Every summer we had about ten neighborhood kids on our street who during the school year differed greatly based on behavior, scholarly leanings, family structure, and attitudes while getting by. Once summer came, a new order would form based on new rules.
We all had bikes and we would be out on the street by nine in the morning. We would ride to wherever we knew we could go swimming, usually packing a lunch or snack. Fishing might be on the schedule if the swimming spot was a local creek or pond. We rode our bikes a startling 40 miles a day on average. We only discovered this once one of us got a speedometer on their Stingray. It was a rule to be home by 5PM, to eat dinner. The kids with problem households were "friends over for dinner", without asking or discussion.
After dinner, kick the can, baseball, tree climbing, or other activity was the norm. Around 10PM, there would be an outdoor camp-out with a cheap old tent in someones yard. At night it would thunderstorm and we'd end up in someone's basement for the duration.
The routine would start all over again, with any kid's doctor appointment, visiting relative, or undone chore throwing a wrench into the works. We would have to wait for the missing kid. For some reason we never considered abandoning them.
Eventually summer would end, and the group would slowly develop division as school had it's effect on our brothers. By October, we greeted each other with nothing more than a nod. It was like parallel universes.
Young boys are like teams of horses. If you don't run them hard every day they'll tear the barn apart(unless you medicate them).
Excellent analogy and summation - I will probably steal this from you. As a teacher, I can use it.