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            Auburn University - University Relations
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 5/26/95                     Janet McCoy

AU EXPERTS: PARENTS SHOULD KEEP KIDS INTERESTS HIGH IN SUMMER
     AUBURN -- School bells across Alabama are ringing out the
school year and Auburn University child and education experts have
some advice for parents: keep children busy enough so they don't
slip into a summer coma but allow them to have some down time and
be kids.
     Experts say some parents can take summer learning too far,
enrolling kids in courses that are stressful rather than
stimulating. And, other parents go to the opposite extreme and
allow kids to laze around all summer and do nothing.
     National studies show that some children lose some academic
skills over the summer in basics such as reading, writing and
arithmetic. 
     What's a concerned parent to do? Find a middle ground, several
AU faculty say, by allowing the child find something they want to
do. Most times, the child won't even realize he or she is learning.
     "The way kids learn is by doing something interesting," says
Steve Silvern, a professor of curriculum and teaching. "A vacation,
for instance, can be one of the best learning experiences for a
child. Going to the beach, seeing living creatures and watching
them is a great biology lesson. These are things that parents don't
have to plan.
     "For a two-or-three-year-old, digging in the sand is learning
because they can explore what's in the sand."
     Harriet Giles, an assistant professor of family and child
development, recommends letting children have some down time during
the summer.
      "If their days are regimented during the summer like they are
all year long, then the child is going to get burnout, just like
adults," she says. "Kids need to learn how to plan their own
activities and how to entertain themselves, but if every minute of
their day is structured for them, they won't learn how to plan for
themselves. Breaking a routine is important."
     Giles says while encouraging children to find new interests is
healthy, pushing them into several activities is harmful, adding,
"There are so many activities for our children to be involved in,
but we shouldn't try and overwhelm them."
     Wallace Goddard, an associate professor of family and child
development, agrees.
      "Some parents try and plug their kids into something
convenient instead of trying to stimulate them," he says. "Instead
of developing a child with character, it will make a character out
of them."
     Goddard suggests parents help their children identify their
interests and then find an adult who is willing to stimulate the
child's interest.
                "If you child is interested in animals, find a veterinarian
who will let the child tag along for a few days in exchange for
cleaning up cages," he says. "Parents don't have to carry the ball
every minute, but they should provide the source for encouragement
for their children."
     Reading expert Terry Ley, a professor in curriculum and
teaching, says parents have four responsibilities in teaching their
children to read.
      "They must first make books available and then provide time
for reading, whether it's through an extended summer bed time so
children can read before sleeping, or by reading to the child or
having the child read to you," he says.
     "Third, they must interact with the child, especially older
children, about what they are reading. Parents should have a time
when they can discuss with the child what they are reading, but not
be intrusive about it.
     "Finally, and most important, the parent must be a reader.
Parents have to be the model and children won't be encouraged to
read if the parent is not reading. Parents can have family outings
to the library, making books available to the entire family," says
Ley. 

# # # may95:AU-kidsummer

     CONTACT: Silvern, 334/844-6798; Giles, 844-4151; Goddard,
844-3224; and Ley, 844-6884.