How kids spend summer vacation has a direct and powerful impact on their success in school. This document presents 8 brief (600-word) newspaper columns that offer parents simple tips on how to promote learning through everyday activities. Each column ends with a referral for free resources to keep children learning outside the classroom. The newspaper columns are: (1) "Sneaking a Smarter Summer" (which kicks off a smarter summer with simple learning activities and offers a free activity poster to build reading and writing skills); (2) "A Smarter Summer: Less TV" (which encourages parents to limit summer viewing, making the most of TV, and offers kids alternatives to promote learning); (3) "A Smarter Summer: Revolution at the Library" (which addresses the dramatic changes taking place in public libraries as they become a greater resource for their communities); (4) "A Smarter Summer: Write It Right! (which discusses how parents can help children succeed in school by building writing skills during the summer); (5) "A Smarter Summer: Math and Science" (which addresses the importance on achievement in math and science and how parents can make math and science learning fun); (6) "A Smarter Summer: The Arts Advantage" (which offers guidance for parents on how to use the visual arts, dance, music, and drama to develop skills that help children learn in school); (7) "A Smarter Summer: It's Never too Early to Learn" (which discusses how babies, toddlers, and preschoolers can gain skills and love learning); and (8) "A Smarter Summer: Back to School" (which addresses how parents can continue to teach children once school is in session, and how communities can get free reading tutors paid by "Uncle Sam"). (RS)