As much as your kids may think they don’t want to be tied down – they need structure in their day. Allow time for structured learning like reading, writing, and math but don’t forget the opportunities for unstructured, creative play. Keeping a healthy balance between structure and free time is a big part of plugging the brain drain. Make a “schedule” for your day making sure to get some academics as well as plenty of free play to keep the learning happening while having tons of fun.
Make sure to include: • Reading • Math • Writing • Daily chores • Lots of creative play *Times and chores should be adjusted based on your child’s age
For right brain kids summer break is significant because many of them have spent the school year feeling stifled, misunderstood and not good enough. For them ‘no school’ means it’s time to play. It means – no homework – no boundaries- no schedules – no reading or writing assignments.
But danger lurks. Summer brain drain can amount to a significant learning loss, as much as 2 ½ months per student, with the biggest losses in math and reading. Consistent summer losses can cause a child to be 2 years behind their peers by 6th grade. By 9th grade, summer losses are considered responsible for 2/3 of the achievement gap.
Let’s consider our visual kids. Many of them have already been struggling in school and can’t afford any leaks. They’ve been taught and tested in left-brain school systems and are desperate for a break, while still needing to shore up what they’ve learned during the year.
So how do we make the most of summer? How do we plug the drain and make gains, especially for our right brain visual kids? The key is to make learning hands on, make it visual, add lots of art and time to create and above all – make it FUN.
Tune in to Episode 23 of Living Life as a Visual Learner, as I give you lots of great ideas for extending learning throughout the summer and preventing the loss of all that hard earned knowledge from the school year.
I have put all my ideas into a free eBook for you this summer as well.
If kids aren’t continuing the learning throughout the summer, they can lose up to 2 months of knowledge. If you add that up through 6th grade that can put them almost 2 years behind their peers. But, how do we prevent this loss and still keep summer fun and carefree? We have created an eBook full of ideas to keep all that hard earned knowledge from going down the drain without sacrificing the fun.
For right brain kids summer break is significant because many of them have spent the school year feeling stifled, misunderstood and not good enough. For them ‘no school’ means it’s time to play. It means – no homework – no boundaries- no schedules – no reading or writing assignments.
But danger lurks. Summer brain drain can amount to a significant learning loss, as much as 2 ½ months per student, with the biggest losses in math and reading. Consistent summer losses can cause a child to be 2 years behind their peers by 6th grade. By 9th grade, summer losses are considered responsible for 2/3 of the achievement gap.
Let’s consider our visual kids. Many of them have already been struggling in school and can’t afford any leaks. They’ve been taught and tested in left-brain school systems and are desperate for a break, while still needing to shore up what they’ve learned during the year.
So how do we make the most of summer? How do we plug the drain and make gains, especially for our right brain visual kids? The key is to make learning hands on, make it visual, add lots of art and time to create and above all – make it FUN.
Tune in to Episode 23 of Living Life as a Visual Learner, as I give you lots of great ideas for extending learning throughout the summer and preventing the loss of all that hard earned knowledge from the school year.
Apps are a great way to get your visual learners engaged in subjects that can be a little challenging at school. Math and Science is all about concepts and theories that can be really wordy and difficult for right- brain thinkers to grasp. These visual manifestations of the same concepts are much easier to translate for their brains. It only takes a few minutes a day to keep those parts of their brains working to avoid learning loss over the summer.
Many of these apps are designed to help them think creatively and innovate, skills in which they excel. I promised you a list of my favorite math and science apps earlier in the week. So, here they are. I tried to find something for everyone from pre-k through 6th grade.
Math Apps
Motion Math (preK+) turns screen time into learning time with these delightful, effective math games. There are 12 different games from this company from number sense games for children ages 3-6 to games about economics, mental math and proportions for kids ages 8+. With so many different options, you will definitely find something that your kids will love.
Threes!(6+) is a math-based puzzle game that borrows elements from both Sudoku and Bejeweled. It encourages not only math skills but also strategic planning to maximize your playtime before you run out of possible moves. It’s an easy-to-learn, tough-to-master game that kids and parents both will love, but parents should be aware that the app includes links to social media and the app store.
Montessori Math: Multiplication (7+) is a learning tool that helps kids gain a conceptual understanding of multiplication by using various strategies. Kids get four strategies to solve multiplication problems, including traditional vertical formats and less traditional bead-grouping methods. A cute skateboarding character joins kids as they work through the problems, and a set of games is available so kids can apply what they’ve learned and earn points to build silly monsters. A parents’ section gives a detailed explanation of the app’s instructional approach, and a settings icon allows users to customize the learning experience. For example, users can choose from 15 languages, disable links to the Internet, disable the timer in the games, and set place-value limits on the numbers kids have to multiply.
DragonBox Elements (7+) is an exciting geometry game with more than 100 challenging puzzles. Kids learn the fundamental, as well as the more advanced, concepts related to shapes and geometric proofs. Kids can choose from two levels of difficulty, and the puzzles in both levels get increasingly harder to complete. By tapping, drawing, and dragging, kids solve puzzles and gather creatures to form an army and fight the enemy monster, Osgard. The puzzles are highly engaging, and the graphics are bright and colorful. This is a true example of game-based learning. It’s important to note that many of the puzzles can be quite difficult, and hints are not available. Parents may need to provide guidance to help kids avoid frustration.
Slice Fractions (8+) is an app designed to help kids learn about fractions. The game takes a unique approach that helps kids visualize parts of a whole, or equal shares, promoting a conceptual understanding of fractions. Kids will have fun while learning as they help a wooly mammoth cross the landscape. Kids have to slice and drop lava and ice in a way that either creates equal shares or produces the fractions shown on the screen. For example, if the fraction 1/4 is displayed, kids have to slice a piece of ice so one out of four equal parts drops to the ground and clears the path for the mammoth. As they progress through the game, kids earn fun hats for the mammoth and unlock new levels.
Science Apps
Project Noah (8+) is an app adaptation of an innovative website that allows you to submit nature photos to help with global research missions. You can submit photos of wildlife with labels or a request for others to suggest what species they are. Photos can be submitted independently, or you can join missions to submit specific requested photos and help to document species. Some of these missions support scientific research, such as the Lost Ladybug Project.
World of Goo (7+) lets children drag and drop living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues! The millions of innocent goo balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore, but they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. This addicting and awe-inspiring Puzzle game will set you on an adventure that you’ll never forget!
Hopscotch (9+) is easy to use, but it’s also powerful. No typing. No syntax errors. Just drag and drop blocks. Hopscotch is an intuitive, friendly programming interface designed for everyone. Hopscotch can be used to learn fundamental programming concepts — sequencing, abstraction, values and conditionals.
The NASA app (5+) showcases a huge collection of the latest NASA content, including images, videos on-demand, NASA Television, mission information, news & feature stories, latest tweets, ISS sighting opportunities, satellite tracking, Third Rock Radio and much more.
Sky Map (5+) allows you to point your device at the sky and the Sky Map will tell you exactly what you are looking at. It’s great for those summer nights when you can stay up late and camp out under the stars.
What are your visual kids doing this summer to stay in the game?
The kids in our area have been out of school for three weeks now and while I’m delighted to see my grandson enjoying his summer “off,” I can’t help thinking school is going to be back sooner than we think. Yes, summer is a great break from classroom learning, especially for our visual kids, leaving more room for physical activity, the arts and unstructured play. But if you have a child that struggled with their times tables at the end of fourth grade, fifth grade is coming soon, and without practice over the summer, fifth grade is going to be even harder.
What to do?
Download our brain drain eBook to get your summer practice plan started. Choose just a couple of things to do. Things your child needs to keep engaged with. Have them do one activity twice a week. Another one three days a week. You get the idea. It’s not about three hours of homework a day. Make it a light, fun touch to incorporate into your summer days.
Another thing to think about this summer. GRIT.
It has been proven that the #1 thing that determines success for children and adults is their level of GRIT. Whether classroom or life, people who are determined, and have the perseverance and tenacity to press through whatever the challenges, are the most successful in life. More time on video games or tech devices is not contributing to increased levels of grit. Neither is the indulgent nature of our current culture.
What to do?
The good news is that grit can be developed and we’ve got some great ideas and strategies for you. Start by having some conversations with your kids about goals. What do they want to do when they grow up? What problem would the like to solve? How can they improve the lives of many? I know those are some heavy questions but grit is all about the long game so it’s good to start them thinking about it.
It’s the end of the school year and kids are so excited to be free of the confines of learning in the classroom for the summer. For right brain kids, summer break is especially significant because many of them have spent the school year feeling stifled, misunderstood and not good enough. For most, ‘no school’ means it’s time to play. It means – no homework – no boundaries- no schedules – no reading or writing assignments.
And let’s face it – us parents are pretty excited about getting a homework break too.
However, if summer days are consistently lazy – a significant amount of what went into building your child’s brain during the school year will start to leak out. Summer brain drain can amount to a significant learning loss, as much as 2 ½ months per student, with the biggest losses in math and reading. Consistent summer losses can cause a child to be 2 years behind their peers by 6th grade. By 9th grade, summer losses are considered responsible for 2/3 of the achievement gap. When kids head back to the classroom in the fall, teachers spend valuable teaching time, anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, re-teaching what was lost over the summer.
This can be especially harmful for our visual kids’ learning. Many of them have already been struggling in school and can’t afford any leaks. They’ve been taught and tested in rigid school systems and are desperate for a break, while still needing to shore up what they’ve learned during the year. The good news for these kids – and all kids- is that summertime is a wonderful opportunity to show that learning doesn’t have to happen in a classroom and it doesn’t have to involve a test. Learning can and should be fun, and should be a lifelong adventure.
So how do we make the most of summer? How do we not only stop learning loss but actually make gains, especially for our right brain visual kids? The key is to make learning hands on, make it visual, add lots of art and time to create and above all – make it FUN. There are tons of great ideas out there and we’ve gathered the best and brightest ideas for you and your visual learner. With a little planning, a consistent schedule and a little imagination, your children will retain what they’ve learned in the previous year and be leaps ahead in the new one.
Here is a sneak peek at what kind of ideas are in the book:
Make a plan –
Even though we want to escape the schedule, it really helps to have the day in some sort of order to make sure you can fit in the learning. And as much as your kids may think they don’t want to be tied down – they need structure in their day. Start the day making beds and doing chores, then set aside some time for the fun structured learning, like reading, time doing math, journal writing or Young Rembrandts classes. Save the afternoons for the swimming pool, play time with friends or watching movies. Keeping a healthy balance between structure and free time is a big part of plugging the brain drain.
Do what you do –
There’s lots of great learning in what’s already on your summer schedule. If you’re headed to museums, the kids are going to camp or there’s lots of time for neighborhood play – there’s learning everywhere. With a bit of preplanning you can bump it up! If you’re going on a vacation or road trip, have the kids do some online research before the trip. They can help plan excursions, create travel logs, write in journals and draw what they see along the way.
Math, Reading & Writing –
As much as we all want a break, especially our visual kids, these are important subjects and success here means success in almost every other subject. But let’s spice things up a bit for summer. Let’s make it fun, artsy, natural and inviting. Math is all around us, so look for opportunities for kids to use the math they learned in every day activities, along with some time spent on a math app everyday. Keep them reading with library reading programs that include games and incentives. Listen to audio books. Read anything and everything. Writing doesn’t have to be all about letters and words. Draw, color, write. Illustrate books, write letters, do book reviews, make comic books, just keep that pencil moving!
Creativity & Art –
There’s never enough art and creativity happening during the school day – so this summer be sure your visual kids get loads and loads of creative activity. Enroll them in classes. Art class.Dance class. Music lessons. Sign up for things they know they like but summer is a great time stretch and try new things. Creativity is a mindset. It’s a muscle that needs to be used and developed. Be sure there are lots of things on hand to make art and lots of opportunities for your kids to let their imaginations run wild.
The key to keeping the drain plugged without making it a chore is keeping it FUN! It doesn’t have to take up more than a few minutes per day and summer provides unique opportunities for hands-on learning. We have sorted through lists and searched everywhere for the best ideas so you can enjoy your break too. Our summer eBook is perfect for keeping brains active. Download the book today to get insider tricks on how to stop summer learning loss.
This summer, there should be plenty of time to play and explore creativity. But don’t forget to keep writing all summer long so the kids can continue developing their writing abilities. I have an eBook for you with plenty of good ideas for keeping the brain drain at bay this summer.
Try this page with writing tips to get you started.
The school year is coming to an end and what a crazy ride it has been. Go ahead, take a little time to relax and rejuvenate. You’ve earned it.
But don’t take too long of a break. If summer days are consistently lazy – a significant amount of what went into building your child’s brain during the school year will start to leak out. Summer brain drain can amount to a significant learning loss, as much as 2 ½ months per student, with the biggest losses in math and reading. Consistent summer losses can cause a child to be 2 years behind their peers by 6th grade. By 9th grade, summer losses are considered responsible for 2/3 of the achievement gap. When kids head back to the classroom in the fall, teachers spend valuable teaching time, anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, re-teaching what was lost over the summer.
Now let’s consider our visual kids. Many of them have already been struggling in school and can’t afford any leaks. They’ve been taught and tested in left-brain school systems and are desperate for a break, while still needing to shore up what they’ve learned during the year. The good news for these kids – and all kids- is that summer learning is way different than what happens in the classroom. And it should be.
So how do we make the most of summer? How do we plug the drain and make gains, especially for our right brain visual kids? The key is to make learning hands on, make it visual, add lots of art and time to create and above all – make it FUN. There are tons of great ideas out there and we’ve compiled the best and brightest ideas for you and your visual learner into our eBook, 7 Creative Ways to Stop Summer Brain Drain.
While apps have value for keeping your kids’ math and literacy skills limber over the summer, there is so much that unplugging from technology can offer your kids this summer. I challenge you to unplug all of your devices as a family and see what creative adventures you end up on this week. For more great ways to keep your kids learning this summer, download our new eBook, “Stop Summer Brain Drain: 7 Creative Ways” and get the insider tricks.
For this eBook, I’ve gathered an assortment of fun activities to keep your kids busy. There are activities you can do In the House and activities that are Out of the House. Hopefully, you can get out to do some of these activities as a family.