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Quote of the Week #67

It’s the first day of summer!!! Happy day to you. I hope you can schedule some time to get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature soon.

As a child, did you enjoy your summer vacation? How did you spend your time? Do you think summer is a “waste of time” for children?

When I was a kid summer was my favorite season because it meant I could spend every day OUTSIDE. I lived to be outside and started a countdown weeks before the final day of school arrived. When it did I gloried in my freedom to let the days unfold, never feeling burdened by what to do or bored with the many unstructured hours. Often I spent the entire day wandering in the woods across the street or along the wide, shallow creek behind our house, jumping from rocks into the deeper pools, catching crayfish, watching birds or just sitting beside the flowing water doing nothing.

These days I wonder if kids spend their summers doing the same things… do they? I think our society believes summer is a waste of time for kids, that summer is just a big, empty space where kids “lose ground” on their education. I know many believe we should do away with a summer vacation for kids and have more time for lessons in the classroom.

But I would argue that the learning that can happen during summer goes beyond what we might be able to accomplish in a classroom. There is something to be said for giving kids unstructured time to explore, to imagine, to watch, and listen and touch and feel.

Of course, if the kids just sit around inside the house and play video games, watch tv or text their friends, then that’s a whole other story.

I feel sad when I think of kids these days, and how their every minute seems accounted for.

And so, this week’s quote:

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What do you think? Did you like summer vacation as a child? Do you know any children today who spend their summer days outside? What can we learn from time spent outside?

2 thoughts on “Quote of the Week #67

  1. I enjoyed some summer but not all of it. I feel that separate 1 month segments would be plenty of fun without the loss of lessons you naturally forget over a three month period.

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      I am sure you are not alone as I think there are others who would like the time spread out over the year, rather than all at once.

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