10 & up will not go for any of this any more.
I have a bunch of boys who hate baking and crafts, and think they are too big to play in the snow (plus last couple years there hasn't been much snow where we live! Just a lot of cold that makes no one wanna go outside.)

Teen girls just wanna sleep till 12. Will not wake up early on vacation. And then want late night fun when I'm falling off my feet.

Littles are up before 6 and desperate for action by 8 latest.

And baby needs to be nursed every 2.5/3 hours, and changed, rocked to sleep, fed solids...

So many conflicting needs. B"H very grateful for that. But very complicated to keep everyone happy.

OP, no easy answers. I grew up without winter break. I think in theory it's nice if there were no expectations. If there weren't so many doing exotic trips and the norm was to relax and take it easy. And kids expected that too.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sat, Jan 04 2025, 10:05 pm

Hi OP,

I've been in the same situation as you, so here's what I've done... Motzai Shabbos and Sunday are not work days... I have "Broken Out" Winter Vacation with a Motzai Shabbos trip... ice skating and snow tubing have worked for this... only one parent has to go, other parent can stay home with younger kids... come home to hot cocoa and can make homemade wrap pizzas in the Betty Crocker... next day can be a full day trip... if you have a Science Center Membership, that is reciprocal to all other Science Centers... Pittsburgh and Columbus both have nice Science Centers... next day, leave teens in charge with the caveat that everyone gets dressed and davens at some point... leave coloring books and toys for younger kids, let teens bake or have a Chopped competition, reward them when you come home with a trip to the library to pick out books for the next day and a trip to the Dollar Store/5 Below to pick out lots of craft kits, next day is reading and crafts, followed by treat of getting to eat out for supper, the next day (Wed) you might want to consider having either you or your husband take off work and take the kids on a trip (can be Chuck-E-Cheese, Urban Air, SkyZone, bowling, Adrenaline Monkey... some of these only open after 4pm on weekdays, so you could possibly work half a day, then do a trip)... we've also used points to book a one night stay in a hotel, brought board games, and swam in the pool when it was empty... Thursday can be a lazy day, followed by renting a movie from Mostly Music for the late afternoon/evening, Friday is getting ready for Shabbos... you can buy a new family game for Shabbos (mostly for older kids and adults to play, younger ones will probably be fine with their regular toys)... Hatzlocha! I know that it's hard!

P.S.
1. Do not keep the exciting things secret! Give the kids a schedule after the Motzai Shabbos "Break Out" that details that they will be going to a restaurant, having a movie night, going on a trip (or to a hotel)... this way, when your teens are watching your younger ones and they're playing an endless round of Candyland, or building a Magnatile tower, or helping feed a doll, they can at least look forward to the exciting thing to come at the end of the day
2. Do not take away any of the exciting activities, even if you don't think that your children are deserving of them based on their behavior... it's still their Winter Vacation and they need to have some good memories that they can share with their friends

amother

↑ Antiquewhite ↓

Sat, Jan 04 2025, 10:08 pm

[quote="amother Dodgerblue"]Hi OP,

I've been in the same situation as you, so here's what I've done... Motzai Shabbos and Sunday are not work days... I have "Broken Out" Winter Vacation with a Motzai Shabbos trip... ice skating and snow tubing have worked for this... only one parent has to go, other parent can stay home with younger kids... come home to hot cocoa and can make homemade wrap pizzas in the Betty Crocker... next day can be a full day trip... if you have a Science Center Membership, that is reciprocal to all other Science Centers... Pittsburgh and Columbus both have nice Science Centers... next day, leave teens in charge with the caveat that everyone gets dressed and davens at some point... leave coloring books and toys for younger kids, let teens bake or have a Chopped competition, reward them when you come home with a trip to the library to pick out books for the next day and a trip to the Dollar Store/5 Below to pick out lots of craft kits, next day is reading and crafts, followed by treat of getting to eat out for supper, the next day (Wed) you might want to consider having either you or your husband take off work and take the kids on a trip (can be Chuck-E-Cheese, Urban Air, SkyZone, bowling, Adrenaline Monkey... some of these only open after 4pm on weekdays, so you could possibly work half a day, then do a trip)... we've also used points to book a one night stay in a hotel, brought board games, and swam in the pool when it was empty... Thursday can be a lazy day, followed by renting a movie from Mostly Music for the late afternoon/evening, Friday is getting ready for Shabbos... you can buy a new family game for Shabbos (mostly for older kids and adults to play, younger ones will probably be fine with their regular toys)... Hatzlocha! I know that it's hard!

P.S.
1. Do not keep the exciting things secret! Give the kids a schedule after the Motzai Shabbos "Break Out" that details that they will be going to a restaurant, having a movie night, going on a trip (or to a hotel)... this way, when your teens are watching your younger ones and they're playing an endless round of Candyland, or building a Magnatile tower, or helping feed a doll, they can at least look forward to the exciting thing to come at the end of the day
2. Do not take away any of the exciting activities, even if you don't think that your children are deserving of them based on their behavior... it's still their Winter Vacation and they need to have some good memories that they can share with their friends[/quote
Great ideas!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Yesterday at 3:15 am

amother Mimosa wrote:

I think you need to have a few people call up than hanhala and explain calmly that it really doesn't work for your family, could they please consider shortening midwinter vacation in the future. Get your friends to call too.

YDT's vacation is much shorter. There's no reason HAC needs to be so long.

So firstly I’ve tried calling already actually, they said there are lots of families in the school and they can’t accommodate for just us, many people use that time to go away.
Also, I’m sure there are other people who feel like me, I just don’t know them, everyone I know is going to FL 🤷‍♀️

amother

↑ OP ↓

Yesterday at 3:19 am

amother Dodgerblue wrote:

Thanks , this all just makes my head spin. Motzei shab activity is a good idea gotta find out where there is local life skating.
I can’t leave teens in charge, if it’s vacation and we aren’t going somewhere fun they want to sleep late,
Reading and crafts is great but a whole day of that is just messes and fighting. And then unfortunately I don’t have the money to go out for dinner, nor do I have cc points to go to a local hotel.
But I will definitely incorporate some of the ideas

amother

Mustard ↓

Yesterday at 3:21 am

such a typical, bratty thread.

They're YOUR kids, YOU ARE their primary nurturer and caregiver. School is not a babysitting service for your kids. It is highly acceptable and mainstream for schools to have vacation for themselves and give that to the families who want to bond over playing games at home, going to the library, baking with mummy or a vacation out of their state.

If it doesn't suit you, make alternate arrangements for a babysitter. But your inflexibility with work does not mean that children should miss out on having a week off from hard work at school and daily structure.

You know many children look forward to it so much, especially the ones who don't do well in school.

I'm making tomato soup for lunch, throw them my way.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Yesterday at 3:27 am

amother Mustard wrote:

What on earth? You’re calling me a brat because I think vacation is too long?

I don’t expect school to be a babysitting service I just think a week of unstructured time is not healthy, even my teens are desperate to go back to school at the end of it.
The ones who look forward to it are the ones whose parents can fly them somewhere.
They literally just had vacation for Chanukah, and then vacation a month before and vacation a month before, it’s just constant vacation. An extended weekend off here and there is very nice and refreshing an entire unstructured week is not. It’s great for those who can afford to go away, but not everyone can, and some have to work, and it’s allowed to be hard for those who have to work or just don’t have the stamina for an extended week

amother

↑ OP ↓

Yesterday at 3:32 am

amother Mustard wrote:

How old are your kids and what are you doing for winter break?