This is our first full week of summer vacation. We’ve been to the library and to the beach. We’ve gotten together with friends and spent a little time alone. We’re looking ahead to minimal scheduled time and long days at the shore. I know that we’d better hurry up and start enjoying it because tomorrow will be Labor Day.
This year we have a new concern that will demand time from our already busy beach and dirt digging schedules: homework. Presumably to counteract what some call the “summer slide,” my almost 2nd grader came home with a “Summer Learning Packet.” Haven’t heard of the summer slide? It refers to the steps backwards our children take while they are away from school swimming and running and practicing their skate boarding moves. Teachers spend the first 4-6 weeks of school re-teaching the children what they have forgotten from the previous year. So to counteract this, Aidan’s been asked to practice his math, write in a journal at least 3 times a week, as well as read every day.
Part of me is screaming. Part of me wants to argue the benefits of free play. Of digging, of exploring tidal pools, of nature hikes, of building rock walls and swinging. Of swimming and riding and running and just lying still in the grass. Part of me wants to scream, “trust me.” Trust me to be a mom. Trust me to take my kids to the library and bring a book to the beach. Trust me to pass the time in the car with math questions. Trust me to teach my kids to swim. Trust me to teach my kids to make pancakes. Trust me to get in water fights when we wash the car. Trust me to listen to them play in the woods while I garden or read or do what needs doing.
Then I calm down because I realize that we can still do those things. We’d be reading every day, anyway. He likes to do those silly math worksheets, anyway. Do I think kids need to be studying all summer? No. Is my initial reaction to let kids enjoy being kids? Yes. We can easily have a relaxing family centered summer despite the summer homework. So I’m ok with it.
How about you?
[tags]summer slide, brain drain, summer school, homework, vacation,family fun[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by the author, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
3 responses so far ↓
Slouching Mom // Jun 20, 2007 at 9:53 am
Ben came home with seven separate summer packets (cursive, grammar, spelling, writing, etc.); he’s entering 4th grade this fall. I have mixed feelings. Yes, a little work should probably be done over the summer. But these kinds of workbooks can take the fun right out of school and cause kids to dislike school way too soon.
beta mum // Jun 20, 2007 at 3:07 pm
We don’t break up for another month yet, but I will get the kids to read.
The older one (aged 8 - don’t know what grade that equates to) reads anyway, but the younger (6) will need to be listened to.
Last summer I noticed that the younger one’s reading slipped a lot in the summer holidays, so I will spend time on her.
Erica // Jun 20, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I think it’s yet another infringement on their recreational time which should be spent, oh, I don’t know being a child, being silly, exercising, running a lemonade stand and generally learning from life, stuff that a book will never teach you.
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