May 2008
	Try This!

SUMMER LEARNING TIPS: HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF SUMMER

• Locate a summer program. There are high-quality summer camps and programs in almost every price range.  Camps offered by schools, recreation centers, universities, and community-based organizations often have an educational or enrichment focus.

• Visit the library. Find out what interests your child and select books on that subject.  Participate in free library summer programs and make time to read every day. 

• Take educational trips.  These can be low-cost visits to parks, museums, zoos and nature centers.  When planning vacations, consider those with educational themes.

• Practice math daily.  Measure items around the house or yard.  Track daily temperatures.   Add and subtract at the grocery store.  Cooking is a chance to learn fractions.  Every day experiences can be fun and interesting, while giving kids opportunities to learn the skills they need.

• Get outside and play.  Limit TV and video game time, just as you do during the school year.  Intense physical activity and exercise contribute to healthy development.

• Do good deeds.  Students learn better and “act out” less when they engage in activities that aid in their social-emotional development, such as community service.

• Keep a schedule. It makes sense to continue daily routines during the summer and to continue to provide structure and limits. The key is providing a balance and keeping kids engaged.

• Prepare for fall. Find out what your child will be learning during the next school year by talking with teachers at that grade level. Preview concepts and materials over the summer.

Find out more at:www.summerlearning.org

Education Minnesota teachers offer five tips to keep students sharp during summer

How can students stay sharp over the summer break? With the end of the school year upon us, Minnesota’s teachers are offering tips to help students avoid a common summertime ailment known as “summer loss.” This phenomenon affects students of all ages. Simply put, students learn a lot during the school year, but they often take a few steps backward academically over the summer break.
 
Summer loss is often more prevalent among lower-income students who may not be exposed to the same summertime learning activities as middle- and higher-income students. Examples of such activities include music lessons, summer camp, family vacations and countless other learning opportunities.  
 
These tips apply to all students, regardless of their family income.
 

Talk with your child about what they learned during the school year.
Take a few minutes to review the topics that your child studied during the school year. Ask them what they liked and what subjects caused them to struggle. Then find opportunities to bring those topics into discussions with your child during the summer.

Read, read and read some more. The volume of summer reading is the single best predictor of how much your child may “gain” or “lose” during the summer. Read aloud with your child every day. Make it fun by reading outdoors, at home, the beach or a neighborhood park. Visit the local public library regularly, and subscribe, in your child’s name, to children’s or teen magazines.

Don’t limit activities to paper and pencil. Trips to a museum, zoo, sporting event or even a shopping mall can provide excellent opportunities for your child to apply reading, creative thinking, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The natural world can be the best teacher. Children gain a lifelong appreciation of the outdoors while honing their writing, math and observational skills. For families that have the opportunity, academic, activity or sports camps can provide a fun and stimulating environment to improve children’s skills, both in and out of school.

Encourage children to write about their summer experiences. Scrapbooks and journals can help children process, explain and remember their experiences and enhance writing skills. During family activities, collect souvenirs, postcards, ticket stubs and photos. Have your children write captions in activity books and read them aloud as you review the book together.

Remember that summer learning should be fun! Summer is usually a time without academic grades and testing. This freedom can be used to encourage children to explore subjects of special interest to them. Students need the summer to relax, play and act like children before returning to school in the fall. Enjoyable summer experiences can make a world of difference in children’s attitudes and approaches to academics when school resumes.

Some school districts may assign a modest level of homework for children to tackle during the summer months. It’s important to help children budget their time to get their summertime homework done in a timely manner. That will help them avoid an end-of-summer rush that may detract from their back-to-school experience in the fall. It is very important that students return to the class in late August or early September refreshed and ready to learn.