Summertime Blues

Experts have asserted that students lose up to three months worth of learning over the summer break. Part of this has to do with the fact that students spend a majority of their summers in a sedentary and lethargic state, with their posteriors parked in front of their computer, their video game console, or loitering somewhere pointless with friends (the front entrance of Wal-Mart or the mall are likely candidates).
There was a time in our great country's history when summer meant swimming, baseball in the neighborhood, and big pitchers of lemonade, usually being sold by kids in front of their house. It also meant a lot of time spent outside, getting dirty. This post is not meant to become a rant about how "today's generation of kids" won't dare to get active, but in many cases, such a statement contains resounding truth. When I assign an essay at the beginning of the year about my kids' interests, inevitably the phrases "chilling" and "hanging with my friends" predominate any written matter.
So how does all this "chilling" affect students academically, you ask? Quite simply, time spent outside the academic environment is usually time spent unengaged -- that is, doing nothing that enhances one's cognitive functioning. How do we as parents and teachers prevent this scholastic atrophy? One way is by providing kids of all ages with the opportunity to flex their thinking muscles. I am not in any way advocating year-round school; to me, that seems like cruel and unusual punishment for both students and teachers. However, I am advocating that parents take the responsibility of providing their child with the occasional chance to demonstrate what they've already learned.
How can we do this? Summertime tutoring is one way -- if your student has an area where they face particular challenges, summer is a great time to get him or her caught up before the new school year begins. Should this tutoring diminish children's recreational time? Certainly not. In fact, summertime instruction should simply be a supplement to the season's larger objective: fun. No child wants to be subjected to the rigors of the classroom during a season intended for rest and relaxation. By the same token, though, no parent wants their child's brain cells to wither and diminish just because school isn't in session. Finding a happy balance between the two can make for a pleasant summer for both students and their parents.