In just two months time, it is easy to forget what you may have learned all year. Summer time is a lost opportunity in many ways for those specific school subject skills.
- It is why they tell kids to read all summer.
- It is why they tell kids to complete a math packet.
- It is why they promote the use of Kahn Academy to parents.
We did those things. All of them. Just not quite all of the way…
Probably because, we chatted about and spent time doing things that are not covered in the typical school curriculum during the year. Things like:
- Economics.
- Stress & anxiety among teens.
- Healthy financial habits (how to pay for college.)
- Wellness through rest, exercise, yoga, chiropractic and green veggies.
- Movies from the 1980s and 90s.
- Books we have read that will never, ever be on a school book list.
Ok – some of those are talked about in school. Just maybe not quite as much as they need to be.
It is just that some things are lost in memory building activities that we call vacation, sleeping-in, theater camp, real camping (outside, in tents, with no running water…) power failures, thunderstorms, walks on the boards, days at the pool and evenings by the fire pit. Those are all things that are especially perfect for summer – which is why there is still a slight amount of cramming left for the aforementioned reading and math assignments.
All in all, there is still time; just not much.
What about the foreign languages that you considered, but were not assigned this year; we probably have to take matters into our own hands before we forget that it is important…because it is.
Thankfully, however, it is actually not easy to forget the teachers you appreciated, the friends that you made, the life-lessons learned and the sights seen. Keep those in mind, not just for summer-time, but for all time…fall, winter, and spring carrying us into next summer.
~ Dawn aka Hat Girl