Is Summer Sucking the Manners and Academic Skills out of My Kids?

As summer vacation approached, I longed for the hot sun and the relaxed schedule that accompanied the long days and warm nights.  I wanted the biggest decisions to be whether I decided to take the Pickies to the pool or let them play in the sprinklers.  I imagined all of the healthy, easy meals I would make from our Farmer's Market loot that, of course, all Pickies would eat without the slightest complaint of "I don't like this" or "NO!!!!!!!".

Reality hit me last week when the Pickies' whining:tattling ratio dramatically increased, the littlest Picky refused everything on his plate, and the 100+ degrees weather made playing outside difficult.  I knew I needed a plan, and the former teacher in me had one:  Buy the kids some summer skills workbooks so they don't lose their manners and academic progress.

After the Pickies played in the gym's childcare and I finished a (ie: shower), I headed to Lakeshore Learning to see what I could find.  I found the workbooks (on sale!), a birthday present for the littlest Picky, and allowed all the kids to pick out a special pencil and stickers.  We were armed and read to brush up on those academic skills that have been quietly napping and filed in the brain between television trivia, t-ball rules and restaurant menu options.

It's been a little less than a week and the Pickies seem back in track, completing their workbook pages, and I even gave them an assigned reading project.  The middle Picky was not pleased with this new development and even told me, "Mom.  I can't read because my mouth is too sore."  They read, they summarized, and I felt like maybe a little structure and academic skills could be beneficial over summer vacation.

And when asked about where he wants to go for his 4th birthday, the littlest Picky exclaimed, "The Teacher Store!".

How do you work with your children on their academic skills over the summer (and more importantly, how do you get your children to not become beastly tattlers?!)?