Tips to Prevent Summer Brain Drain
Special to The Truth
Studies show that summer
brain drain can be a formidable force, setting kids’
progress back over the long break from the classroom. But
you can help kids avoid losing their academic mojo. Here’s
how.
• Take a Hike: Not all
learning has to happen indoors or while sitting still. Take
a family nature walk and ask kids to pay special attention
to the plant and animal species you encounter on your
journey, as well as any special rock formations or other
geological features you see, taking notes and photographs as
you go. Once back home, do some research about the most
interesting things that you saw.
• Make Music: Music
education is important for budding minds, and learning music
at home in summer can be easy and affordable. Stock your
household with a portable keyboard designed for students in
mind. For example, the CT-X700 boasts a high-quality sound
system, as well as features that are perfect for student
musicians, like a six-track recorder, a library of 100
built-in songs, and the Step-Up Lesson system, which allows
students to learn the songs with the display showing proper
fingering and notation. Its USB-MIDI port connects to any
Mac, PC, Android or iOS device with no drivers or
installation needed. The included music rest is designed to
support tablets, and the built-in smartphone shelf holds
your device as you use the keyboard with favorite music
apps.
• Read Outdoors: Summer is
the perfect opportunity for students to delve deep into what
interests them most. Make a day of it. First stop: the
library or bookstore, where kids can find reading materials
dealing with their favorite topics. Then, pack a picnic
lunch and find a shady spot in a local park or your own
backyard, to read outdoors. At the end of the day, everyone
can discuss what he or she read.
• Math Fun: Make math more
fun with a free, all-in-one web-based mathematics resource
like Classpad.net, that allows users to draw geometry
figures freehand and input calculations as they would on
real scratch paper. Geared for K-12+ mathematics students,
the app is designed to be equally usable by keyboard/mouse
and touchscreen-based platforms, so that students can keep
up their math skills wherever their summer adventures take
them.
• Take a Vacation: Going
somewhere new and interesting? In advance of your trip, have
kids spend some time learning about the history and culture
of your destination. If you’re going abroad, they can even
learn some basics of a foreign language.
To keep minds active all
summer long, be sure to combine learning and fun.
Courtesy StatePoint
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