School is Out - Learning is In

GreatAspirations

Week of July 12, 1998

Books have been turned in, and supplies are packed away. School is out and our kids’ learning process has ground to an abrupt halt. Or has it? Let’s hope not. A child’s ability to acquire new knowledge doesn’t have fizzle just because school’s out for the summer. In reality, summer’s the best opportunity for you to lead your kids to all kinds of out-of-the-classroom lessons--to make the kind of magical learning connections that can shimmer in their memories for a lifetime.

A veritable Everest of education happens during the summer months. Kids practice physics when they learn to ride a bike. They fine tune math skills when the start their first lawn mowing or babysitting business. And they develop invaluable social skills anytime they just hang out with their pals. As parents, we can either guide and become part of these learning experiences. Or we can passively allow them to happen without us--and miss watching the magic of a developing mind.

But first, we have to realize--and show our kids--that learning doesn’t have to be a boring chore. It can, and should be a whole lot of fun. Your children do not have to sit at desks to learn, and you don’t always need pencil and paper tests to see how well they are doing. You just need two eyes, a young heart, and a little imagination.

Here’s an example: Summer is the perfect time for us to explore and learn about the great outdoors. You can teach your kids some valuable lessons about nature just by playing outside. Skipping stones across a pond can help you teach surface area and momentum. Flying a kite lends itself to lessons about air pressure and lift. Learning to backfloat can help kids understand buoyancy. And, even looking at bugs and plants, leads to discussions about the plant and animal kingdom. Plan a sunny afternoon excursion to a state park. Take a lunch, a bathing suit, a book about simple science, some good walking shoes and an urge for excitement.

Here are some more hot summer ideas:

Cool Classes Enroll your children in a summer class at the local YMCA, community center or college. Most classes are free or relatively inexpensive. Make sure the topic’s something your children WANT to know more about--cool stuff like guitar, cake decorating, archery or photography. Going back to school with a new skill to share with friends will make them feel great about themselves.

Rainy Day Craft Cottage Check out the local toy store. You’ll find tons of activity kits that offer kids fun and exciting new things to learn. The kits provide everything you need to make a candle, a model car, paint by numbers or even sand art sculptures. What a great way to spend a too hot day indoors!

My Perfect Summer Vacation Work with your kids to create a "Summer Dream and Aspirations" statement--a piece of creative writing that describes what their perfect summer vacation would be like. Make sure they include things they’d like to learn along the way. Then, within reason, do whatever you can to make their dreams come true. Make it a contract by signing off on the areas you agree to help them with. For example, "I agree to take you to the amusement park this summer," or "I promise to help you learn to play soccer." Then, follow through on your promise.

At Home Treasure Hunt To create an exciting adventure for your kids, fill a box full of "treasures" and hide it in your house or yard. Draw up a map, giving directions to the treasure in yards, feet or inches; then, give your kids a yardstick and send them out to hunt. At the end, they’ll both learn measurements and get a prize--a double reward.

Learning is a continual process. Our children’s minds do not go on vacation just because school is out. During summer--more than any other time of the year--we can model ways for learning to be fun and exciting. As teachers, it’s our turn to shine.

(The Two Dads are Doug Hall, Director of Great Aspirations!, and Russ Quaglia, Child Aspirations Expert.)

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