{"id":5215,"date":"2015-07-31T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T15:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=5215"},"modified":"2015-07-30T14:37:09","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T20:37:09","slug":"vital-importance-of-summer-down-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/07\/31\/vital-importance-of-summer-down-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Vital Importance of Summer Down-Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span><p>What do you think of having a summer &#8220;off&#8221;? Do you think kids suffer from being away from school for 2 months in the summer?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-4898 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/1986-adam-beach_wm-300x247.jpg\" alt=\"1986-adam-beach_wm\" width=\"300\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/1986-adam-beach_wm-300x247.jpg 300w, http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/1986-adam-beach_wm.jpg 583w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>I think it is essential. I worry about what we lose when kids don&#8217;t have free time.<\/p>\n<p>I was listening to a radio program the other day that talked about how to limit the screen time of our kids. One caller said she had trouble getting anything done because although they had a fully fenced yard, she couldn&#8217;t let them out unless she was with them. She also said she couldn&#8217;t have them help her in the kitchen because she was worried they might get hurt. She *was* willing to let her kids play with safe toys or listen to audio tapes in the kitchen while she worked.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3407\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/065_wm-300x191.png\" alt=\"065_wm\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/065_wm-300x191.png 300w, http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/065_wm.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Hmmmm.<\/p>\n<p>Does anyone else worry that in our desire to fill our kids&#8217; lives with safe, educational things that we are preventing them from having a real childhood?<\/p>\n<p>Of course it&#8217;s important for them to go to the best schools and have the best jobs &#8211; if that&#8217;s your bag. Personally, I think it is more important to learn to love life and learning, have respect for the world and its inhabitants (ALL of them), take responsibility for your own actions (and the consequences),learn how to be alone (without being lonely), and have\u00a0the time to discover your talents, desires (and even fears).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/education\/archive\/2014\/06\/for-better-school-results-clear-the-schedule-and-let-kids-play\/373144\/\" target=\"_blank\">I&#8217;m not the only one.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3406\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/1997-2_wm-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"1997-2_wm\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/1997-2_wm-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/1997-2_wm.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>How many of those people we recognize as extraordinary talents\u00a0<em>in anything<\/em> learned they had those talents through school or some thing their parents made them do? A few, to be sure, but certainly not all and maybe not even most.<\/p>\n<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-5215'><a class='like' href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(5215);\" title='' ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-likes\/images\/like.png\" alt='' border='0'\/><\/a><span class='text'>Be the first to like.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class='like' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(5215);\">Like<\/a><\/div>\n<div class='unlike' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.unlike(5215);\">Unlike<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>What do you think of having a summer &#8220;off&#8221;? Do you think kids suffer from being away from school for 2 months in the summer? I think it is essential. I worry about what we lose when kids don&#8217;t have &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/07\/31\/vital-importance-of-summer-down-time\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9,14,351,24],"tags":[389,110,256,103,393],"class_list":["post-5215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-technology","category-general","category-nature-animals-urbanrural-life","category-teaching-learning","tag-educational-technology","tag-rural-life-2","tag-school","tag-society","tag-teaching-learning"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hsb6-1m7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":962,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2010\/07\/24\/another-attempt-to-fix-broken-education-by-simply-making-it-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":5215,"position":0},"title":"Another Attempt to Fix Broken Education by Simply Making it More","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"July 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I've seen this before. Summer Vacation is once again under attack in the U.S. See: The Case Against Summer Vacation - TIME. There is no question that formal education is broken in the U.S. (To be fair, it isn't so hot here in Canada either, but it IS considerably better\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1646,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2011\/04\/03\/screen-time-for-kids-is-it-learning-or-a-brain-drain-mindshift\/","url_meta":{"origin":5215,"position":1},"title":"Screen Time For Kids: Is it Learning or a Brain Drain? | MindShift","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"April 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Screen Time For Kids: Is it Learning or a Brain Drain? | MindShift. For me, it all boils down to just a few things: 1. In all things, moderation. And balance. Technology is great and kids should have access to whatever their parents can offer, but they should also get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5390,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/08\/22\/why-pushing-kids-to-learn-too-much-too-soon-is-counterproductive-the-washington-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":5215,"position":2},"title":"Worth Sharing: Why pushing kids to learn too much too soon is counterproductive &#8211; The Washington Post","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"August 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Why are we in such a rush? It takes time to grow up and some things (perhaps even most things) need time to sink in. We need time to form new neural connections. Curiously, at the same time we are pushing kids to be \"little Einsteins\", we treat them like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1986-06-007-adam4_wm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/1986-06-007-adam4_wm-300x197.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3332,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2013\/04\/18\/are-we-teaching-our-kids-to-not-learn\/","url_meta":{"origin":5215,"position":3},"title":"Are We Teaching Our Kids to NOT learn?","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"April 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm currently teaching an online graduate course in Digital Game Based Learning. It has included some great discussions about all kinds of things. Erin Lerouge (one of the class members) wrote a few comments on Seymore Paperts classic article, \"Papert, S. (1998). Does Easy Do It? Children, Games, and Learning.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5295,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/08\/12\/is-learning-really-work-or-is-it-education-that-is-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":5215,"position":4},"title":"Is Learning Really Work, or is it Education that is Work?","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"August 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Jim Gee says, \"When we think of games, we think of fun. When we think of learning we think of work\". (P. 43, 2007, Good Video Games + Good Learning) Is that really true? Somewhere along the line kids begin to associate what they do in school with \"work\", where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ID-10097423.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3656,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2013\/07\/28\/10-truths-about-educational-technology-amplify\/","url_meta":{"origin":5215,"position":5},"title":"10 Truths About Educational Technology | Amplify","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"July 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a great list. I've taken the liberty of recopying it here. 10 Truths About Educational Technology | Amplify. 10 Truths About Educational Technology By Randy Rodgers I am one of the many educators fortunate enough to work in the space of educational technology. It\u2019s hard for me to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5215"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5218,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5215\/revisions\/5218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}