Jasmine Hawkins was eager to climb onto a bicycle in Allegheny Commons Park in the North Side and peddle away pent-up energy after a morning spent studying the "Three Little Pigs" tale from the wolf's point of view.

Hawkins, a student at Martin Luther King K-8, and dozens of other Pittsburgh school students, led by Venture Outdoors volunteers, biked or learned to kayak on nearby Lake Elizabeth on the first day of the district's Summer Dreamer's Academy.

"I like how we learn the first part of the day and have fun in the second part of the day," she said.

The first free summer camp offered by Pittsburgh Public Schools pairs literacy lessons with fun activities. More than 40 %  of the district's fifth- through seventh-graders signed up, about 600 more than anticipated. Read more in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review online.