`HOMEMADE' EDUCATION SPAWNS SCHOOL SUCCESS

With legislative initiatives on this subject being debated, ~education has been very much on the minds of Missourians in recent weeks. It should remain so in the coming weeks. For young people, learning should not stop just because a school bell has recessed them for the summer. Parents who should be year-round partners in the educational process have a role to play in ensuring their children remain academically stimulated during the vacation months.

While most parents probably realize the value of this, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Missouri Parent-Teacher Association and Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. have reinforced it with a special project this summer. These two entities have published a calendar designed to help parents include educational activities in their ~child~ren's summer plans. The calendars have been sent to more than 2,000 principals and PTA presidents in Missouri with the hope they will be distributed locally.

In the calendar are educational ideas for each day of June, July and August. They range from things as simple as carving a soap sculpture to becoming involved in a local recycling project. There are days dedicated to drawing a family tree or writing a personal story, while others might focus on sampling ethnic foods or keeping up with a baseball player's batting average or locating cities on a map of Missouri.

This project does a lot of things right. First, it is not meant to be a strict itinerary of summer activities; rather, it sends a message that the learning experience should not be given a vacation and that there are plenty of things available to keep minds active. Second, it signals to children that education is not one part of their life and fun a separate part; learning is fun and this augments the point. Third, the calendar properly places an emphasis on reading; there is no better thing a parent can do to enhance a child's education than spending a few minutes each day reading together. It creates a desirable habit and forms a foundation from which other independent learning can grow.

The Cape Girardeau area has a great many enrichment classes, day camps and summer activities to offer. They are wonderful. Few will do as much good, however, as parents taking an active interest in a child's education. The name of this summer project is "Success in School is Homemade," and it appears to be right on the money. We applaud those organizations for proposing it.

Interested parents may obtain a copy of the summer calendar by sending a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to: Summer Calendar, Public Information Office, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102.