Back to School?

Since we did not homeschool from the beginning, I find we keep some of the public/private school traditions, such as starting new levels of subjects at the end of August/beginning of September and reducing “school” over the summer; although, yes, the children are still learning 🙂 Because of this, and to help families new to homeschooling, we are featuring “Parent Helps” this month. I know many families that follow a year round schedule, advancing to the next level whenever they’re ready, or follow a calendar year and advance to the next level in January. Do you have any tips/advice for families new to homeschooling? What are the pros and cons to the schedule you’ve decided to follow?