[联接与跨越Bridging,the,Gap,【连载五】] 连接

　　本专栏以《联接与跨越》为题，以一位华裔美国中学生的亲身体验，提供常识性的对美国小学和中学学习环境与学习方式、校园生活、课余活动、升学准备、交友与聚会等中国学生和家长感兴趣的话题，提供短小精悍的中英双语介绍。
　　本专栏分“小学篇”和“中学篇”，分别在我刊《小学教师》与《中学教师》中以连载的方式刊出。下文为“小学篇”的第五篇文章。
　　作者简介：王若桑，出生于美国康涅狄格州。现为美国罗德岛州南郡高中3年级学生。
　　Connie R. Wang is currently a junior student of the South Kingstown High School,
　　South Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA.
　　五、美国小学生的暑假活动
　　在3个月的暑假期间，美国的小学生会像学期中一样有很多事情去做。回想我的童年，最开始的记忆就是暑假；例如和邻里的孩子们玩球，去海边，在浇草坪的喷水中跑来跑去。暑期有助于儿童成长的活动通常包括从纯粹的玩乐到教育项目。
　　在纯玩乐方面，孩子们的活动包括从游艺到节日。活动通常有接触宠物动物，去玩有趣的游戏，观看娱乐表演，去游乐场乘机动游戏机等。你或许会感到很多活动在强调享受大自然。海洋、湖泊、河流都是家庭聚会、垂钓、拾贝、划船等游乐的地方。在大自然的主题下，随季节而来的采摘水果很受欢迎。采摘的水果主要有草莓、蓝莓、桃子等。诸如此类的活动诠释了童年生活的无忧无虑。
　　美国小学儿童享受自由的暑假，直到中学以后才开始有暑期家庭作业。但是这并不意味孩子们没有学习的选择。很多家长都热衷于把孩子送到可以学习各种主题内容的夏令营。可以说，任何题目都可以找到与之匹配的夏令营。首先，夏令营是培养孩子们课外兴趣的好地方，比如音乐、足球、美术等。其他也有学习方面的夏令营。我见过的主题内容就有海洋生物、数学、科技，甚至文化夏令营等。夏令营可以让孩子们感到学习可以是有趣的。参加夏令营通常是要付费的，家长们要早送晚接。有些夏令营是由校车把孩子们送到指定的地方，孩子们可以与专业人士交流，问问题，或探索某个领域。例如，海洋生物夏令营会把孩子们带到海湾，在那里见到海洋生物学专家，了解其工作内容，得到关于海湾的第一手有关资料和初次尝试的经历。另外的夏令营或许就在固定的地点，例如校园或营地。参加夏令营是个很好的选择，因为在那里孩子们可以有彼此交往，学习生命中重要的技能。
　　暑假虽然只是一年中的一个部分，但并不意味孩子们要整天闷在家里看电视。当外面有那么多选择时，很明显，为什么暑假是孩子们最喜欢的时间。除了享受欢乐外，学习方面的夏令营可以使学生们拓展兴趣。童年期是尝试不同兴趣的最佳时间，因为有如此之多的选择，可以启发和培养孩子们在中学阶段和将来去进一步追求感兴趣的内容。
　　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.