How to provide kids with opportunities for both learning and play.
Here's the schedule for a typical summer day: After a leisurely breakfast with no TV, we do 30 minutes of some "heady" activity (worksheets, reading, etc.), followed by a physical activity. Then it's time for lunch and quiet time, when my kids like to read or watch a video. Then, while I prepare dinner, my kids have "free play" (art projects, crafts, games, etc.). I love the flexibility summer allows, and I've found that interspersing these blocks of structure and free time throughout the day is the perfect mix for kids.
—Kim Siarkowski, Chicago