Hello, Everyone. I hope your summer is going well. It’s August, and many parents, teachers, and children start thinking of the “S” word. That’s right—for many teachers and students school will start at some point this month. Thoughts begin to turn to our readiness for the new school year. My focus will be on elementary school students. Teachers know that children typically experience learning loss over the summer. A study from The Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning shows that: 1) All students experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer, 2) On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during the summer months, 3) Low-income children and youth experience greater summer learning losses than their higher income peers, and 4) Teachers typically spend between 4 to 6 weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. Many parents realize that the need for some sort of educational experience over the summer is essential. It doesn’t have to be boring, “drill-and-kill” type of work. In fact, think of your summer vacation as a teachable moment. It’s sort of like tricking your kids into learning. Stealth learning is a neat way to get your kids reading, doing math, or learning geography without them even realizing it. It’s a practice I employ in my classroom regularly! Regular reading is essential. Teachers constantly remind students and parents about the importance of reading. It’s true. If you can read, you can learn about anything you want! Be sure your kids see you read, have a family reading hour, talk about books vs. movies. Many children love to point out the differences in the book compared to the movie. It's great discussion, and a good opportunity to point out that the book is the author's original words and thoughts. Math can be fun, too. Next time you’re at the grocery store, ask your child questions like: “The apples are $1.99 a pound. About how much will 4 pounds cost”? Have them use the scale to weigh those 4 pounds. The store provides many opportunities for critical thinking and quantitative reasoning. Engage them in comparing deals: “Is 75¢ each or 3/$2.00 the best deal?" Try, "If 8 friends are coming to your party and you need 6 treats for each friend, how many treats will you need?" Or my personal favorite, "If hot dogs come in packages of 10 and buns come in packages of 8, how many of each will we need to buy in order to have an equal number of hot dogs and buns?" In the store, you can also read labels with your children. Talk about the nutritional information listed on all foods and drinks. Show them that the “fruit drink” they want has 0% fruit juice! In the car, GPS has replaced paper maps. However, kids can still chart courses and be “navigators” on family trips. Writing is big in elementary school, in both content and form. As kids get older, handwriting has been replaced by typing. It certainly does have its place in writing papers, doing research projects, etc. For many kids with writing issues, typing is the only way. But, nothing beats paper and pencil for writing thank you notes or letters to grandma. For me, nothing can beat a handwritten note from one of my students (even if it does contain errors!). Reading, writing, and math are all important, but so are the sciences, art, music and dance! Encourage free play, days without schedules, and using imagination and creativity. Many people ask me about "learning centers," "math clubs," and "tutoring centers" for their kids to "get ahead." Personally, I'm not a big fan of the "get ahead" concept, though these institutions do have their place for remediation or to shore-up a skill. Remember that you're a great resource for your student, too! When school gets underway, I'll write more about helping your child be successful in school. For now, feel free to share any educational experiences you do with your kids. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
George Metropulos teaches 3rd grade at Central Elementary School in Belmont
