By Guest Blogger: Carrice Quinnie
Summer will be here soon for all the area learners. Some learners have difficult times during the regular school year. As parents, we have collaborated with teachers, guidance counselors and other learning professionals to build their confidence and assist them to the next academic level. Let us keep this momentum and avoid summer learning loss.
Summer learning loss is the loss in academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation. Our learners have worked so hard to improve in struggling areas, so we must help maintain and avoid any decreases in learning over the summer vacation.
Here are several ideas to help jump start our summer of learning fun:
- Before the school year is over, have a parent-teacher conference to discuss problem areas. Ask for suggestions for summer workbooks, science activities, leisure reading material, etc.
- Visit your local libraries www.cvlga.org and museums www.columbusmuseum.com. Both have free activities throughout summer and provide wonderful enrichment opportunities.
- Sneak in “teachable moments” in regular day activities. For example, while visiting a park, take a nature walk. Record their observations, younger learners can draw their findings; and pick a few items for home. Once home, research on the internet or books from the library. This one park visit can ignite a summer long research project.
- Become a pen pal! Help your learner write friends or relatives who live out of town. Your younger children can dictate the letter or draw their messages.
- Organize a family read-a-thon. Have reading goals for each individual leaner in the family to accomplish. At the end of the summer, have a family award ceremony or celebrate with a special dinner.
- Start a family cookbook. This will develop writing, organizational and math skills. Select favorite foods, research recipes, or interview family members for recipes. Categorize the recipes: appetizers, main course, desserts, etc. Make grocery lists, measure ingredients, and follow the recipe directions. Learning and helping mom with the family meal…who could ask for more!
- Let your learner help plan the family vacation. Using the internet or chamber of commerce, learners can gain knowledge for the trip. Learners can discover the destination’s state flower, tourist attractions or even economic statistics. Let them be involved in tracking the cost and assist in budgeting. While on vacation, learners can keep a journal using pictures, souvenirs, and write down specific events of the trip. PRESTO, we have our first show-and-tell item for the next school year.
- If there is a need for a more aggressive approach, always enroll your learner in local academic summer camps and local learning centers.
Our learners who struggle during the school year will enjoy the change in routine. They will increase their confidence, while gaining new perspectives. Use the summer to maintain and increase our children’s reading, writing, and math skills. Squeeze a little reading and writing to the rest and relaxation of summer vacation!
Carrice Deering-Quinnie is a native of the Columbus community. She is a professional working in Corporate America with her current company for 6 years. Carrice is a divorced, single mother of three girls, ages 11, 9 and 3 months.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
