Encourage Summertime Learning In Your Child

Raising The Bar On Learning For Your Kids

by Dr. Raymond J. Huntington

While most children - and their parents - look forward to long summer days, leisure time can still be a learning time. Here are some tips for keeping your child active and engaged outside of school:

Encourage precocious readers to reach for more challenging material. For parents of struggling or reluctant readers, goal number one may be simply finding books that are interesting enough to read from start to finish. But if your child is a strong reader, think about identifying a handful of classics that present a bit of a challenge. The American Library Association and the Young Adult Library Services Association offer a Web site featuring recommended books for young adults (www.ala.org/ala/yalsa).

Parents may also remember and recommend classics such as The Call of the Wild, Wuthering Heights, Treasure Island, Little Women, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and many more. Bring other big readers into the mix. Book Clubs have enriched the reading experience for many adults, but they can be very enjoyable for children too. If your child and others in your neighborhood are avid readers, creating a forum where books can be shared and discussed can be a good way to strengthen comprehension and analytical skills.

Encourage ambitious independent learning projects. During the school year, students with an affinity for math and science can only spend so much time on their favorite subjects, but the summer months can offer many additional hours for learning and discovery, and freedom to pursue special interests and challenges. Scientifically-minded students can find many exciting "science fair" type projects through books at their local library and through Web sites that specialize in sharing this type of information. One of the most comprehensive is the "Science Fair Central" site offered by The Discovery Channel at http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral.

Another great offering comes from the American Federation of Teachers, which publishes a "Summer Learning Calendar" that can be found at www.aft.org calendar. Students who enjoy mathematics can test and strengthen their skills through Figure This! (www.figurethis.org). Created by The National Science Foundation in partnership with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, this initiative features engaging mathematics challenges that are designed to be completed by children and families together. Using colorful animated characters and extensive "real-world" applications of mathematics, the Figure This!

Challenges reinforce standards-based learning in algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability. While they tend to be "fun," they're also an effective primer for the rigorous mathematics that most students will be required to master in school. Turn to teachers and guidance counselors for imaginative, demanding projects. After spending many months with your child, teachers and guidance counselors can also be good sources of information on summer learning activities that tie into your child's interests and aptitudes. Talking with these educators can also give you great ideas for summer time learning opportunities that strengthen your child's grounding in "the basics" and expand horizons and expectations for the year to come.

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