Learning opportunities for kids abound in the summer

Arecent encounter with some youngsters whom we predict will be quite successful opened our eyes to good parenting. These kids probably aren’t any smarter than the average children, don’t come from families with a lot of money and aren’t growing up with the privileges of a privateschool education.

What they do have are parents who, probably instinctively, are keeping their children learning and thinking all the time as part of their everyday lives. There will be no skills lost over the summer for these kids; in fact, they will probably improve their knowledge.

They, like many elementary-age students, are not going to summer school, nor are they going to any fancy camps. They are having a hiatus from school. But, a hiatus from school is different from a hiatus from learning and thinking, as we observed.

No matter what the family was doing, the parents encouraged these children to think and participate. When preparing dinner, the kids not only participated in cooking and setting the table but were included with thoughtful observations. Fractions were unobtrusively taught when reading recipes, science was taught when talking about where food

Mike and Genie Ryan came from — and that’s pretty far-reaching from meat to eggs to cheese and on to vegetables and fruit. While we were there, the children got excited about growing their own carrots.

That’s not only a way to encourage learning, it also encourages kids to think and ask questions, not just coast through life. What an exciting life they might have if they learn to question things and search for answers.

Also, during dinner, conversation was halted a couple of times to explain to the children the meaning of a word that an adult used. Another learning opportunity for children, but it was also a polite way of making sure the kids stayed a part of the conversation, rather than the adults talking over their heads.

The best part of all this was it wasn’t a special project or a new goal for the summer; it was just normal for this family. Those might be two of the most fortunate kids in the world. Not only are they growing up in a world that encourages learning, questioning and thinking, they are also growing up in a world where there is conversation and where they are included in those conversations. Kudos to the parents.

This visit led us to thinking of all the learning opportunities available to our children if the parents use them. Yard work becomes more than a chore; it is an opportunity to learn about plants, growing cycles, conservation and more. Stars and constellations, monsoon rains, the importance of drinking water or using sunscreen all include learning opportunities.

It’s easy to find an almost infinite number of ways to teach and encourage reading with such things as reading directions for cooking or other things around the house, looking up answers to all those questions they have, reading labels in the store, and on and on. Kids can have so much fun with the newspaper no matter how young, from identifying letters when starting to read to discussing ideas and events as they get older. And they can cut it up and mark on it.

Oh, and one more thing: While our friends were unobtrusively teaching their children, the television was off and there were no electronic devices around. Interesting food for thought.