Summer Learning, or Summer Fun? Both? Impossible.

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."
                                                                                                               -Albert Einstein

If you are a parent of a school age child, two things happen in May: 1) You are counting down the days until you no longer need to make lunches, or race out of the house, with something inevitably left on the counter. 2) Parent and teacher chatter starts revolving around the "summer dip":  read for 20 minutes, use educational apps, and work on those math facts.  While you're filled with anticipation for summer camp, vacations, the beach, and biking, all typically negated by Chicago's unpredictable weather, and of course school, you are reminded that for 2 months it's your turn to be the teacher!  

Parents feel tremendous pressure to maintain, or enhance, their child's academic skills over the summer. Often, summer becomes polluted with tutoring, visits to Huntington, or summer school. There are children who struggle with learning, and I would never denounce these types of supports or interventions; however, the majority of children involved in additional academic support are achieving at, or slightly above, their grade level.  For them, living is a great teacher!

If you want your kids to maintain their math skills, set up a lemonade stand. They will have to navigate deals at the grocery store, budget, make change, and determine a profit margin. Maybe you're tired of tripping on the same toys that haven't been played with in months or years. Have a garage sale! Kids love to make money, and to do so, requires number sense, place value, and addition/subtraction facts. What kid doesn't like home made treats like chocolate chip cookies, cake, banana bread, or pies? Cooking is a great way to incorporate math skills through measuring, converting, and sequencing. Let's be honest, the outcome will be highly motivating and rewarding.    

Most communities have summer reading programs, which offer great incentives to read and connect with other kids.  If your family is going on vacation, find some articles or online resources that your kids can use to learn about where they will be going. It will satisfy their desire for screen time, and maybe knockout 20 minutes of reading to boot.  The city is full of great museums, all of which have stories behind them, and of course, a nice synopsis next to the exhibits.  Make a scavenger hunt with questions for kids to answer  that require reading at each stop.  If the family is taking a long road trip, put on some audio books. There will be plenty of time to discuss, predict, and infer as everyone is sitting in the car. The most challenging task: staying awake!

The summer is a great time to bring science and history to life. Make bike riding, or going for a walk, a scientific exploration. Look for bugs, rocks, dirt, and paw prints.  Collect shells at the beach.  Visit historical sites in the city, or on vacation. Be mythbusters, and determine if mentos really do explode inside soda. Attend art fairs, street festivals, and venture out to different ethnic neighborhoods.  Sample different styles of music at free concerts in Millennium Park.  Jump in Lake Michigan, and learn about what lives underneath the water. Explore and research, while becoming living history!

Summer doesn't have to cause a regression in skills!  Kids can have fun, and learn at the same time.
Sometimes the most useful knowledge, and lessons, don't come from a book! Learning is happening all around us.