In an effort to make your job a little easier, we have compiled an assortment of creative suggestions for summer activities specifically geared to pre-teens. As an added bonus, many of the following are ways of sneaking a little bit of learning in on your child.

• At the beginning of the summer sit down with your child and talk about the types of fun activities they would like to do over the summer. Gather up summer arts and music schedules, information about local sporting events, pamphlets about local points of interest and day trips (all available at local malls, supermarkets and chambers of commerce) to jump-start your discussion. Schedule the dates on your family calendar to make sure that these special events come to pass. If there is preplanning involved, enlist your child’s help when gathering necessary information, making reservations, preparing lists and shopping for supplies.
   
• If your child has a friend whose parent(s) will be staying home with him or her over the summer, inquire about sharing care-taking responsibilities. This might be a formal arrangement for which the stay-at-home parent is reimbursed or a creative one in which you trade off responsibilities for their child during the evening or on weekends. This type of arrangement can work well for a pre-teen who is embarrassed about the possibility of spending her summer with a babysitter. Instead, she can view it as an opportunity to hang out with a close friend while you are away during the day.
   
• If your workplace will allow it, arrange to take your middle schooler to work with you a couple of days a week. Often there are filing, cleaning or other odd jobs to be done that can teach your child the basics about your workplace, as well as earn him some spending money.
   
• Team up with a local family that is interested in having a helper to look after their younger children. An arrangement with a stay-at-home-parent can be mutually beneficial — the parent gets a much needed break to take care of personal business around the home while your child can earn some money and practice what she has learned in her Red Cross babysitting course.
   
• Look into having your child perform odd jobs for a local neighbor. As with the babysitting arrangement, this allows your child to earn some extra spending cash while being supervised by someone you trust.
   
• If your child enjoys cooking, have him plan and prepare a simple meal or special dessert for the family once a week. Involve him in the planning, shopping and preparation. This can give parents a well-deserved break from cooking, as well as teach your child valuable organizational and life-skills. As with any cooking project, make sure that your child is adept at using the tools he will need to make the meal. If you will not be in the home while the meal is being prepared, suggest that it be something that doesn’t involve the use of the stove, grill or sharp utensils.

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean learning has to stop. There are many local colleges and service agencies that offer a wide variety of programs for middle school students during the summer. Academic enrichment programs range from sports camps or outdoor adventures, to journalism, music, art, computer skills, science and math programs and more.

For some great summer academic enrichment programs, visit the "Summer Programs at New York Colleges for Kids 8-18" online at www.summeroncampus.com or inquire at the local YMCA, Girls Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs and other community agencies about the types of summer programs they offer.

Here are some books that are current favorites with middle schoolers. For more suggestions, ask other parents what their children are reading or check with the local library.

• Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul: Stories about Pets as Teachers, Healers, Heroes and Friends.
   
• Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul: 101 Stories of Changes, Choices, and Growing for Kids 9-13.
   
• Frindle by Andrew Clements -When he decides to turn his 5th grade teacher’s love of the dictionary around on her, Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly spirals beyond his control.
   
• Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville - A fantasy novel in which artistically talented Jeremy Thatcher unknowingly buys a dragon’s egg, hatches it, and has a life full of unusual problems.
   
• A Tarantula in My Purse: And 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighhead George - A collection of autobiographical stories about raising a houseful of children and wild pets including crows, skunks and raccoons.
   
• Redwall series by Brian Jaques - In this outstanding fantasy series a group of mice work to defend their abbey against other animal intruders. Luckily, they are helped by the mouse ghost Martin the Warrior. Great for fans of The Hobbit, Patricia Wrede’s Dragon series, as well as fans of Bruce Coville’s novels.
   
• Stranded by Ben Mikaelsen - Twelve-year-old Koby, who has lost a foot in an accident, sees a chance to prove her self-reliance to her parents when she tries to rescue two pilot whales near her home in the Florida Keys.
   
• Countdown by Ben Mikaelsen - In two parallel stories, a 14-year-old boy, who is NASA’s first Junior Astronaut, and a 14-year-old Maasai herder in Kenya both edge into maturity while questioning their family traditions. Though the child astronaut speaks to the Masaai herder often from space, they are definitely not friendly to each other at first.
   
• Jip: His Story by Katherine Paterson - Historical story in which Jip, who believes he is merely a boy on a poor farm in Vermont (1855-1856), discovers that his true identity could be dangerous to himself and others.
• Woodsong by Gary Paulsen - For a rugged outdoor man and his family, life in northern Minnesota is a wild experience involving wolves, deer and sled dogs.
   
• The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen - An adventure story in which David goes out to his sailboat to scatter his recently deceased uncle’s ashes on the water. He falls asleep, drifts out to sea, and is caught in a fierce storm. David must survive days on his own on the open ocean.

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