Embrace Summer Learning

Today is the first official day of summer for Lady Clara, Sir Isaac and millions of other children across the country. While the months of July and August may be viewed as a time for them to breathe easy, kick back and do absolutely nothing, I feel just the opposite. Learning doesn't stop just because school doors close for a period time. I believe that learning should be a year round occurance. And, that it can be received as fun. I already have a game plan for my academic princess and prince.

Since I love you so much and want your children to continue their educational progress into the next school year, I'm going to give you some recommendations that can be immediately applied.

You Gotta Read Baby, Read!
Reading is such a powerful and enriching activity. It allows children to learn, explore and soar. Through the pages of books, they can imagine and dream. Take your chidren to your local library or bookstore and let them select books of interest. If you live in New York and have children who will be entering the third grade in the fall like my son -- a grade in which they will take the New York State Exam in English Language Arts for the first time -- I strongy suggest they not only read but be prepared to answer questions about what they read. This helps with comprehesion, especially since they will be expected to explain on the exam what they read. To make it a competition (and what child doesn't love a competition?!), have your children to log in the books that they read over the course of the summer. The child that reads the most books by the first day of school would be rewarded for their literary diligence.

Write It Down
As a writer, I can tell you that writing is so liberating. It allows for creative expression, explanation and enables you to articulate your thoughts. With that said, get your children a journal or composition notebook and have them to write in it on a daily basis. They can write about what they did for the day or you can guide their writing by posing a question for them to answer. I have two composition notebooks for each of my chidren to serve both areas (creative and critical writing). This academic activity will also help your third through fifth graders do well on state exams, class tests, homework assignments and groom them to become excellent writers. You may even have them to write a chidren's book. This could be a creative adventure that can earn them money if they make copies and sell them to their friends and family (starting, of course, with dear ol' mom!). Remember, writing is a form of communication that is important for school and in life. It should always have a place in chidren's world.

Get Cracking on Calculations
Include math in your children's daily routine. Whether they count coins or read the measurements needed for cooking instructions, they will enhance their arithmetic skills. I plan to play "The Multiplication Challenge" with Sir Isaac. For every correct times table answer, I'll give him five cents. If he gets a problem wrong, I'll have him to write the math problem five times to help with remembering it. At the end of the game, he'll count his winnings and claim his certificate. I'm big on rewarding my children with "paper proof" of their accomplishments. This boosts their love of learning as well as their confidence. You may want to play Hasbro's Junior Monopoly or create your own math game. Just be sure to make it fun and they will learn and want to continue doing so.

Take a Road Trip
Okay, I don't literally mean you have to gas up the car and travel the roads to some other state to get your children to learn something new. What I'm saying is that you can take them to your city's botanical garden and let them learn about various types of flowers or pack up a picnic basket and head to the park for a day of food for the tummy and the mind. You may want to take them to a new store in a community your frequent and have them to talk to the store owner about why the store opened and what they offers. It opens up their minds and may even plant an entrepreneurial seed in them. I met the owner of a Brookyn-based bakery at a launch party I recently attended. Since Lady Clara loves to bake desserts and desires to open up her own restaurant one day, I am going to take her to meet with Adrienne so she can learn first-hand what it took for to get to this point. We're also going on a "road trip" to meet with a chef/caterer. Lady Clara is going to document this for her show, "Kids Witness News" (www.youtube.com/powerhouseforever).

There is so much that your chidren can gain by staying focused on learning. Learning is a lifetime deal. It should be nurtured during the school year and definitely over the summer, especially since in-class instruction is not available. Chart your chidren's learnings and share them with me. If you do, I will personally send them a "Summer Academic Award." Email me at: solomommymag@yahoo.com.

Until I write you next, I'm just living the solo mommy life.

Love ya!

Feona Sharhran Huff

P.S. To see what else I'm up to in the name of empowerment, log onto www.stepintoyourpower.net and www.youtube.com/powerhouseforever. Follow me at www.twitter.com/solomommy.