How do children in Europe spend their summer vacation (international perspective)

　　Our reporter Liu Lingling puts flowers on Zhang Penghui and Yu Yichun

　　Starting in July, students in elementary, secondary, and kindergarten in European countries have successively entered summer life.

Through interviews with local educators and families, the reporter found that the summer vacation in European schools varies in length and activity arrangements, but they all have a common goal, which is to make the children's vacation life as colorful as possible.

By participating in various summer activities such as learning vacations, summer camps and travel, the children broadened their horizons and improved their quality.

　　France--

　　Fine design activities are entertaining and entertaining

　　As the summer is approaching, the neighborhood where the reporter lives has posted various summer activity registration posters.

Among them, there are treasure hunts in the park, singing and dancing performances designed for kindergarten children, outdoor adventures for teenagers, leisure parks for office workers to take care of their children, and summer camps to different cities and regions...

　　In France, during summer vacation, in addition to going out with family members, children can also participate in various activities or trainings jointly organized by the French Ministry of Education and Culture and the local government according to their own hobbies.

These activities will be finely divided and designed according to different ages. From reading, art activities to outdoor sports, the rich and diverse activities form a powerful supplement to school and family education, and also help parents solve the problem of taking care of their children during vacations.

　　Summer camp activities usually last from 1 week to 3 weeks, and the locations are mostly located in scenic places such as seashores and mountainous areas.

Children can take part in activities such as surfing, equestrianism, and hiking.

The fees for these activities are generally not high, and families in need can apply for vacation subsidies from the government.

Generally, low-income families can apply for holiday activity subsidies ranging from 300 Euros to 450 Euros.

Children can also go out to participate in boarding learning summer camps, and get close to the customs of different places. 80% of the accommodation costs (up to 400 euros per minor per week) are paid by the government to the cooperative community.

　　In order to reduce the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic on academics, starting from last summer, the French Ministry of Education has allocated 200 million euros in financial allocations to open some schools to provide free tutoring for students.

This policy will continue to be implemented this year.

Since July, many places in France have carried out activities based on school conditions and local conditions.

Students generally follow teacher volunteers for schoolwork in the morning, and participate in sports, puzzle games or visit museums in the afternoon.

　　The "Outdoor School" project is also one of the options for students to spend the summer vacation.

These projects allow students to experience the local natural and historical cultural heritage in the form of camping or boarding.

Vocational high school students usually choose to participate in the "professional holiday" program, boarding in a related professional family or unit, and spend a fulfilling summer vacation in learning and professional experience.

　　Germany--

　　Staggered holiday to ensure vacation quality

　　There is no national uniform time for summer vacation in German schools, and the 16 federal states decide on their own.

Taking this year as an example, the summer vacation for primary and secondary schools in Meiqian Prefecture in the northeast lasts from June 21 to July 31; while in Bawu Prefecture in the southwest, students only start their vacation on July 29.

　　Avoiding concentrated travel is the main reason for the peak holiday of elementary and middle schools in various states.

The summer vacation is the peak vacation period for Germans. If the vacation time of each state is exactly the same, it may cause traffic congestion, "a room is hard to find" in popular holiday destinations, and the quality of vacation will be greatly reduced.

　　According to a random interview conducted by the German magazine Der Spiegel, about 90% of German students would go on vacation with their parents during the summer vacation.

Affected by the epidemic, many German families abandoned their travel plans during the summer vacation, and their children stayed at home or participated in summer activities nearby.

　　In order to help students spend a colorful holiday, many local governments will cooperate with local cultural and educational institutions and sports associations to carry out related activities.

For example, the Pankow district of Berlin published information on all summer youth activities in the district on the district government website to facilitate students and parents to choose according to the type of activity, time and cost.

　　"Summer work" is also an option for many German teenagers.

German law stipulates that young people over the age of 13 can, with the consent of the guardian, perform some simple tasks between 6 am and 18 pm, but usually cannot work more than 2 hours a day, such as agricultural work can be moderately relaxed To 3 hours.

　　Mia, a middle school student from Stuttgart, a city in southwestern Germany, told reporters that during one summer vacation, she had worked as a sales assistant and exhibition coordinator.

"In addition to earning money to buy the things I like, I can also experience the difficulty of my parents' work. Of course, more importantly, it is a certain inspiration for future career choices. I now think that sales work is very suitable for me." Through summer work, Mi For the first time, Ya has a plan for her future career.

　　Belgium--

　　Temporary class enriches holiday life

　　"Welcome to this week's summer camp!" At 8:30 in the morning, Laura Vanderbilt, a teacher at a private English school in Brussels, Belgium, stood at the school gate on time to greet the students participating in the summer camp.

There are nearly 30 children participating in this summer camp, and each person has to pay a fee of 170 euros.

Among them, there are both local and off-campus students. They span different grades and are jointly managed by two teachers.

The teacher will design a theme every week and carry out handicrafts, drama, painting and outdoor activities based on this.

　　During holidays, temporary classes such as summer camps and nursing classes are very common in Belgium.

Whether it is public schools, private schools, dance schools, language schools and other training institutions, as well as social institutions such as community centers, all kinds of activities will be organized for children.

The reporter randomly asked about the charging standards of several summer camps. The weekly price is more than 100 Euros. The temporary classes in some community centers can also provide more preferential prices for children in the district.

　　The Belgian temporary classes mainly focus on cultivating extracurricular interests, including dance, sports, cooking, environmental protection, etc. There are almost no extracurricular tutoring classes that focus on teaching textbook knowledge and subject knowledge.

Belgian parents and students generally believe that vacations are used for relaxation, and it is difficult to attract students to participate in tutoring courses.

　　For Belgian families, another major theme of summer vacation is travel.

Affected by the epidemic, the number of people choosing to travel by car in Belgium has increased significantly this year.

A survey conducted by the Free Belgian newspaper shows that 65% of Belgians plan to travel abroad this summer, and 40% of the people choose to travel after the vaccine.

　　(Our newspaper Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Beijing, August 1st)