So as spring slips away from the northern half of the planet, giving way to summer and warmer temperatures, what are your plans? I'm sure they vary by country and region, not to mention by class in some cases.
I remember all too well the eager anticipation of being out of school, those seemingly endless days of nothing to do stretching before me as I yearned towards their blank pages with an untold hunger. I see that same lust in my nephews' eyes as they come to the end of their school year and are faced with the prospect of a summer spent doing only things they enjoy, and none of that 'school stuff' they deplore.
Is it a good thing to allow children two, sometimes three, whole months off from school a year? I think so. You can only spend so much time being chained to a desk, forced to bend your mind to the will of a stern taskmaster who forces you to learn things that you never considered before, and in some cases, never will consider again (seriously, how many of you have used the Pythagorean theorem since leaving school?). Summer should be a time of exploration, a time to see what interests you, and act on those interests. Yes, sleeping late and often are hobbies of children during the summer, but more studies have shown children actually need more sleep as they become teens.
I plan to help my nephews out this summer and have some activities they can do ready for them. Nothing too stressful, nothing beyond their abilities, but definitely things that will stretch them, challenge them and hopefully help them to grow as young men as they enter their difficult, tumultuous teen years.
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