So my summer – well basically my whole year – has been a crazy tornado of life. This summer especially… Yea, so we’ve been here before and I’m pretty sure you know what I’m talking about! What happened to the easy days of summer? Gone – just gone – –
I’m ready to just start back to school, at least we’d be in a routine and have few minutes of regularly scheduled rest… maybe. But alas, I know that would result in a riot… and mom might not survive.
Well, it’s back to school before we know it. I’ve tried to keep the kids going this summer – you know – to avoid summer learning loss. Statistics show that:
- Summer learning loss attributes to a gap in achievement
- Student’s who attend summer programs exhibit less loss
- Student’s who continue in some time of learning program also exhibit less learning loss
Over the years I’ve hunted and searched and sometimes accidentally stumbled upon some hidden gems that really help build skills with the least resistance. Of course, there are guidelines; I always try to find things that meet a few these expectations:
1) Incorporate field trips! Make it fun – for goodness sake it’s summer!
2) Provide at least 5-6 weeks of instruction time during the summer. Sadly, most school districts are eliminating summer programs from their offerings. Find a local summer program or use an online FUN summer school program to challenge your student.
3) Find a summer reading list for your child’s age level.
4) Take a few minutes each day to journal or write creatively with your student. Journaling reaches the child’s heart, allows them to process their thoughts, and use almost all of the Language Arts skills.
5) Take advantage of the MANY free online learning games. (uh hum… especially one really great one that you happen to be at right now!) These learning games are a great way to keep learning fresh without the kiddos feeling like they are doing school in the summer.
Well, those are my “gems.” It’s pretty simple I know, but it’s been effective… and keeps me and the kids happy. Do you have any summer learning strategies that you can share?
