A Message to Parents About Summer

     Growing up, my family had a camper where we saw great natural wonders in Yellowstone National Park, drove into Canada through Mackinaw Island in Michigan and explored Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York, all different journeys of course.  I grew up loving to draw and paint natural scenery, fish and hike.  I believe that my privilege to see all of these wonders encouraged my passion for history and the arts. This summer my family and I took a long drive through the Ohio Valley up to Cleveland and then to Niagara Falls.  In the three years I have been in Huntsville we have used our vacation time to travel and see this great country of ours.  Two summers ago we went through Gettysburg, Pa.  for the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War battle and into New England.  The scenery and cultural flavor of the entire country astounds me with is depth and breadth. My wife and I now have a bucket list to get in all 50 states.  We’re getting close.  We have also worked hard to expose our three children to these wonders and the opportunity our existence in this time and place provides.

     Here in Huntsville we are within easy travel distance of many natural and cultural sights that brighten the imagination and intensify curiosity.   An hour and 45 minutes north is Chattanooga with its natural beauty, aquarium and bustling riverfront.  Travel northwest and you come to Nashville and a musical heritage that is nothing short of inspirational.   To our south is Birmingham and Montgomery and just to our west are the Natural wonders of Bankhead National Park to name a few.  Since coming to Huntsville I have hiked many trails on the Land Trust and at Monte Sano State Park.  Cathedral Caverns, just 25 minutes away, is spectacular.  The lakes and small rivers all around us are great places to explore in a kayak or canoe. 

    All children learn.  However, the depth of that learning is profoundly impacted by exposure to our world.   Putting this in terms of current brain research, every experience leaves a mark on our brains; the more profound that experience, the more lasting that mark.  If you have seen this summer’s movie Inside Out, it illustrates how the brain categorizes and chooses memories and experiences to discard or keep. In education we frequently struggle with what we identify as “summer reading loss.”   We experience this through a process of review teachers find necessary at the beginning of the school year to get students ready for the new year’s learning.  The students who struggle at the beginning of the year are, typically, not only limited in exposure to reading in the summer, but also had fewer activities from free play to travel outside of school that expanded their thinking.  The students who are ready to go at the return to school are not only reading books, but go to activities that provide new experiences that impact thinking and brain activity.  

     As your summer winds down and you begin to get your children ready for school, take the time to look for adventures around you.  This not only includes trips to various sights, but through conversation and providing opportunities for children to explore and learn.  A passion for learning comes from the opportunity to see possibilities.   The most important job for a parent is to provide those opportunities.