When I was in elementary school, I had dreams of becoming an Olympic figure skater. I loved ice skating, and I devoured everything I could get my hands on that had to do with the sport.

I read biographies of famous skaters, found every fiction chapter book about figure skaters our public library had to offer and even read books on technique.

I drew pictures of it. I wrote about it. I learned everything I could about it.

In high school and college, my passion shifted to sign language.

I spent hours poring over books, learning new signs, and watching videos of people signing popular songs – believe me, I could still spend an entire evening watching Stephen Torrence sign “Party in the U.S.A,” “Fireflies” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” on YouTube.

I even found a way to break away from a class trip to Washington, D.C. to visit Gallaudet University one time.

Speaking from experience, it’s easier to learn about something you love than something you have absolutely no interest in at all.

All the time I invested into studying and learning about those topics wasn’t wasted time. Sure, I wasn’t learning about where a semicolon goes in a sentence or how to divide fractions, but I was still learning, reading, processing and analyzing information.

This is what true learning looks like.

Many schools embraced this type of learning over the last school year by implementing Genius Hour – a one hour weekly session where students are allowed to learn about and pursue topics they are passionate about.

In the younger grades, students are often allowed to pick a specific class taught about different topics, such as theater, horses or cake decorating.

Students in older grades were allowed to pursue any topic they wanted during that time, as long as it was approved by their teacher.

During this hour, anything goes – as long as it’s on topic.

Bostian Elementary School’s Genius Hour was a success, according to fifth-graders Grace Gilley and Makayla Johnson.

The girls worked on their self-chosen projects from January until the end of May.

“I love HGTV, so I decided to do something with a table and up-cycled it,” Gillie said.

Although she did the physical work at home, she studied the best ways to sand, prime and paint a table while she was at school. She also researched the color combinations and designs.

Johnson also chose a creative project.

“I was doing all kinds of duct tape stuff,” she said, adding that she was making wallets and other creations.

During Genius Hour, she would watch instructional videos and practice making duct tape crafts. As her skill level grew, Johnson’s teacher asked her if she’d ever thought about making duct tape clothes.

So, using a skirt she had as a pattern, Johnson crafted a skirt for her teacher, who wore it on the last day of school.

Through Genius Hour, the girls said they learned decision-making, strengthened their creativity and had fun.

Don’t let learning die over the summer. Allow your children to learn the fun way. If they hate reading, but love horses, let them read books about horses. (There are plenty out there to choose from.) Don’t just let it stop at reading the book, though. Ask them questions about what they read.

If they’re into history or science, take them to Raleigh for the day to visit the North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. They’re both free and extremely engaging for all ages.

If your child is a budding artist, ask them to create masterpieces based on what they’re reading. Point out the use of geometry in their work, or talk about mixing colors (that’s science AND art).

Learning over the summer shouldn’t be difficult – it should be fun. All it takes is following your child’s passions to make the learning experience personal.