Boating, beaches, fishing, family picnics, movies and Xbox, that’s what summers are made of in Bermuda.Every summer parents struggle to find innovative ways to hone and develop the learning skills of their children and so they should.Research indicates (though it varies slightly, depending on the source) that all children lose an average of one month’s worth of learning during the summer months. The areas that are hardest hit being the two primary subject’s mathematics and reading.‘How does any of this relate to technology?’ you may ask yourself. Well, as much as we’d like to separate our children from their gaming systems and online excursions, we can also allow technology to work in our favour and theirs.Why not get creative with your children and encourage them to put their imagination and computer skills to good use during the break by helping them to create their own blog site. I can almost see the look on some parents’ faces, but as a mother of two I can see the merit in this idea.Kids can create a site of their own or perhaps create a group site with some of their friends focusing on a common subject they all enjoy: fashion, gaming, best water parks, or pets, basically anything that drives their imagination.A great example of an organised and quite impressive blog is http://technewskids.com, which is run by a bunch of preteens. These blogs can be as elaborate or simplistic as you want them to be so don’t be intimidated.The following site www.kidslearntoblog.com was developed as a tool to teach children and adults how to start a blog and contains details on various blog styles and basic safety measures we should all be aware of. It’s a great resource to help get you started.Another noteworthy site Education Portal (http://education-portal.com/articles/40_of_the_Best_Websites_for_Young_Writers.html) is a comprehensive resource site to help aspiring young writers develop their skills. It showcases a bevy of sites that make writing enjoyable, I particularly like www.chompchomp.com.So don’t hesitate, get them started today and without even knowing it they will be developing their reading and writing skills, using their creative design abilities, and in some cases learning how to research and interrupt data of interest.Try and help them to keep things fresh by taking them on field trips that are relative to their blog or perhaps just coming up with an activity they can carry out at home and document on their blog like party planning in ten easy steps or creating an invitation.As promised, July’s articles will be filled with challenges and the opportunity to win some great prizes.Challenge 1: Find and send us a link (TechBuzz@btc.bm) to a kid’s blog along with four words that describe it. Entries due by July 27, 2012. Please put the challenge number in the subject line of the email. Winners will be judged by accuracy of entry — correct web address and descriptive words selected.All winners will be announced at the end of July and all participants will be entered in a draw for some great prizes as well.We’d love to know what topics you’d be interested in learning more about, so e-mail us at TechBuzz@btc.bm