Summer break offers an escape from the classroom and "learning" in the school sense of the word. But teachers know those few months away can lead to a setback in the growth of important learning skills. 

It makes sense. An athlete won't be at the top of her game if she takes two months off from exercising. A successful dieter won't keep the weight off if he takes two months off from the diet.  These changes in a healthy routine have consequences and the same applies to the summer break.

For a few lucky kids summer will actually be more intellectually stimulating than the school year with daily trips to museums, a vacation in a foreign country, or pricey overnight camp.  But for many summer will mean video game marathons and an overabundance of junky reality TV.

You've worked too hard with these students all year to let that learning slide in the summer heat.  In these last days of school why not inspire them to keep the learning going? 

Here are a few inspired suggestions to get you started:

• Sign them up for library cards - Find the public library in your school's neighborhood and get forms for all of your students to fill out so they can get library cards.  Better yet, if you can walk to the library take the class on a mini-field trip and see if a librarian can give them a tour.
• Build their personal libraries - There is actually a lot of research pointing to the relationship between reading skills and access to books in the home. Personal libraries are especially important for students who don't have access to a public library. You can help students start their libraries by sponsoring a book drive at your school, soliciting your friends and family for books, going to a book store and asking for donations, etc.
• Get them journaling  - For a fun end-of-year activity, have students create their own "summer journals." Buy a bunch of cheap spiral bound notebooks and have students bring in materials to decorate the covers (old magazines, stickers, photographs, etc.) Or, if your students are connected to the web at home - show them how to start a blog.  
• Create a "Summer Field Trip" packet - Research museums, public events, recreation facilities, parks, and other visitor spots in your area and create a packet of information about them. Your packet could include directions, web addresses, contact information, and a short description of each destination.  See if you can get discounted tickets to spots that require a fee and include information about these discounts in the packet.
• Bring in speakers seeking volunteers - Get representatives from local organizations to come talk to your students about volunteer opportunities. Generate a list of these opportunities with contact information to distribute at the end of the year.
• Pair kids with community mentors - It's probably too late to start this for your current class, but consider it for next year. Ask students what they want to be when they grow up and look for members of the community who have these jobs and would be willing to serve as mentors. They can spend time with your students over the summer and teach them about their career.
• Create a learning challenge - Present your students with a learning challenge such as:
  - Document 15 ways you've used math concepts you learned this year during your summer.
  - Read the full Harry Potter series and write a short summary of each book.
  - Visit 3 museums in the area and create a list of 50 interesting things you learned during your visits.
  - Give your students a way to contact you when they have completed the challenge and if they've done it to your satisfaction, take them out to lunch. You might be surprised how many students participate, especially because they get to see YOU outside of school.

There are countless other ways to inspire your students to learn this summer, and the next few months offer kids the wonderful freedom to practice learning for the pure joy of feeding that innate desire. You can play an important role in opening their eyes to the possibilities summer learning presents.