In another few weeks, schools will be closing their doors for the summer and kids will be subject to the dreaded “Summer Brain Drain.” What is the summer brain drain? Why is it called the summer brain drain? In a recent Washington Post article, Valerie Strauss, a Washington Post staff writer had this to say about the summer brain drain, “It’s called ‘the summer brain drain’ because during those long, hot months away from school, kids supposedly forget a lot of what they had learned in class.” Many educators will tell you that most kids spend the first two or three months after school opens in the fall playing “catch-up.” The good news is that all students don’t fall prey to “Summer Brain Drain,” some kids actually increase their knowledge base over their long, hot, summer vacation.
Why do some students have to play catch-up while other return to classes in the fall smarter than when they left on vacation? Here’s what researcher and educators at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Virginia, and other centers of higher learning have to say about it:
– Most students — regardless of family income or background — lose 2 to 2 1/2 months of the math computational skills that they learned during the school year.
– Students from low-income homes lose two to three months in reading skills learned in the previous school year.
– Middle-class students make slight gains in reading achievement as measured on standardized tests (Strauss, V., The Washington Post, June 15, 2009).
For the student with a relatively normal IQ what this all boils down to is, “use it or lose it.” Newly learned skills, especially math skills, must be practiced daily in order for those new skills to become part of our permanent skill sets.
Children, like adults, learn constantly from their life experiences. What they learn from their life experiences will reflect in the classroom if their life experiences and classroom experiences relate to one another. We, as parents and grandparents, need to make this happen for our children and grandchildren. We need to do it without making it seem like they’re back in the classroom because, after all, they are on vacation, and vacations are supposed to be time for fun. Learning can be and should be fun but it’s up to us to show them how to enjoy the learning experience. Every child is different and no one knows your children and grandchildren as well as you do, so I’m only going to offer some very broad guidelines here.
Teach by example. If your children see that you really enjoy reading as a leisure time activity, they will be more likely to enjoy reading too. It doesn’t really matter what they read, what matters is that they are reading. Take your children to the library with you and get them their own library cards. Show them how to use the book catalogue to find books on subjects that interests them. Teach them how the Dewey Decimal System works so they can find the books in the stacks. Teach them how to check the books out. Teach them how to use the interlibrary loan system to request books from other libraries. Of course, how far you can go in these areas depends on the child’s age. No matter how old the child is, most libraries have summer reading programs that are age appropriate for them. Don’t forget to lead by example. If you want them to join a reading group for children, you need to join an adult reading group.
Math is an everyday skill that we all use constantly. No matter what level of math a child is using in school there will be ways you can get them to use it everyday. Have them help you figure out the grocery list. If you’re planning a weekend getaway, have them help you calculate the mileage you will drive. Have them help you calculate gas mileage you achieved on the trip, the gallons consumed and the total amount spent on gas. Have them keep track of how much you spend on hotels, food, gas, etc and them have them calculate the total cost of the trip.
If you have an interest in photography and one of your children or grandchildren show an interest, encourage them and teach them. Photography is a great way to teach math and science skills using something that interests them. One of my granddaughters was having a real problem with math until I gave her a digital camera and related the math she was learning in school to how digital photography worked and how by mastering that math she would be able to take better pictures. Model building was the route I took with my stepson who is hearing impaired and developmentally delayed. Model building, kite building, gardening, bird watching, anything that holds their interest will make them eager to learn what you can teach them. Sports, any sports that interest them are great for teaching math and science.
Last, but not least, never underestimate what your child or grandchild is capable of learning. If what you want to teach them relates to something that interests them, they may surprise you.
