聯接與跨越Bridging the Gap 【連載五】

本專欄以《聯接與跨越》為題，以一位華裔美國中學生的親身體驗，提供常識性的對美國小學和中學學習環境與學習方式、校園生活、課余活動、升學準備、交友與聚會等中國學生和家長感興趣的話題，提供短小精悍的中英雙語介紹。

本專欄分“小學篇”和“中學篇”，分別在我刊《小學教師》與《中學教師》中以連載的方式刊出。下文為“小學篇”的第五篇文章。

作者簡介：王若桑，出生于美國康涅狄格州。現為美國羅德島州南郡高中3年級學生。

Connie R. Wang is currently a junior student of the South Kingstown High School,

South Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA.

五、美國小學生的暑假活動

在3個月的暑假期間，美國的小學生會像學期中一樣有很多事情去做。回想我的童年，最開始的記憶就是暑假；例如和鄰里的孩子們玩球，去海邊，在澆草坪的噴水中跑來跑去。暑期有助于兒童成長的活動通常包括從純粹的玩樂到教育項目。

在純玩樂方面，孩子們的活動包括從游藝到節日。活動通常有接觸寵物動物，去玩有趣的游戲，觀看娛樂表演，去游樂場乘機動游戲機等。你或許會感到很多活動在強調享受大自然。海洋、湖泊、河流都是家庭聚會、垂釣、拾貝、劃船等游樂的地方。在大自然的主題下，隨季節而來的采摘水果很受歡迎。采摘的水果主要有草莓、藍莓、桃子等。諸如此類的活動詮釋了童年生活的無憂無慮。

美國小學兒童享受自由的暑假，直到中學以后才開始有暑期家庭作業。但是這并不意味孩子們沒有學習的選擇。很多家長都熱衷于把孩子送到可以學習各種主題內容的夏令營。可以說，任何題目都可以找到與之匹配的夏令營。首先，夏令營是培養孩子們課外興趣的好地方，比如音樂、足球、美術等。其他也有學習方面的夏令營。我見過的主題內容就有海洋生物、數學、科技，甚至文化夏令營等。夏令營可以讓孩子們感到學習可以是有趣的。參加夏令營通常是要付費的，家長們要早送晚接。有些夏令營是由校車把孩子們送到指定的地方，孩子們可以與專業人士交流，問問題，或探索某個領域。例如，海洋生物夏令營會把孩子們帶到海灣，在那里見到海洋生物學專家，了解其工作內容，得到關于海灣的第一手有關資料和初次嘗試的經歷。另外的夏令營或許就在固定的地點，例如校園或營地。參加夏令營是個很好的選擇，因為在那里孩子們可以有彼此交往，學習生命中重要的技能。

暑假雖然只是一年中的一個部分，但并不意味孩子們要整天悶在家里看電視。當外面有那么多選擇時，很明顯，為什么暑假是孩子們最喜歡的時間。除了享受歡樂外，學習方面的夏令營可以使學生們拓展興趣。童年期是嘗試不同興趣的最佳時間，因為有如此之多的選擇，可以啟發和培養孩子們在中學階段和將來去進一步追求感興趣的內容。

英文原稿

Article 5：Summer Time of American Elementary School Students

During the 3-month summer vacation in America, children have just as much to do as during the school year. When I think about my own childhood, the first memories that come to mind are from summer; playing ball with the neighborhood kids, going to the beach, and playing in the sprinklers to name a few. The common activities in the summer range from pure hearted summer fun to interesting educational programs that allow children to grow.

Starting with the pure hearted summer fun, kids activities from fun carnivals and festivals. These often have petting zoos, fun games for the kids to play, fun entertainment to watch, and amusement rides. As you can see, there is a big emphasis on enjoying nature. Oceans, lakes, and rivers become the common meeting place where families like to fish, go clamming, or spend time on personal boats. In the theme of nature, fruit picking is also very popular as many of the produce become their best at this time. Popular picking fruits are strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. These activities are what make summers of childhood seemingly full of worry free bliss.

Elementary school children have the luxury of a summer free of school work as American children begin to have summer homework assignments later on in middle school. That does not mean, however, that children do not have the option to learn. Many parents are enthusiastic in sending their children to day camps where they can learn about various topics. There is literally a topic for everyone. First you have your camps on extracurricular activities to enrich the children's interest. Some examples include music camp, soccer camp, and art camp. There are also many scholastic camps as well. I've seen topics on marine life, math camp, technology camp, and even culture camps. These camps are a great way for children to realize that learning can be fun. Generally parents pay a fee and drop off children in the morning and pick them up after work. For some camps, a bus will take everyone to a designated location where the children can talk to professionals, ask questions, or explore the area. For example a marine life camp would take children to a local bay where they could meet a professional marine biologist, learn about their job, and get first hand experience with the bay. Other camps may be simpler and stay in one designated location, such as a school campus or camp site. Camps can be a great experience for some because they allow children to socialize and learn important life skills.

While summer vacation is only a portion of the year, it does not mean that children have to stay home and watch TV. When there are so many activities to do, it is clear why summer is an obvious favorite of children. Among the many to enjoy, there are also many enriching educational camps for children to further develop interests. Childhood is a great time to experiment with different interests because the resources are so readily available and it will set up the children to further pursue these interests into high school and beyond.