Summer Learning: Don’t Forget the Math and Spelling

Well, as Alice Cooper screamed, “School’s out for summer”. So now we transition our kids from the structured days of school to the freedom of summer, but does that mean the learning stops? Some studies say, “Yes”.

According to Cooper, the months of summer vacation can cause “summer learning loss equaled to at least one month of instruction”. Other studies say kids can lose up to 2.6 months of the prior years learning. Many schools, organizations and even our government, focus on encouraging parents to continue to practice reading with their children over the summer to keep their skills sharp.  But did you know that, “summer learning loss was more pronounced for math facts and spelling then for any other tested skill area”. What? That means all those hours we spent helping our children with math homework and spelling can vanish?

Looking at these statistics makes me wonder, “How can we as parents, help our children maintain what they learned over the year? And not just maintain but continue to learn”? The study by Cooper suggests summer school. That is a good idea, but sometimes it might not be an option and a lot of summer programs can cost parents their entire summer salary.

That puts the responsibility on the parents. I don’t want to stress any of you parents out with more to add to your schedules, summer is busy and it can be a challenge to fit everything in. However, just a little effort can really help your child maintain what they learned and help them when they start school again in the fall.  A flyer that came home with my daughter said, “studies show that to maintain the same reading ability over the summer, your child must read at least one book a week”. One book isn’t much; I would guess that most of us could do a little bit better than that. Here are a few ideas to keep your kids on track this summer.

Local Library:

The library usually has lots of fun reading programs in the summer for kids of all ages. The library can help with all skills, reading, math and spelling. If you live in Weber County you can register your child for the Summer Reading Program and your kids can win prizes every week for reading. When you register you also get a free child pass for Dinosaur Park and a free taco at Del Taco. They also have a program called “Ultimutt Readathon” program where kids can read to therapy dogs. 

Websites:

www.bookadventure.com- This website is sponsored by Sylvan Learning and allows kids to answer comprehension questions to books they read. The more questions they answer the more points they earn for prizes.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp - This is Barnes and Noble summer reading program. Download the journal on this site and read 8 books to get a free book.

http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/newsletter/0704/math.cfm- This site lists 10 of the best Math web sites. Pick your favorite.

http://www.brainpop.com/ - A friend who was getting her masters in education recommended this site to me. It provides information on every subject.

http://www.mytestbook.com -This site provides challenging quizzes kids can take in Math, Science, Reading and Grammar.

http://www.starfall.com - This is my favorite site for preschoolers and early elementary. This site has lots of games and ways to practice reading skills.