My dd8 works on her math every weekday (don't do anything on weekends) for about 30-45 min. unless she has a lot of homework from school. This includes summer unless we are out of town on vacation. We use this time to explore subjects she may want to learn about but is not yet exposed to at school.
She also reads a lot. I don't push the reading but I also don't discourage it. She is pretty much allowed to read anything she wishes (age appropriate of course). She works on her own "experiments" and does her own research. She has worked on everything from learning sign language to bird behavior. She, I also found out, likes to "team up" with other kids at school and conduct experiments at lunch time. This week she has spent a considerable amount of time in our back yard "observing" butterflies, worms and birds. She has drawn some lovely sketches of her findings.
She loves poetry so she spends quite a bit of time writing as well.
I would never discourage my dd from learning. She enjoys doing this. It is not like she will run out of things to explore/lean. My dd is a happy, curious child. All a mother can ask for.
I believe "hot housing" would be better described as a parent pushing the child to do something the child is not ready or willing to do in order to give the child an advantage at school.
My dd attends a school for the gifted, so she has the advantage of teachers that "get her" and will always provide her with new challenges. If she has mastered a subject, they will give her something else to do.
