Learning over the summer

Like most school districts, ours encourages parents to keep up the learning activities over the summer. While I want my son to have new adventures and enjoy his break, I am doing my best to keep up our end of the bargain.

Here's what we are doing to engage his brain during the summer:

• Lots of reading time. This one is easy for us, since my son and I read all the time, but I am going to include it. I've been dragging him to the library and encouraging him to try out new book series and not just read the same books over and over again. He doesn't realize I'm doing this. Please don't tell him.
• Handwriting practice. My son has to practice his handwriting every day. He doesn't like this. He does it anyway. 
• Math skills. I ask him to do math in his head all the time. He is smart enough to catch on that I could do the math in my head, but I think he secretly likes giving me the answer. I'm also encouraging him to help keep score when we play games together so he has to add up points at the end of the rounds. 
• All those camps. Most of the camps we signed our son up for this summer encourage him to do something he has never done before - be it whitewater rafting or doing a service project at the local nursing home. Putting him in an unfamiliar situation is definitely keeping his mind active.

But, it is still summer, so I am still trying to be mindful of the magic of that time. So, yes, we are more lax with screentime in the evenings and we are giving him plenty of downtime. The hope is that he will look back at this summer as one of fun and adventure. And, that he will be comfortable back in the classroom when the summer is over.

What items are on your child's summer homework list? Tell me in the comments.