Q: My son just finished middle school and got a notice from his high school encouraging him to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes this fall. I was shocked. He's smart, but he's just leaving eighth grade. This is so much pressure! Why are schools pushing freshmen to take AP courses?

A: Advanced Placement courses, essentially first-year college courses, are offered in almost 60 percent of the nation's high schools, according to the College Board, which administers them and oversees their academic standards. Courses are given in subject areas ranging from English language to statistics.

The number of students taking AP classes has more than doubled in the last decade. Currently, more than a million students take AP exams each May. Good scores mean that students can "place out" of certain college courses, which is why they are called Advanced Placement tests.

Increasingly, high school teachers encourage enrollment among students whose records suggest that they're capable of succeeding in AP classes.

There are good reasons, says Lindsay Cohen, who heads up precollege programs for The Princeton Review: "AP classes offer four key benefits."

One, they prepare students for college.

"AP courses are more similar to college courses than regular high school classes," she says. "Exposure to the next phase of a student's educational journey as early as possible helps a student get ready for what awaits in four short years."

Two, they can help your son stand out in college applications.

"Taking AP courses as early as freshman year opens up a student's high school schedule to additional AP courses in subsequent years, allowing him or her to display an additional level of mastery to colleges," notes Cohen. "Universities look closely at a high school student's 'strength of schedule' when making admissions decisions. Taking AP courses shows admissions committees that a student is committed to a rigorous course of study and is a strong candidate for college success."

Three -- and this is a biggie for families taking out college loans -- AP courses allow students to earn credit at many colleges, resulting in substantial tuition savings.

"Students who earn scores of three or higher (on a scale of one to five) on AP exams can place out of certain college courses," Cohen explains. "High scores can save as much as a semester of college tuition costs."

Four, taking AP courses in high school allows a student to look into college electives that interest them.

Cohen says that there's "no compelling research suggesting that there's a benefit in waiting to take an AP course." While AP courses are more rigorous, the growth in enrollment among freshmen shows that many rise to the challenge.

Research AP courses with your son before making a decision. Check out apstudent.collegeboard.org. Browse AP guidebooks. Talk with students who have taken the classes. Meet with his high school counselor.

No one knows your son better than you, says Cohen, who advises, "If you feel like he isn't ready, or you would rather have him ease into the high school experience, that is a decision for you and your family to make. If he decides to pursue the AP path, there's lots of help available along the way."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our school district is offering a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) summer camp for students. I didn't enroll our kids due to the camp schedule. What are they missing? Can we do STEM activities at home?

A: Are you ready to unleash your imagination, embrace trial-and-error problem solving and tolerate the wonderful mess of making stuff? Then set up a STEM camp at home, says Nancy Bourne, a STEM resource teacher in the Palm Beach County (Florida) School District.

"The STEM movement is all about encouraging kids to see these subjects as fun tools that help them make sense of the world," she says. "Kids are extraordinary thinkers and doers. Good STEM activities encourage kids to think, ask 'what if,' use their creativity and enjoy learning.

"STEM projects should be about delight and discovery. You want kids to develop a positive mindset about these subjects that will carry thoughout their lives."

Let these rules guide kids, Bourne advises:

-- Dream big. Ask questions. Take notes. Write down what you want to know more about.

-- Try new things. "Remember, failure is OK!" she urges. "I tell kids that FAIL stands for 'First Attempt In Learning.' You want them to venture their ideas."

-- Be open to what is around you. Observe carefully. "Wonder how to fly? Look at a bird. That is what the Wright brothers did and they invented the airplane," says Bourne.

She further suggests organizing three types of STEM activities:

-- Make and do. Plenty of websites support the "maker movement," an initiative to stimulate kids' imaginations with more hands-on activities.

"Find a space at home to invent, construct and get messy," Bourne advises. One of her favorite sites is Design Squad Nation at pbskids.org: "The directions are good. In no time, kids start creating their own engineered fun."

Other sites she likes that you might want to browse for more resources include edutopia.org, drawastickman.com, abcya.com/animate.htm and makesomething365.blogspot.com.

-- Explore STEM resources nearby. Check out free and inexpensive offerings at science centers, parks, children's museums and the like. Go geocaching and search for hidden caches using GPS. Try a variation called EarthCaching, where kids learn about unique geologic features. (For more information, go to schoolfamily.com and search "geocaching.")

-- Read for knowledge and inspiration. "Kids build knowledge in STEM subjects by reading a lot," says Bourne. "There are many excellent nonfiction books in STEM areas that librarians can help you locate."

In addition, the Children's Book Council lists the best science titles at cbcbooks.org. Go to ReadingRockets.org to check out science and math titles and author videos. Kids are encouraged to read such nonfiction magazines as Wired, Popular Science, National Geographic, Time For Kids, SuperScience and DynaMath.

Biographies can also inspire kids to make their mark on the world, says Bourne. There are many excellent series featuring innovators from Albert Einstein to Sally Ride to Steve Jobs. Share videos and TV programs, too.

"Kids need to see people exploring this great globe, solving problems and making new things," she says.

She also suggests watching TED Talks that are appropriate for kids (ted.com). There, Bourne says you can listen to a 2006 talk by English writer Ken Robinson. He calls creativity "as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."

Make that your STEM camp theme.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My son, Malik, who is just finishing first grade, and another boy got into trouble at school. Their teacher sort of kicked them to get them to move faster in line and they reacted. Another teacher reported her and the principal got involved. It was stressful because no one believed the boys. The principal moved them to another teacher, whom Malik likes. But now Malik wants go to a different school. While I want to support him, and it would just be a transporation issue, should I let him?

A: I'm sorry Malik experienced this unfortunate incident in first grade. While he learned a couple of life lessons (even when we tell the truth, sometimes the adults we trust don't do the right things), those alone don't give a rising second-grader the wisdom to decide where to enroll in school.

It sounds like the principal acted decisively and Malik ended the school year in good hands. Meet with the principal, if you haven't already; discuss Malik's overall performance, your expectations for him and what teacher he'll have in the fall. This lets the principal know you want to stay closely involved, if you decide to keep Malik in this school.

Assuming that apart from this encounter you've been happy with the school, turn the incident into an opportunity to grow, says Diane Stephenson-Moe, an elementary counselor at Jeffers Hill Elementary School in Columbia, Maryland.

"Unless you've detected a lack of leadership or a pattern that suggests a troubled school," she says, "I don't see why one bad experience should be a reason to uproot him. When we allow children to run away from something unpleasant, it doesn't teach them skills such as resilience and problem solving."

Several factors should go into a decision to change schools. First, compare available options. How do they compare on academic performance and other factors that matter to you?

"Think about your child's needs and your family's needs and values," says Bill Jackson, the founder and CEO of GreatSchools. "Consider Malik's personality. Would he be better in a smaller school ... one with a special program that might engage him more fully? Does location matter? What are your before- and after-school care needs?"

List the pros and cons of your decision. Find further guidance at greatschools.org/gk/articles/choosing-a-school.

Life always throws us undesirable situations, "but we have to learn to deal with them," says Stephenson-Moe. "I understand that parents want to support their child -- that's good -- but I'm not comfortable giving a child this much say in such a big decision. Parents can oversupport to the point where we do children a disservice. We can't rescue and shield kids from every unpleasant experience in life."

Whatever you decide, take some time to help Malik reflect and put first grade in perspective, suggests Stephenson-Moe. Help him consider the year. What was his proudest moment and his toughest challenge? What was the most fun? What was something hard that he had to learn that he's now mastered? Who are the new friends he made?

All of this will help him see what he did to get better this school year and what he wants to get better at next school year.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)