June 14, 2013 — For generations, spring fever has been both contagious and epidemic, as kids grow antsy, counting down the days until they taste freedom from homework, sit-still class time, and hovering teachers. While unstructured play time is important to creativity and overall development, in our hotly competitive and flattening world, it’s important to help kids avoid losing skills over the summer by keeping them reading, learning, and intellectually challenged.