The other day, I blogged about the Summer Scramble, that is, trying to figure out what to do with your kids during the summer while you're at work. So, I thought it was just as good a time as any to address the question of whether your child should go to summer school.

It sounds wishy-washy, but the answer really is that it depends on your child. There are enough academic summer camps and private tutoring companies out there, that if you're worried about your child having summer brain drain, you don't automatically have to turn to summer school to keep him learning. That said, there are some times when summer school is a good idea. In particular if your child:

• Didn't graduate high school because he flunked a class. If he wants to start college in the fall and get his diploma, he's going to have to make up the class during summer session.
• Is in danger of being held back. This isn't all that common, but sometimes when kids have missed a lot of school, they're not ready to move up to the next grade. Summer school might be an option to keep them with their peer group.
• Has an IEP with Extended School Year services. In this case, it has been deemed that your child's disability may effect his ability to retain skills all summer long and some summer programming is in order. The school is legally required to provide summer services.

Image courtesy of Jupiter Images/Getty Images

The other day my 9-year-old son and I were discussing zombies at the breakfast table. It's not an unusual conversation for us to have; we debate whether the Zombie Apocalypse will bring rage-filled zombies or classic zombies. It's a mind exercise.

Anyway, my son, whom I may have mentioned before has Asperger's Syndrome and an incredibly high IQ, is always full of innovative ideas. I try to encourage him to follow-through as much as possible without letting it become a fixation.

This particular morning he wondered what Vegetarian Zombies would eat and then decided he wanted to get in touch with ThinkGeek to ask them about creating such a product. We sent off an email, with me adding a little explanation about my son and the AS fixation piece. Then he got a response from a man we will call "Buyer Monkey."

It was fantastic. A well-reasoned (and cited) argument against the existence of the classic or vegetarian zombie and some links to products ThinkGeek (on Twitter as @ThinkGeek) sells that said veggie zombies could eat. My son wrote a thank-you note and I wrote a heartful mom thank-you. I was thrilled my son saw some results from following-through on his idea.

Well, the story's not done. Said Buyer Monkey arranged for a Plush Zombie Monkey to arrive at our house via UPS. It came yesterday. My little guy is over-the-moon. He's so proud that he was able to convey an idea and see some results. I'm proud of him, too. And, so grateful to Mr. Buyer Monkey at ThinkGeek for giving of himself.

When I was growing up, both my parents were educators, so when summer rolled around, they weren't (technically) working. I, too, became an educator and was available for my kids in the summer when they were very young. It wasn't until I started doing work outside of the classroom and a school calendar that I understood the summer scramble.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If you have school-age children, the summer scramble is all about figuring out what to do with the kids during the summertime. Will they go to camp? Should you hire a babysitter? Rec programs? Do you and your partner stagger taking vacation time all summer? That's the summer scramble. And it makes a lot of parents panic about summer coming.

Interestingly enough, some kids panic about summer coming, too. They're used to the routine of school, love their teacher and feel nervous about not knowing what's coming next. That's why it's just as important for parents to find ways to get kids prepared for summer vacation as it is to be prepared for summer.

In our house, our teenager is in the midst of trying to find a job or a volunteer activity, our middle guy has a bunch of STEM camps lined up and we've found a sitter for the little guy for a few days a week. And we've been talking about all of it for weeks now. How are you preparing your kids for the summer scramble?

Image courtesy of D. Sharon Pruitt via Flickr/CCL

I don't know where you live, but where we live, spring has finally sprung. (At least I think so, it could change in the blink of an eye.) Spring always brings good weather and, with two young boys around, it also brings creepy crawlies. I'm so glad that some of those creepy crawlies eventually become beautiful moths and butterflies!

In honor of those impending butterflies, I decided to make an under 5 dollar craft, the Coffee Filter Butterfly craft. Not only are they fun and inexpensive to makes, they'll challenge your child's fine motor skills. And, if you're willing to spend a little more time and money, you can string a bunch of them together to make a beautiful mobile!

Have some Friday Fun!

Photo courtesy of Amanda Morin