State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell offers his annual top 10 tips to help parents keep their children active and engaged in learning during the traditional summer recess.

•Turn off the television and computer and play outside. Call the neighbors and start a volleyball game in the yard. Dust off the old Slip 'N Slide and invite some kids over for water fun. Physical activity helps prevent the silent epidemic of childhood obesity. Teamwork teaches children about the values of helping, sharing, listening, respecting and participating.

•Watch educational programs. If it's too hot outside there are several educational programs on television, such as "The Electric Company" or "Sesame Street" on the PBS stations. These programs are also online and offer activities and educational resources for children.

For more information, visit www.sesamestreet.org or www.pbskids.org/ electriccompany.

•Set aside time each day to read. Read the morning newspaper with children or find a good book at the library or bookstore. Reading keeps children's minds active and engaged and ready to learn when they go back to school.

Search the California Department of Education's Recommended Literature database to find age-appropriate materials at www.cde.ca.gov.

•Volunteer. Summer jobs for teens are scarce because of the recession. Instead, encourage children to volunteer at a local nonprofit agency or help elderly neighbors or those less fortunate. Find volunteer opportunities through the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org or California Volunteers at www .californiavolunteers.org.

•Encourage children to create their own job. Children can mow lawns, pet sit, house sit or take care of the neighbors' plants while they are on vacation. Or they can baby-sit after getting lessons from the local American Red Cross Chapter. Work helps children learn about responsibility and financial literacy.

•Start a scrapbook. Find all the old vacation pictures that are stashed away in boxes and work with children to put together a scrapbook. This helps preserve vacation memories, initiates family conversations and helps families bond during tough economic times.

•Visit local museums. Families sometimes only go to museums when they're on vacation and rarely visit their own hometown's facilities. The American Association of Museums reports attending a museum is affordable and often free.

Search for a nearby museum at www.aam-us.org/.

•Go grocery shopping with children. Let them help plan the meals to help them learn the value of good nutrition, balanced meals and making healthy choices. While at the grocery store, let the children add up the price of groceries. This will teach them about math.

•Cook dinner together. Let the children help prepare a meal. This teaches them how to be selfsufficient and independent. Let them measure out the ingredients and teach them how the ingredients interact with each other. This allows them to practice their math and chemistry skills.

•Let kids teach the parents how to use a computer. Using technology comes naturally to children who were born in the Internet age. Letting them be the teacher teaches them patience and how to engage their parents in conversation and makes parents listen to the children, which may become a bonding experience.

"When children are inactive mentally and physically during the summer, they often have to take time to get back up to speed in the fall," said O'Connell. "This wastes students' valuable learning time and schools' scarce resources."

This article is provided by the California Department of Education, Communications Division.