When I was a kid , summertime meant completely disconnect from telephones , TVs , and engineering of all kind . I spent my days sit gymnastic horse , making macramé keychains , and swat mosquito at arural camp in Tennessee . My only pedantic activity was a farsighted summer reading leaning . But kids today are require to come back to shoal not only with a refreshed repertoire of campfire song , but also with clear memories of everything they learned the twelvemonth before . What ’s a parent to do ? When your child are at loose ends , press your Mac into military service . Here are some estimate :

•Visit educational Web sitesSome of our editors ’ favorites includeStarfallfor sport meter reading and pre - reading activities shoot for at preschool to second graders ; theMonterey Bay Aquarium sitefor live entanglement cams of ocean turtles , sharks , penguins and more , as well as activities and games ; andNational Geographic Kidsfor strange animals videos , games , and scientific discipline and history articles aimed at youngster . My personal best-loved isNASA ’s kid paginate — an gentle place to find video recording and bodily process that will fill a robot- and starship - obsess tiddler .

•Help them watch an instrumentStudyafterstudyhas demonstrated the connection between musical training and donnish skills , so it makes mother wit to encourage tike to pick up an instrumental role . Besides , it ’s fun ! Your aspiring rocker might enjoy the very interactional iPlayMusic ’s $ 50Beginner Guitar Lessons for the Mac . This software includes hours of television demonstrations and is integrated with iLife — once your small fry masters a tune , he or she can record it in GarageBand . If you ’d care to acquire elementary songs to play for your toddler or preschooler , take a look at the $ 25iPlayMusic diddle Music Together DVD .

•Send them to Apple CampParent and game - maestro , Peter Cohen , cordially advocate Apple ’s ownfree summer campswhere kids ages 8 to 12 ( and their parents ) troop off for a few hours to learn how to podcast , expend iWeb , make music using GarageBand , or make pic using iMovie . take about Peter ’s experience for yourself .

•Explore the science of sportsIf you have sports - obsess older kids , check outESPN ’s Sports Figuresfor action at law - pack videos of jock discussing science and math rule . ( You ’ll call for to be capable to play Windows Media content on your Mac . Download a QuickTime Player wad - inhere . ) too , you ’ll encounter many online games that relate math skills to kid ’ favorite games . For case , practice propagation and add-on withBatter ’s Up Baseball .

•Try educational softwareWhen you need muted time , try sitting the kids in front of the Mac rather of the television . The Parent Channel observe alist of recommended educational gamesorganized by ages and topic , as doesLearning Village . Public program library are often a in effect billet for baby to play educational software for gratis .

•And do n’t forget your library and its entanglement siteMylibrary , like many around the country , runs an extensive summertime reading program . Kids gain prize for completing meter reading goal — whether they ’re reading on their own or a parent is reading to them . ( My 3 - and - half year quondam is already whipped up into a frenzy about winning his cherry summer - reading t - shirt . ) Most public library Web sites maintain dandy book lists and modern search technology — perfect when you ’re looking for just the right dangerous undertaking script to hire a reluctant reader . You ’ll often determine list of local , kid - favorable activities on your program library ’s site too .

Did I miss your favorite path to engage the offspring ? Share your mind on the forums .