by Miss Sunshine

Created on: May 19, 2008

"Hurray, hurray, for school is out!" we hear the happy children shout! But in the fall the most of them are eager pupils after all, for they have had vacation time to work and play and refresh their minds.

All parents desire to give their children a good education. We are concerned when we see them not making good grades. We want to do everything we can to help them succeed, not only in school, but also in life. True, there could be some value in added hours of study for the education of our children. But a very important part of education is the ability to put the knowledge we gain into use in real life. All the knowledge in the world can accomplish nothing worthwhile if it never comes out of great minds into great lives. Summer vacation gives children the opportunity to participate in the real life they will eventually become part of as adults. Wise parents will try to help their sons and daughters learn practical skills that they will need to survive as adults. Parents should require their children to help with the basic things of housekeeping and lawn care and whatever other necessary work there is to do at their own homes. Children should learn that "If we want a nice place to live, we must make it nice and keep it nice." Children who live in or have access to the country can find many worthwhile and educational things to do in gardens and on farms with plants and animals to care for. Children who do not have those opportunities can do other projects. Nearly anyone can have a window garden and experiment with different herbs, flowers, or even vegetables. There are many crafts and hobbies that are very good expressions for a child's creativity: knitting, crocheting, embroidery, painting (rocks or mottoes), building or carving with wood, . . . the list is as long as your imagination. Many of these will give the student excellent opportunities to use the mathematic and other skills he has learned in school, thereby further reinforcing them in his mind. Also, learning to stick with a project through challenges and difficulties to its completion, builds character in a child that will make keeping a job or building a career much easier for him than for someone who hasn't learned perseverance. Of course, we must be cautious and mindful of our children's safety at all times. The age and ability of each child must be considered, as expecting too much of them will only lead to frustration and not to the happy results we desire.

Perhaps some people want a longer school year to help keep children and teenagers out of trouble. Keeping them busy does prevent a lot of problems. However, lengthening the school year is not the best solution. Children can do many helpful little things to make life more pleasant for their parents at home. Teenagers can find a part time job or make something to sell to earn a little extra money. Most every community has some people who need a neighbor to cheer their day with flowers, cookies, or some other kindly deed every now and then. Doing these things will help to give children a sense of self-worth and purpose in life, which becomes even more important for them to have as they grow older.

As we have seen, there are many options to keep students occupied and continue their education while giving them a vacation from study and school. Thus their minds can be refreshed and ready to study again, while they learn practical life skills and reinforce their academic lessons in their minds by putting them to use.

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