Summer Slide

fisch

This is another topic that has been nagging me. Jack is currently in 1st grade, so moving on to 2nd grade next year. He is out of school from 6/9 - 8/28. That is a full 12-weeks. That seems like such a long time. I want him to retain the knowledge he has gained this year, but don't want to subject him to tutoring and scholastic endeavors at 7 years old. What's the happy medium? If we are going to do stuff at home, we will need a routine, as he doesn't arbitrarily and without motivation, sit at a desk and do math or reading exercises.

We already do the library reading program in the summers, and we will continue to do that with both kids. I may hire someone to pick him up after camps in July and spend an hour with him each day practicing French. He has been in French class daily during the school year, but is a year behind his peers who started in Kinder. Other than that - I wasn't planning on any summer school like programs, but I do worry about starting out the year behind.

What do you do for your school-age kids? Or if you are teacher, what do you recommend? Is there anyone on here who has school-age kids yet?

MNmommas

Reading & math can fit so organically into everyday life. He can help you with grocery shopping (you can give him $ to pay for part of your groceries in a separate transaction, can practice weighing & calculating costs, etc), he can help with cooking (fractions, measuring, counting, etc), really just whatever things you have going on in your lives. Doesn't have to be anything forced or fake.

Same goes with reading, again shopping & cooking are both great practical applications. You could have a magazine subscription for him (nat'l geo for kids, highlights, whatever his interests are) or even regular visits to your local library is plenty.

The French aspect is the only one I would take care to specifically attend to, since he is playing catch-up. Can you get connected with a French-speaking babysitter/nanny/au pair, perhaps even a college kid who is fluent, and they will watch him every morning or once or twice a week or whatever, and only speak to him in French? Or a fun French-immersion summer camp for him to attend in the middle to late part of the summer break? DW always did a Norwegian camp in the summer when she was a kid, I know most are open to 7-yr-olds so he is old enough.
http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/youth-languages/french-language-village

annerbones

If he is on grade level now in reading and math I would not worry about extra work or tutoring over the summer. The first month of a new school year is review of the last month or so of the previous school year - that is the way curriculum is usually written. If you are worried ask his teacher - but, most teachers want their students to have a break from school over the summer to learn through play and other experiences. Summer camp is a great idea it is fun and he can learn a lot without being forced to sit and be in an "academic" environment. IF he is a year behind his peers in French and needs to continue working on that over the summer - I can understand that - but giving kids a break from school is what summer is for - now days.

b&kmakebabies

This is from a teacher's point of view...

As for reading, maybe you could try a program in addition to the library? Barnes and Noble has a summer one: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/summer-reading/379003570/
There are others if you do some research.

I agree with MNMommas that reading and math can easily be incorporated into daily life. That's something that they don't always have time for in school.

If you really want to have "work" you could take him to a teacher supply store and see if he wants to pick out a workbook. They have aisles and aisles of them and sometimes if the kid picks it out they actually want to complete them. I used to love doing that as a kid, but it really only works if it is the kid's idea in my opinion. Maybe you could also have a French word of the day and label things around the house?

Shanny

I get what people are saying but we are off even longer than you are and 3 solid months is looong. Doing some "schoolwork" helps fill the days. I usually do stuff with A and Kate when L naps in the afternoons. Always reading (and one of them usually reads to her before nap), spelling tests (they love these and I do too!), science stuff. Whenever we do anything they usually write about it so that is another great experience.

We do a lot of what was mentioned just learning as if we are "unschooling" but if you aren't used to being an educator and/or if the children are at all hesitant it does take some work and creativity. My girls could never have 12 weeks off without going to some camps. Nor could I!

K&H

I have no advice, just total jealousy!! How does he get out so early in June?!?
Our kids aren't out until 6/30!

mel

I am a teacher and I have 3 kids in first grade. We spend the summer doing a LOT of hiking (learning about plants and animals we see along the way!), camping, reading, playing, crafting, a little gardening, cooking, going to the zoo once or twice, doing fun science things (making slime or ice cream, watching ivory soap expand in the microwave), swimming, a local nursery's butterfly release, playing glow stick tag after dark, doing Lowe's/Home Depot builders clinics, and more. I think the real life experience you can give your kids outside of a classroom is more important than practicing math facts or something like that. Those kinds of experiences are what make kids well rounded people and give them a wide variety of background knowledge that will help them make connections to curriculum in school.

coryandamanda

Take his favorite subject/interest and feed off of it. My kids love science so we do experiments with science kits and on our own. Reading comes along with it with trips to the library and books they pick out on the subject. Math can be incorporated into almost anything. My kids think it is cool to be learning things that are grade levels ahead so we don't review over the summer, we move onto the next grade stuff and slowly learn a bit. It keeps their interest because they feel like smarty pants and then they have an edge for the next year. It doesn't take a lot of practice for them to keep the skill.
Our kids have a very similar summer break starting 6/4.

Shanny

Our last day of school is May 20th. I kid you not.

MNmommas

mel wrote:

I think the real life experience you can give your kids outside of a classroom is more important than practicing math facts or something like that. Those kinds of experiences are what make kids well rounded people and give them a wide variety of background knowledge that will help them make connections to curriculum in school.

^YES!

Zen

On our side Shiloh loves picture books (especially non-fiction nature) and chapter books so reading is covered. For math, I can work some into conversation but am planning to download math-based games on her kindle.