Summer Is Coming

Did you know:  All students experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer.
-On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during the summer months.
-Low-income children and youth experience greater summer learning losses than their higher income peers.
-Students may not have the same structured meal schedule and sometimes access to nutritious meals during the summer.
-Studies show that out-of-school time is a dangerous time for unsupervised children and youth.
Important Facts:

• Only approximately 10 percent of students nationwide participate in summer school or attend schools with non-traditional calendars.
• A majority of students (56 percent) want to be involved in a summer program that “helps kids keep up with schoolwork or prepare for the next grade”.
• Research shows that teachers typically spend between 4-6 weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.
• At least 11 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 care for themselves over the summer months (unsupervised). Facts provided by:  Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning

With summer vacation on the near horizon, I thought it would be great to list some things to do during the long three months off of school.  Then I decided, why should I create the list?  Why not have my students create the list.  So here is what they came up with:
1.  Read a book
2.  Go to summer school
3.  Do math problems
4.  Work on writing
5.  Count money or other things
6.  Play math games
7.  Go to the library
8.  Practice spelling
9.  Go to Dr. Kingsley's website
10.  Practice multiplication
11. Do science experiments
12.  Do Nebraska Pars Persuit
13.  Count change
14.  Play with a dictionary
15.  Practice cursive writing
16.  Learn Spanish
17.  Learn about China
18.  Play school with my brothers and/or sisters or kids in the neighborhood
19.  Do flash cards
20. Play cards
21.  Practice telling time
22.  Count money saved using coupons
23.  Make and take reading tests
24. Play carrotsticks.com
25.  Play Hoodamath.com
26.  Write stories on Storybird.com
27.  Join the reading club at the library
28.  Do art/craft projects at home
29.  Set a goal and do my best to achieve it.
30.  Counting people at the pool
31.  Counting how many days until a special event
32.  Practice addition, subtraction, and division

Here are some handy websites with other great ideas for learning over the summer break.
How to Keep Your Kids Learning Over the Summer
Mom Congress Challenge-Learning Through the Summer
Five Fun Ways to Keep Your Child Learning This Summer
7 Ways to Keep Kids Busy Over the Summer
Recommended Reading for 6-9 Year Olds
Get Ready For Summer: What Teachers Recommend
How to Beat Bordedom Over the Summer
10 Ways to Keep Children Learning During Summer Break
Schools administrators offer ideas to keep kids learning over the summer
The Secret to Helping Students Improve Reading During the Summer Break
Summer Brain Drain: Encouraging kids to keep learning during the summer holidays
Boost Your Child’s Learning Over the Summer With These Ideas
Stop Summer Sliding