We’re in the midst of summer vacation.  You don’t need me to remind you of the obvious – if they don’t keep their minds active in summer, children are at risk of losing much of what they’ve learned during the school year.  There’s a ton of research, and our own experience and common sense tell us that’s true.  Check out the National Center for Summer Learning at the Johns Hopkins University for some of the best, most recent research as well as excellent tips for keeping kids’ minds active during the summer (www.summerlearning.org).  I’ve done some work with these folks.  They’re top notch.

Research tells us that summer brain drain is even worse for children from homes where

• there’s not much reading, conversation, and quality time with parents or other significant adults
• there isn’t access to books, magazines, and other entertaining reading materials
• there aren’t role models to show how lifelong learning is important to children and adults alike
• parents don’t actively value learning, and in some sad cases (for which the parents should be beaten with wet noodles), where it’s actively disparaged
• summer is filled with boredom, passive time-fillers, and little intellectual stimulation

In the past few weeks, the Dr. Rick Blog has focused on summer activities for kids.  (See the postings from June 8, 2009; June 11, 2009; and June 15, 2009 for ideas about summer learning, summer camp, and summer reading tips from one of my favorite educators.)

Today I’ll provide some tips for summer writing activities.  In the next few blogs, I’ll give tips on summer vocabulary, spelling, math, and reading tips.  As always, we enjoy hearing your ideas.  Share them with us by clicking on “Comments” below.

Summer writing can be fun, expressive, and skill-building (but you don’t need to tell the kids that).  Give your child the confidence to be ready for school in the fall, and help her teacher get right down to business without spending precious time reviewing skills kids have forgotten in the summer.

Here are some ideas to keep your kids writing this summer.

1. Collect interesting, amusing, thought-provoking summer pictures from magazines, the Internet, or your own family albums.  “Prompt” your children with ideas about writing. 
   • What’s your favorite summer memory?
   • Write a poem about summer fun.
   • How do you think people kept cool before air conditioning?
   • Pretend you lived 100 years ago.  What’s summer vacation like for you?
2. Interview older friends and relatives about their summer memories.  (They’ll love talking about this.)  Then write a short description or story.  Together come up with a list of questions for these interviews.
3. Write jokes about summer activities like the pool, vacation, games, pastimes, etc.
4. Keep a family photo journal and have the children write captions for the pictures or a short story summary.  A variation of this is to keep a summer scrapbook with pictures and memorabilia of your favorite things.
5. Keep a personal or family “summer things I notice” journal.  Every once in a while, everyone in the family contributes a short piece of descriptive writing, a drawing, a favorite poem or an original one, favorite memories, interesting observations, etc.  Watch the journal grow.
6. Yes, even in an electronic age, kids love getting letters in the mail.  Help your child have a pen-pal and keep up a correspondence for the summer and beyond.
7. Go to www.bookadventure.com for cool reading ideas, and then write about the books and stories you’ve read together.  Don’t call this a “book report,” even if that’s what it really is.
8. Create a story with friends and family members as characters.
9. Write review of the programs your family watches on TV, the movies you attend, the books you read, the trip to the amusement park or any other activity.
10. Compare and contrast summer where you live to summer in other parts of the world or the U.S.

You certainly don’t have to tell the kids that you’re helping them keep up their language arts skills, motivating an interest in geography or family history, or even encouraging a lifelong hobby.  (See my blog of June 1, 2009, about the benefits of hobbies for kids.)  You’re just helping them have fun over the summer, right?

Stay tuned for more tips on fun summer learning activities!

The economy is difficult.  Jobs are eliminated.  People are laid off.  How to talk to children when the sour economy affects your family?  Telling your family, especially the kids, about, say, a job loss or a reduction in salary, can add stress during an already stressful time.

What should you say?  How should you say it?

It’ll never be easy, but here are some thoughts.

1. Be the first to tell the news.  It's better for kids to hear difficult news from their parents, not from the neighborhood gossip.  Have a family meeting, without interruptions.  No cell phones or TV.  Tell everyone you want their full attention for a certain amount of time.  Keep it relatively short, but call other family meetings in the next couple of days, so everyone can ask questions and express feelings after they've had some time to digest the news.


2. Anticipate their questions.  Try to think ahead to what they're going to want to know.  Be ready with some clear, simple answers.  Because they're children, most likely they will be concerned about how the new realities are going to affect them, their lives, and their routines.  Listen carefully to what they're really asking.


3. Honesty is still the best policy.  Don't sugarcoat your news or play the "blame game."  Blaming your boss, your company, politicians, or your co-workers will only get you riled up and turn the conversation negative.  That's not what you need now, and it's certainly not helpful for the kids.


4. Be positive.  Kids read our moods, so it's important to be as positive as possible.  If you come across as worried and despondent, they'll be worried and despondent.  If you're not feeling particularly positive, remember parenting, like teaching, is 50% acting, so give it your best performance.


5. Be reassuring.  It's equally important that kids recognize that financial setbacks are temporary and will never affect your love for them or your ability to keep them safe.  Kids are resilient, probably more so than we adults, but they need the reassurance that the fundamentals -- your love and presence -- are not going to change.  Keep up family routines, which make kids feel safe and secure and which give their lives structure.


6. Be realistic.  Kids like clear, unambiguous messages.  They'll be disappointed, but they'll understand that expenses will have to be cut, that the new purchases the whole family looked forward to will have to be postponed, or the cool vacation put on hold.


7. Involve everyone.  Give the kids opportunities to provide some suggestions for cost-cutting.  Let them be part of your family's solutions.  They'll have ideas that will surprise you, and they'll like that you gave them a role to play in solving a family dilemma.


8. Look at the big picture.  This may be as good a time as any to discuss your family's values, like solidarity in the face of adversity, family supportiveness, empathy for each other's points of view, and mutual respect.  You may be pleasantly surprised at the family relationships and activities that evolve out of a difficult time.


9. Get support if you need it.  There are financial and family counselors who can lend a hand if you need it.  Take advantage of the school guidance counselors if the economy is affecting your children's school progress.  Family activities in a supportive atmosphere -- like church or temple -- can be helpful, too.


10. Keep at it.  No one knows how long the economy's going to be in the doldrums.  Not economists, not "experts" on TV, not your best friend, not your co-workers.  So, you'll need to keep up your vigilance.  Watch your kids' moods, listen to their fears, pay attention to their school progress, which can be a good measurment of their well-being.  Have family meetings regularly and whenever necessary.

I’ve also written blogs on similar aspects of our challenging economy .  See my blogs of 4 December 2008 (“The Value of a Dollar”) and 16 April 2009 (“Setting Spending Priorities in a Difficult Economy”).

Breaking this kind of news to your children is a difficult job, I know, and we’d be interested in hearing the experiences and stories of those of you who have survived it.  Please share your stories with us by clicking on “comment” below.

Even though it’s summer, I’ve received inquiries lately about how students can improve their time management skills in these busy, busy times.  I guess the questions were from the school year, but got put off because the students “ran out of time.”  Appropriately ironic.

Seems everyone is under a time crunch, school year and summertime, trying to meet deadlines, studying for tests, writing papers, working to pay the bills, and maintaining a social life as well.

What can we do, Dr. Rick?  What expensive electronics can we buy that will solve our time problems?  What web site can we go to?  What silver bullet will keep us on track?

“Silver bullet?”  Well, there are plenty of products and services out there that can surely help.  But, since we don’t have a lot of time, here are a few time management tips that seem to work and don't cost anything except some self-reflection and a bit of dedication.  Ultimately, the “silver bullet” is you!

1. Get yourself organized.  This is the first and most important thing.  As a career educator, I have had students tell me that "It took me over an hour to do that homework assignment."  When I question them, gently, of course, about what exactly they did the night before, they tell me about searching for elusive textbooks, supplies, and notebooks; emailing, calling, or texting friends to figure out just what the assignment was and when it's due; taking valuable time to interrupt the work to listen to music, chat with friends, or argue with siblings; or, worst of all, thinking they can "multi-task" with other activities.  (See my blog of  25 November 2008 for my thoughts about multi-tasking for students.)


2. Have a routine.  Make a homework and study routine that works for you.  Have your own space where you can work relatively uninterrupted.  Doesn't have to be a private space.  The dining room table works just fine, so long as others respect your study time.  Have your supplies in a handy portable case, and return them to it so you won't be scurrying around the house looking for them when you need them.  (See my blog of 7 November 2009 for a few words about the importance of routines.)


3. Plan ahead.  Know when your big assignments are due, and break them up into smaller tasks.  That way you won't feel overwhelmed when the due-date is near.  Tell others about your assignments, so they'll help keep you on track.  Parents should know your plans.  They'll nag when they have to, but you can consider it a mark of your increasing responsibility when they don't have to nag.


4. Have a support system.  Choose friends who will support, not derail, you.  Good friends will study together, support each other, clarify questions for each other, challenge each other, and even compete with each other.  I call these friends "study buddies," and I recommend each student have at least one.  They make studying for tests much easier, more fun, and effective.  You know who your true friends are.  Take control of your life.  (See my blog of 2 December 2008 for some study tips at exam time.)


5. Set goals.  Whatever your goal is -- a better algebra or English grade, the lead in the school play, first chair clarinet, varsity soccer -- write it down and tell a few trusted people.  Stay concentrated on the goal.  Allow your friends and parents to be a part of your success by helping and supporting you.  Be helpful and supportive to them, too.

You don't need to have expensive electronics or complicated websites to help you, although many are good.  What you do need, though, is a reasonable work ethic, a sense of responsibility, some self-reliance, and common-sense organization.  This is not rocket science, so take control of your studies.  You'll be amazed at how good you'll feel when you start seeing results.

I've addressed each of these tips in numerous previous blog posts.  Click on “Archive” to check out more details and suggestions.