School is Out !!

School has now been out for a couple of weeks. Some neighborhoods are filled with the sounds of children laughing and hollering. They ride bikes, trikes, scooters and skateboards. There are basketballs being bounced ... soccer balls being kicked ... baseballs being slammed into the air (which hopefully will avoid landing, as they have in the past, in the middle of one of my windows). Small dramas are invented ... games designed ... pecking orders established and leaders defined.

Soon, kids will start summer school, go to Vacation Bible school, participate in community sponsored recreational programs, travel to camp or spend their days in scheduled activities provided by the local childcare center. Some kids will have their eyes glued (from dawn to dusk) to the TV, computer screen, cell phone or electronic game station. Others will be searching for ways to occupy their time (with some getting into mischief) and keeping themselves amused until parent, guardian or older sibling arrive home from work.

Right now, there appears to be a bit of a lull in the scheduled activities and programs of community organizations, local schools and churches.

And the kids who are running around outdoors all seem pretty doggone happy about having some time to play. They look a bit more rested than on the mornings when they waited for the school bus ... seem a lot more relaxed than they were at the end of each long week of school.

They look young.

In about a month or so, there'll be the sounds of kids who are starting to get bored with the activities that (at the beginning of summer break) were met with great enthusiasm and vigor. There will be few more arguments floating above the laughter at the playground. Little kids who were "best friends" at the beginning of the summer will have new "best friends" by summer's end. There'll likely be a bit more whining, complaints, and tears ...

And while some kids may dread the thought of a new school year starting, others will secretly be counting the days.

View this time as an opportunity to encourage imagination and creativity. Turn off the technology and turn on the talent. Pull out the art supplies and models. Teach kids how to build a bird house, weed a flower bed, plant vegetables, cook a meal, create a scrapbook, make puppets or write a play. Find a non-profit organization that could use occasional help from a dynamic adult/kid duo. Volunteer to help clean your church or mow the yard of a neighbor whose work schedule is busier than yours.

And make a weekly visit to the local library. Find good books that didn't have a chance to be read during the school year.

A little boredom can be a good thing.