Summer learning

Yes, the kids are still out of school and, yes, the television is a tempting source for your children's summertime education. But the opportunities to make this summer more educational are endless.

Here are 15 ways to keep your children learning through the rest of the summer:

• Have them write a journal every weekday. Or if you have a computer, let them type it. Instead of using spell check, print it out, check the spelling and grammar, and have them revise it.

• Go to a local museum.

• Get a tutor, even if it's just for an hour a week. This helps kids stay on track or catch up if they've been behind.

• Make riding in the car fun. Play little games like: "Who can find a license plate that's not from the province we live in?" Count the number of kids you see wearing glasses. Practise if-thens: If you see a man with a beard, then say "bingo." That way, they're thinking and problem-solving all the time.

• Have them write out your weekly grocery list, then engage them in helping you at the supermarket.

• Ask them to look up one simple research subject each week on the Internet. (There are lots of great sites geared to kids.) If you don't have access, visit your local library once a week and use the Net there. For a finale, have them make a one-minute presentation on their topic to the family at dinner every Friday.

• Help them set up a free e-mail address, then encourage them to e-mail cousins, friends, even you.

• Bake a cake with your children. Have them read the instructions and measure the ingredients. (It's a great combination: math and English.)

• Have a games night for the neighbourhood kids. Make popcorn and refreshments while you supervise. Pull out Monopoly, Sorry, Battleship and Operation, and they'll be practising all kinds of math skills.

• Encourage the kids to run a lemonade stand.

• Have the kids organize a garage sale. They can make the posters, put them up, price the merchandise and sell it. Then they can choose something from the store and pay for it with the money they made.

• Have them make up a rap song for their times tables. Or buy a times tables CD at a teacher's supply store and have them listen to it for a few minutes a day.

• Create a "read-a-thon." Have them read a book a week, then reward them with a few dollars for each book, which will go towards their weekly deposit at the bank.

• If they're going to a friend's house, have them practise leaving you a note with their friend's name, number and address. Invite their friends for an outdoor sleepover. Pitch a tent, then pass around a "scary book" to read with a flashlight.

• Plan to live in the "olden days" for one night. Turn off the electricity. Play games. Have a cookout in the fireplace.