Seven Fun Ways to Keep Kids Learning Over the Summer: K12 Unveils Summer Reading List, Challenge & Tips
Herndon, VA (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 -- While long and leisurely weeks of summer vacation are refreshing, taking a vacation from learning can have a serious downside. According to the National Summer Learning Association, kids can lose a little more than two months' worth of smarts during the summer months.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to keep kids learning and engaged all summer long, and having fun while they're at it. K12, Inc. the largest provider of technology-powered individualized learning, has released its summer reading list at K12.com/readinglist and summer reading challenge along with some tips to curb summer brain drain, maintain learning momentum, and even accelerate learning:
1. EXPLORE YOUR COMMUNITY -- Whether it's a trip to your local library, museum, or park, your children will find a wide variety of fun and educational activities to keep them busy. Perhaps best of all, often there are affordable – even free – outings with kids. Also, check your credit card rewards program for related “membership” perks.
2. LEND A HELPING HAND -- From stocking shelves at your local food pantry to assisting younger children during summer programs at your house of worship, volunteering is a great way for kids to learn new skills while helping others in the process. It’s also an opportunity for high school students to build and showcase community service on their college applications. There are extensive volunteer opportunities for kids listed in the Children’s Volunteering Resource Guide.
3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY -- Children can use technology to tap into top education apps for kids. There are also must-have apps for busy parents. For example, K12 has apps to help with age-appropriate and advanced learning, including “Counting Coins & Bills” and “Timed Reading Practice.” K12 also offer a wide variety of online summer school courses in Computer Literacy, Web Design, and Skills for Health. According to K12's Chief Academic Officer Dr. Margaret Jorgensen, "Summer is a great time for skill reinforcement if you pick the right apps and engaging courses to keep kids’ minds sharp."
4. MAKE MONEY MATTERS MEANINGFUL -- Summer is an ideal time for children to earn extra money through babysitting, lawn mowing, lemonade stands, dog walking, etc. It's also a good time to teach these young entrepreneurs the importance of saving and budgeting—skills that will serve them well longer-term. Practical personal finance lessons for kids and tweens are a click away
5. COOK UP SOME MATH -- Now that school's out, children will have more time to help prepare family meals. From making a shopping budget to measuring ingredients and using multiplication for recipes, kids can sharpen math skills in the kitchen while learning the practical life skill of cooking in the process.
6. LEARN AND PRACTICE A NEW LANGUAGE -- Learn a world language this summer? Oui, ja, sÍ! Some of the most renowned language instruction is offered through a variety of online programs, including French, German, and Spanish via Middlebury Interactive Languages. Online language provider powerspeaK12 even offers a low cost ‘language sampler’ to let kids explore up to 4 different languages.
7. READ, READ, READ -- There are so many ways to incorporate reading into your childs' summer routine. "From regular outings to the library to family reading time, reading should be a part of every child's summer routine, and is essential to kids' overall academic success," states K12's Director of Primary Literacy Dr. Kristen Kinney-Haines. Many libraries feature summer reading programs, including prizes and other incentives to stop what is sometimes referred to as “summer slide.” More information, on the K12 summer reading list and challenge can be found at k12.com/readinglist and blog.k12.com
About K12 Inc.
K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is leading the transformation to individualized learning as the nation's foremost provider of technology-powered online solutions for students in pre-kindergarten through high school. K12 has worked with more than 2,000 school districts and has delivered more than four million courses over the past decade. K12 provides curricula, academic services, and learning solutions to public schools and districts, traditional classrooms, blended school programs, and families. K12 's curriculum is rooted in decades of research combined with 21st-century technology by cognitive scientists, interactive designers, and teachers. K12 's portfolio of more than 550 unique courses and titles—the most extensive in the technology-based education industry—covers every core subject and four academic levels for high school including Honors and AP. K12 offers credit recovery courses, career-building electives, remediation support, six world languages, and a deep STEM offering. The K12 Program is offered through K12 partner public schools in more than two-thirds of the states and the District of countries. More information can be found at K12.com.
Regina Lewis, K12 Inc., http://www.k12.com/press-policy, 703 728 0327, [email protected]
Share this article