Three months of swimming, sleeping late and watching a heck of a lot of TV can undo nine months of learning.

In fact, a century's worth of research shows school kids will "experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer," according to the National Summer Learning Association. But by making a few simple plans, the notorious summer slide of learning can actually mean fun for the whole family.

Here's some advice on getting your kids engaged in music, reading, science and social studies when they're on vacation. And, hey, you might even learn something, too!

Hit the Right Note

• Summer is the perfect time for kids to explore music and musical instruments, plus, musical learning has benefits in the classroom (but your kid doesn't need to know that!). If your child already has picked up an instrument at school, continue lessons during the summer months. Some research supports the idea that structured, extracurricular activities may help a child's focus and intelligence.

When Riley Goodfellow took a trip to Guatemala with her parents last summer, she was struck by how many people there were living in poverty without clean water. The 8-year-old came away from the experience with a mission: Everyone in the world should have clean water.

The second grader is no stranger to service projects. Near her home in Orange County, Calif., she has picked crops for Second Harvest, making food available to those who don't have any. She has helped out at a preschool program in an inner city church in Watts. Each time she visits her grandparents in Winston-Salem, N.C., she helps serve soup to the homeless at Samaritan Ministries.

And, in June 2009, when Goodfellow's parents, Blake and Sarah, took the family to Guatemala, the youngster conceived her clean-water goal.

Amazing Dad: Randy Christensen, M.D., a pediatrician at Phoenix Children's Hospital and medical director for the Crews'n Healthmobile, mobile and fixed medical units treating homeless and at-risk youth

Randy's Family: Wife: Amy Christensen, M.D., married 11 years; Kids: Twins Janie and Reed, 8, Charlotte, 6

Randy Lives In: Phoenix, Arizona

Why Randy Is Amazing: Dr. Randy Christensen tells the story of a little girl whose family has lost its income and its home. Living in a rough Arizona shelter, the girl complained of ear pain for three weeks, but the family couldn't afford medical treatment.

Then, Randy and the Crews'n Healthmobile visits. "I go in and take a look. She's in severe, severe pain," Randy says.

The traveling pediatrician performs the "simplest procedure in the world" -- removing a cockroach that had crawled into her ear and died -- and she gives him a huge hug. The family has since moved to a more stable shelter and she and her brother are able to attend school. Each time Randy visits the shelter or her school, she runs to give him a hug.

"You could never describe how good that feels," he says, with emotion creeping into his voice. "Those are the kind of kids I see on a daily basis. It is really, not only rewarding, but life-changing to see what's out there."

With the help of a team from Phoenix Children's Hospital, Randy runs the Crews'n Healthmobile. The traveling medical troupe treated its first patient in 2000, finishing that year having seen 1,000 patients. In 2009 that annual number had risen to 3,400 disadvantaged youth patients.

"From very early on, my mom and dad instilled this belief that we were responsible for our fellow humans and make our community a better place," Randy tells ParentDish in a telephone interview. "I love the population that is out in the street and living in shelters."

The Crews'n Healthmobile efforts have shown a significant decrease in emergency room visits by homeless kids. By helping to keep kids healthier, Randy says, they spend less time in emergency rooms, they attend school more often and teens can get jobs.

Randy involves his three kids with his work when he can, sharing in the success stories while shielding them from the stories that are "ungodly horrible."

"They are very involved and are excited to help out and be part of Daddy's work," he explains. "One of the ways I stay connected is keeping them involved. They very much like that."

Interviewed shortly after returning from a camping trip he took with his three children while his wife visited a relative, his advice for parents stresses what he tries to do: "No matter how crazy stuff gets, you have to schedule time with the family."

Randy makes an effort to drop off or pick up his kids from school and keep their special events on his schedule. Every couple of weeks, he'll bring his children for an early-morning cinnamon roll before school starts. He's even the kind of husband who books date nights with his wife.

He finds his inspiration from the people he meets on his job.

"My mentors are the kids who tell you the stories of the most horrible tragedies. The dark, dark things that take place and yet they get up and they are out there," he says. "I can't even imagine the difficulties they face and they go on and they succeed."

In an effort to spread the word on these kids, Randy is writing a book, "Ask Me Why I Hurt," which tells the stories of the street kids Randy has met. He says it's dedicated to his mother, who recently passed away, and scheduled for release on Mother's Day 2011. Randy hopes the book will serve as a "call to action for communities to get involved."

Randy's Wife Amy Says: "I'm glad he is doing that kind of work and serving the under-served and that he is able to do the work. He makes me really proud and he makes the kids really proud."

Recognition: In 2007, he was named a "CNN Hero," and two years ago he was profiled in People Magazine. Last year, the Arizona Republic recognized him as one of the 10 Most Fascinating People in Arizona.

Randy's Guilty Pleasures: When Randy was growing up, his family was pretty poor. When he was graduating high school in the mid-1980s, he wanted a "real sports car." Last winter, he started looking into it. To fulfill this dream, he bought himself a 1986 Toyota MRT for $500 and a mechanic is rebuilding the engine.

Randy's Best Advice: "Follow your passions. I think that too many people think you have to be a superhero to make a difference. You get out there and start doing something you really believe in, you start seeing a change."

Related: Amazing Dad: Bruce Feiler

Want to see who else made the list? Click here for the rest of AOL's 2010 Amazing Dads!

Amazing Dad: Darryl Gibbs, founder and CEO of The Cynthia Gibbs Foundation, a victims' advocate for the Westchester County District Attorney's Office and national spokesperson for the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome

Darryl's Family: Engaged to be married; Kids: Vanessa, 18, Danielle, 15, Cynthia, forever 8 months

Darryl Lives In: Yonkers, New York

Why Darryl Is Amazing: For Darryl Gibbs, November 17, 2000, started as many days had started before, but by 6:59 p.m., his 8-month-old daughter, Cynthia, was dead.

Darryl's wife, Barbara, went to pick up their daughter from day care. When she arrived, Cynthia was still. The injured infant simply slumped in her mother's arms. Barbara immediately rushed the baby to the hospital, but emergency room staff were unable to bring her back, Darryl says. Cynthia had died at the hands of her New York State certified child care provider, a family friend who had five children of her own.

Cynthia's autopsy indicated she died from massive brain damage, the result of shaken baby syndrome (SBS). A criminal trial ensued and Darryl discovered the details of SBS. He'd never realized that you could kill a child by shaking.

"People don't know that you can," Darryl tells ParentDish. "It can be prevented -- 100 percent -- when people know how to cope with that one thing that babies do: Crying. [Caregivers] have to learn not to take it personal. When they do, bad things happen to children."

In their grief, Darryl and Barbara founded in 2001 The Cynthia Gibbs Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on the prevention of child abuse.

"It means that Cynthia lives on in every child that I've worked to protect," Darryl says. "A small piece of her is in every child."

In early 2002, the day care provider was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

"People need to know that this is real and it can happen quick, within seconds," he says. After Cynthia's death, Darryl learned that the New York State day care provider certification didn't include a lesson on SBS.

"That was the first thing I had done here in New York in 2003," Darryl says.

Undaunted, Darryl worked to pass a New York State law that requires child care providers to receive training about the dangers of SBS. At the same time, Darryl's experience of Cynthia's murder trial opened his eyes to the criminal justice system and, in 2003, he became a victims' advocate for the Westchester County District Attorney's Office in the Victims' Justice Center.

In 2004, he focused on New York State hospitals and birthing centers, where new parents can be educated by watching a video on the dangers of SBS. In 2006, "Cynthia's Law" was passed. One of its components is a public-education campaign. Another piece of the law increased criminal penalties, allowing New York to join 14 other states in recognizing SBS as a felony assault.

Darryl has taken the SBS cause to the United States Congress for legislation that will focus on prevention, awareness and education. The legislation is sponsored by U.S. Representative Nita Lowey and U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd.

The advocate dad, who'd named Cynthia after his own departed mom, has been inspired by everything that was taken away from his baby. SBS, Darryl says, not only shakes kids to death, but it shakes the remaining family members to its core. In fact, Darryl and Barbara's marriage ended in divorce, which he attributes to repercussions from Cynthia's death and the trial that followed.

"This could happen to any child under the wrong circumstances," he says. "I'll never know how many lives have been saved, but I know that I'm saving them. There is nothing more precious," Darryl says, noting that his daughter would've been 10 years old this year.

Darryl's College Roommate Carl Pitt Says: "Darryl took a hard situation and turned it into something really good. That speaks to his character that he has helped so many families. He lost a life that was very precious and he is saving so many."

Recognition: Yonkers Portrait of Courage, 2010; One of Essence Magazine's "Do Right Men," 2008, "Heroes Among Us," People Magazine, 2008; Excellence in Parenting Award from the Hudson Valley Parents' Day Council, 2008; recipient of the "Ambassador for Peace" award from the International Federation for World Peace; "Key to the City," Yonkers, 2007 and multiple proclamations, resolutions and citations from New York State legislators recognizing his work and The Cynthia Gibbs Foundation.

Darryl's Guilty Pleasure: While Darryl enjoys reading, writing and Yankee games, he's a movie buff who loves comedies and will sometimes splurge on buying ice cream.

Darryl's Best Advice: "There is not enough love in the world. Love is a word I've been whispering in my daughters' ears since they were infants. I love you but I want you to grow and to inspire people and love and help. I tell them to give ... We have to give back."

Related: Amazing Dad: Dick Hoyt

Want to see who else made the list? Click here for the rest of AOL's 2010 Amazing Dads!

When is a good time to read to your child? Any time!

Even if you can only read to your child 10 minutes a day, they will reap the benefits from that time and the books you read. As a story is read, a child starts to match up the sounds with the pictures, which helps with their language skills.

Toddlers, who revel in the repetition in books or in repeated readings of books, will use that repetition to recognize words, and, when they start talking, they will start repeating the sounds of the words, as well. Children love rhymes -- whether Mother Goose or Dr. Seuss.

Here are some tips to make reading fun, which will help encourage a life-long reader:

• Buy books, such as board books, that a baby can easily handle. Books also make great gifts for any occasion -- and you might want to buy some of your old favorites to share with your children.
• Make books with your kids. Have them illustrate a book you've made from stapling paper together. They can dictate the story that accompanies the pictures they have drawn.
• Use reading as a starting point for dialogue. Ask questions before, during and after the story. As children grow older, ask questions about what they are reading or share something you have read.
  

Amazing Moms: Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, authors of The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want and What To Do About It and founders of MomsRising, which serves as a clearinghouse for issues for mothers.

Joan's Family: Husband: Wes Boyd, married 21 years; Kids: a 13-year-old and a 20-year-old

Kristin's Family: Husband: Bill Finkbeiner, married for more than 14 years; Kids: Conner, 13, Anna, 11

Joan Lives In: Berkeley, California

Kristin Lives In: Kirkland, Washington

Why Joan And Kristin Are Amazing: Unexpectedly, after Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner gave birth to her son, she had to leave her job -- giving up her income and her health insurance. Fortunately, she says, her husband's job was able to provide the family with insurance. But having been raised by a single mom, her own situation got Kristin thinking about how unplanned family situations could lead to serious problems.

"It made me look at what was happening with mothers in America," Kristin says.

Her thinking resulted in the 2004 publication of "The F-Word: Feminism in Jeopardy: Women, Politics and the Future." The book attracted the attention of Joan Blades, a co-founder of MoveOn.org.

"I got to the data point that there is this profound bias against mothers and everything clicked together. Mothers are severely disadvantaged in the workplace," Joan says. "How can a feminist movement succeed without fixing that? Why are there so many women or children in poverty? Why are so few in leadership?"

The women decided to collaborate and, working from two different states, co-authored "The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want and What to Do About It," which was released on Mother's Day 2006. A companion website, MomsRising.org, launched as the book hit the shelves and has since attracted more than one million people and some 90 national organizations looking to help resolve the issues the authors put on the table, such as paid maternal/paternal leave, open and flexible work hours, realistic and fair wages and paid sick days.

One of their most memorable public-awareness campaigns was the Mother's Day 2009 "Mother of the Year" news clip, a humorous, customizable video viewed by more than 12 million people. This year, they've upped the ante with a "Mother of the Decade" award video.

The two authors practice what they preach. "We are not punching the clock," Kristin says about work schedules at MomsRising. Work is done when and where it can be done, based on their employees' family schedule. "We found that we are very productive in that way and it helps balance work and family."

One of their biggest concerns is the wage gap. Women without children make 90 cents for every dollar men earn yet married mothers take home only 73 cents to every dollar men earn. Worse still are single mothers, who make about 60 cents to every dollar men make.

"There should not be a choice of taking care of your child or having food on the table," Joan says. "Or to have mothers going back to work days after giving birth because they can't take the time away from work."

Joan's Sister-in-Law Kate Munn Says: "I'm a mom and a school librarian for a K through 5 school. I know that women need the support to provide for their kids. I'm just thankful that someone is out there helping kids by helping their moms."

Kristin's Friend Mary Olivella Says: "The work of MomsRising and Kristin is nothing less than calling for a sea change in how our country views and values the work of mothers. In 2010, it is not widely known that mothers continue to face hiring and wage discrimination and there is a full range of workplace policies and cultural norms that limit the ability for mothers to both be successful in their careers and ensure the health and well being of their children."

Recognition: MomsRising received the Breast Cancer Fund's 2009 Hero Award for its work to help pass the first federal ban on phthalates in toys. In 2007, The Motherhood Manifesto won the Ernesta Drinker Ballard Book Prize.

Joan's Guilty Pleasures: She's a member of the chocolate club. "I love dark chocolate," she says with a laugh that seems more about pleasure and less about guilt.

Kristin's Guilty Pleasures: She loves blue Gatorade and playing soccer. "I started playing at the age of 38 for the first time in my life."

Joan's Best Advice: "Really enjoy your kids. Whatever phase they are in, enjoy the parts you like about that phase."

Kristin's Best Advice: "It is important for everyone to realize that their voice can have an impact on public policy and that it doesn't take a lot of time out of their busy schedule to do so. You can have an impact with just one or two minutes a week on the issues that matter to you."

Related: Amazing Mom: Liz Snyder

Want to see who else made the list? Click here for the rest of AOL's 2010 Amazing Moms!

Amazing Mom: Brenda High, who founded JaredStory as a tribute to her son who took his own life as a result of being bullied, and Bully Police USA, which works to end bullying and advocates for anti-bullying laws throughout the country.

Brenda's Family: Husband: Bill High, married 32 years; Kids: Sonja, 31, Jacob, 29, Tara, 27, and the late Jared Benjamin, forever 13.

Brenda Lives In: Pasco, Washington

Why Brenda Is Amazing: In the spring of 1998, a bully beat up Jared Benjamin High, a middle-school student. The police classified the eight-minute attack as an assault. A chiropractor who examined Jared after the beating said it looked like the 12-year-old had been in a major car accident.

Although the bully had a record of violence, an administrator placed the blame on Jared, who was a part-time, special needs student, and suspended him. Such violence was new to the High family and they hired a lawyer to bring a suit against the Pasco School District for a violation of their son's civil rights and for the cost of his medical bills.

In September 1998, after several months of pain and depression caused by the assault, Jared killed himself. It was six days after his 13th birthday.

The lawsuit against the school system was changed to one for wrongful death and was settled after more than three years. Brenda High, Jared's mom, says that at the time, bullying and a resulting suicide were rarely linked. Brenda credits a 2001work by two British journalists, "Bullycide: Death at Playtime: An Expose' of Child Suicide Caused by Bullying," which identified a connection between bullying and suicide and coined the term "bullycide."

Some six weeks after Jared died, Brenda says she had a spiritual awakening, which led her to create a website about her son's devastating experience.

"JaredStory is my healing website," she says. "I didn't even know how to do email."

Her lack of skills didn't stop the love she wanted to show for her son. Brenda took classes, read HTML books and paid one of her son's friends in Kit Kat candy bars to help her build the site. She says she realized that, "these teachers don't know what to do; these administrators don't know what to do. That's when I pursued the laws."

For her efforts, anti-bullying legislation was passed in Washington State and went into effect in 2003. That same year, Brenda launched Bully Police USA, a non-profit watchdog organization staffed by volunteers, with a website detailing and grading anti-bullying laws across the country. According to the site, 42 states have thus far passed anti-bullying legislation.

Brenda says that if an adult was bullying another adult at work, it would be illegal. She questions people who respond with "kids will be kids" and asks why is it okay for kids to bully each other? Our governments -- local, state, federal -- are in place to protect citizens, she says, and our children are the "most vulnerable of our citizens."

Brenda's Best Friend Aaron Beasley Says: "Brenda is an amazing person to me. She stands up for her rights and is politically active."

Recognition: Although her websites have received awards, such recognition is minimized, Brenda says, when it comes to what's really important. "I've had people say that I saved their kid's life and you can't get any better than that," she says.

Brenda's Guilty Pleasures: "I love crispy bacon. I could eat bacon all day long, if it didn't give me heartburn," High laughs. "I would rather have a piece of crispy bacon than a piece of chocolate." She also loves the TV show "Medium."

Brenda's Best Advice: "Document. Document. Document. That's the best advice that I ever can give anyone and they won't be sorry if they ever have to do anything later."

Related: Amazing Mom: Paula Zwillinger

Want to see who else made the list? Click here for the rest of AOL's 2010 Amazing Moms!

Amazing Mom: Diana Spatz, founder of Low-Income Families' Empowerment through Education (LIFETIME), which empowers low-income parents to achieve self-sufficiency through education. Her website link is even inspiring: geds-to-phds.org.

Diana's Family: Kid: Eden, 24

Diana Lives In: Oakland, California

Why Diana Is Amazing: Domestic violence forced a pregnant Diana Spatz from her home. Then, when the housekeeping company she worked for found out she was pregnant, she was fired.

"They told me my pregnancy made me an insurance risk," Diana says about the job where she made less than $5 an hour cleaning houses. So, in 1986, Diana went on welfare.

From there came a series of mishaps and smackdowns. When she tried to enroll in word processing classes, her baby-sitting fell apart. So, she enrolled her baby in a subsidized child care program, only to learn that there was a three-year waiting list.

Still striving to survive and get an education, Diana qualified for and received a Pell Grant, which is a needs-based federal grant to pay for post-secondary education. But once she received the grant, the welfare department cut off her benefits.

"Every time I tried to get myself out of this situation, they just knocked me down," she recounts.

By enlisting the help of a legal aid attorney, she appealed and learned that the grant money didn't count against her benefits. What the welfare office had done, Diana says, was illegal and, after winning her appeal, her benefits were reinstated.

Finally enrolled at the City College of San Francisco, a guidance counselor took a look at her academic record and suggested that she apply for a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley or Stanford.

Diana can laugh about it now, but back then it was mind-blowing. "I had just wanted a certificate to do word processing. I just wanted to earn enough money for a car and a washer and dryer," she says. "But that counselor planted a seed."

That seed turned into a realization: There was something wrong with the system that was preventing poor people from getting an education and getting off welfare. "Being poor doesn't mean you're stupid," she says.

Ten years after she started her journey for an education to better her life and get off welfare, she received her bachelor's degree with honors from the University of California at Berkeley, along with a 3.9 grade point average. And her own struggle led her to helping others who face similar hurdles.

Fresh out of college in 1996, she started Low-Income Families' Empowerment through Education (LIFETIME), which empowers low-income parents to achieve self-sufficiency through education. Every year, her organization helps more than "400 parents enroll in, continue and complete education and training programs, while engaging them in political education, community organizing and direct advocacy to address the policies that keep their families and communities poor," according to her website.

Diana's Daughter Eden Says: "She could have gone and worked somewhere and to make a lot more money but, it's important that she did go this route, for the greater good. Instead of just getting a corporate job, she carved her own path out and helps people."

Recognition: Diana won the 1996 I.F. Stone Award for Journalism, awarded by The Nation magazine, for her article "Welfare Reform Skips School." In 2003, LIFETIME received the Leadership for a Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation. Diana also received the 2004 KQED and the Women's Foundation of California local hero award.

Diana's Guilty Pleasures: "When I sit still for 15 minutes and do nothing," Diana says. "I do that so infrequently."

Diana's Best Advice: "Because we raise kids, I think we all have to be reminded that that is the most important thing we can do. I think my advice is to not let anyone or anything diminish what we do as moms. We are mothering the future of this country and this world."

Related: Amazing Mom: Amy Barzach

Want to see who else made the list? Click here for the rest of AOL's 2010 Amazing Moms!