Maybe you don't remember the feeling you got on the first day of summer.
Oh, not the day that marks the summer solstice. I mean the day when lessons are over, teachers at K12 grades retire and school buses roll for the very last time. I'm talking about that delicious sense of freedom, ripe with the promise of endless carefree days, that our kids can tell us about soon as their last day of school approaches.
I remember one of those days in particular. There was a new baby at my house that year. For four whole months I'd had to leave her behind to learn second grade stuff that seemed frightfully uninteresting compared to family home activities involving the mysteries of new life.
I remember dancing out of this world of rules and routine and into an oasis of lazy mornings and an at-home summer school of family ideas on child care and development.
My younger brother shared my glee, though not my fascination with infant psychology. He was far more interested in such fun family activities as the regeneration of severed earthworms and the laws of speed and motion.
One experiment especially comes to mind. It explored how deep a pebble can embed itself into the forehead of a small boy as he falls from a speeding trike. The answer: deep enough to require a trip to the Emergency Room. Amazingly, his interest in physics survived. He spent most of that summer studying the effects of gravity and force on the downhill momentum of skateboards.
No one could have convinced us we were losing brain power that summer, but apparently we were. Math and spelling skills are the quickest to leave us when we fail to practice each day. In fact, researcher say that some kids lose up to 60 percent of their math and reading skills over the summer.
Some schools try to prevent this loss by operating year-round. These programs offer several shorter breaks, allowing teachers to spend less time on review and more time on teaching new skills.
Other schools try to cut vacation losses by providing summer programs. These offer a boost to students who have fallen behind their classmates.
With all this emphasis on summer learning, parents sometimes worry about losing those magical days of summer. No parent wants a child to fall behind, but should we deny our kids a summer of carefree fun?
The answer, say teachers, is to balance the fun with some brain boosting exercise.
"Taking time away from school routine is always a nice change of pace," says teacher Kathy Cole of Lowell Schools. "But summer should still be a time for learning!"
Nancy Elwell of Muskegon agrees. "If at all possible, I highly recommend a variety of activities, but not so many that kids feel overscheduled or pressured."
Both teachers offer some home tested ideas for families who want to boost their kids' brain power while still enjoying the lazy days of summer:
? Connect as a family. Use these unstructured hours to read together, cook, play spontaneous games, gaze at the stars or help others in your community.
? Give everyone, even little ones, summer jobs at home. These provide opportunities for learning every day, and teach valuable life skills that will help in school and beyond.
? Take part in a library reading program and be sure everyone even parents reads at least some time every day.
? Attend special events at zoos, museums or parks in your community. Church sponsored vacation Bible schools can be great learning experiences as well.
? Send your kids to camp. Scouts, YMCA, local communities and churches all sponsor summer camps that teach anything from outdoor life and sports to music and computers.
? Send older kids to college, at least for a few days. Many campuses offer short programs that give teens a taste of college life and challenge their brains, as well.
You don't have to spend money or even leave home to boost your kids' summer learning, though. Try these low cost, low energy brain builders at home:
? Estimate distances while you travel in your car.
? Post a family message center: write notes, share ideas and log memories of special events.
? Do a little "laundry math," counting and matching socks and shirts as you fold.
? Watch high-quality T.V. with your kids and talk about what you see.
? Better yet, turn off the T.V. and get your bodies and imaginations in shape.
"Let your children learn to use their free time for creative activities," said Cole. "Free time allows a child to develop new interests and creative outlets. With a little planning, your children can go back to school a little smarter, more caring, and more creative."
If they're anything like my brother, they'll also gain a little more courage. And a lot more scars.
Linda Wacyk is a former EduGuide editor from Grand Ledge, Michigan.