There is actually a condition affecting school children called the “summer slide,” which the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) describes as, “a term that suggests a playful amusement park attraction but actually describes a grim reality. The phenomenon was studied extensively by Johns Hopkins University researchers… [in 2007 and their] longitudinal study tracked Baltimore students from 1st grade through age 22… The researchers concluded that two-thirds of the 9th grade reading achievement gap can be explained by [lack of] access to summer learning opportunities during elementary school.”
As if this is not scary enough, the report goes on to note another study conducted by the RAND Corporation that says, "elementary students’ performance fall by about a month during the summer, but the decline is far worse for lower-income students. Most disturbing, it appears that summer learning loss is cumulative…”
The Summer Slide Is Costly
We can’t just sit back and let the schools worry about getting our kids caught up. The ASCD indicates that “Trying to rectify the learning loss that occurs in the summer is costly. There are estimates that reteaching forgotten material when students return to school after the summer costs more than $1,500 per student each year, or more than $18,000 over the course of a K-12 career (Fairchild & Boulay, 2002).”
What Can Be Done?
In a TED talk this year, Karim Abouelnaga, the 25-year-old founder of Practice Makes Perfect (PMP), explained that his company hires teenage mentors to help low-income kids stay engaged for six weeks over the summer. According to a report in Business Insider, “Based on evaluations of PMP’s model, kids in the program return to school in September a month ahead in math and two months ahead in reading compared to when they left in June.” PMP has helped 4,000 kids to avoid the summer slide, thus far.
What Can You Do For Your Children?
As parents and grandparents, you want your kids to succeed and thrive, but you can also get really sick of constantly nagging them. “Put down the cell phone; turn off the TV, stop texting, read your book.” Sound familiar? You may need some extra support to avoid the summer slide. I spoke to Frank Milner, President of Tutor Doctor, a worldwide in-home tutoring company who had some really great tips to avoid this phenomenon.
What I liked was that his advice was simple. The point was to keep the kids active and thinking and to avoid the “couch potato syndrome.” I, of course, suggested some entrepreneurial ideas for the kids and Milner embraced these. “Students experience such an influx of information during the academic school year and it’s a shame when they are unable to retain the information for the fall,” Milner said. “Instead of getting caught in the trap of video games and reality television, I encourage students to engage in some simple stimulating activities to keep their minds fresh. Of course, you can watch television over the summer, but try to achieve a balance of both indoor and outdoor activities to keep your mind active.”
Summer Entrepreneur
A great way to prevent the “slide” is turning your kids into summer entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is not only an opportunity to encourage learning, but possibly earn a little money, too. Here are three creative possibilities to engage kids in learning for the summer:
- Plant a Garden – It is the perfect time to teach the kids about planning, planting, and tending a garden. Even in many urban areas, there are designated areas for individuals to plant. I also want kids to learn about organics and what it will take to plant and feed an organic garden. You can allow them to research all of this online. This can lead to a wonderful composting project as well, which can last throughout the year. The kids may even want to sell some of their harvest. My kids and I would grow blackberries and make pies to sell to the neighbors. We called our company, Pies R Squared. We didn’t earn much, but the lessons were invaluable.
- Explore – Whether you live in a city, in suburbia, or in a more rural area, your kids can research local museums, zoos, botanical gardens and any other cool stuff that your community offers. For me, the deal is that not only must your kids research where to go, but they also must keep a journal when they visit to write down what they have seen and learned. They can snap photos and even make a scrapbook about their adventure. Let the kids research a new artist or find a special animal in the zoo. Have each child pick a different topic to share with each other. You will subtly be sharpening lots of skills, including; research, reading, organizational, oral and written presentational, etc.
- Share A Skill Or Learn A New Skill – Your child may love to draw, paint, play an instrument, or kick a soccer ball past any goalie. They can give lessons to the local kids who want to learn some of these skills. Payment can be in the form of monetary remuneration, or it can be in the form of barter. Maybe the neighbor’s kid knows how to play lacrosse and your child has never even held a lacrosse stick. Now is a perfect time to exchange talents.
The summer is also a perfect time to catch your students up on learning in which they may have been lacking. It is not the time to bury your head in the sand and pretend that this will be dealt with next school year. Milner’s company supplies home tutoring; Moms can even become entrepreneurs by becoming a franchise owner in Tutor Doctor.
Enjoy your summer and fill it with learning that is fun.
