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Presented By Brandpoint
Parents and kids alike sigh with relief at the end of another successful school year. Yet years of studies show that summer “brain drain” is a very real phenomenon, and where kids are intellectually at the end of one school year isn’t always where they are when they begin a new one. Over the summer, the average student loses more than two months of grade-level equivalency in math skills.
Luckily parents have somewhere to turn with the successful implementation of children’s enrichment programs, shifting your summer breaks into learning opportunities.
“Summer is an ideal time for children to build on their math and science skills, instead of losing them, which is known as the ‘summer slide,’” says Michelle Cote, founder and creative director of Bricks 4 Kidz.
Summer camps with an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) allow children to collaborate with their peers, teaching teamwork and organization while enhancing self-esteem and improving fine motor skills.
Parents looking for a way to combat the unfortunate educational losses have been encouraged by the growth of enrichment programs and the pool of talented instructors. Teachers who also have a summer break are flocking to these programs where they are given the freedom to be creative, teaching the way that they have always imagined.
“We all enjoy the summer when we can help our students grow in much more inventive ways, eliciting the visions of our young scientists, engineers and architects through enrichment camps,” says Gracia Merrill, a 12-year education veteran, just two months shy of her master's in education.
Summer months are an excellent time for kids to not only fill learning gaps but also get ahead of the curve for the upcoming year. “The models that the children build spark interest in science and math organically as they investigate ways to change gear ratios - making models go faster (or slower) - forces in motion, engineering concepts and the principles behind them,” says Cote. “It is the ‘hands-on’ learning they miss out on during the school year while gaining STEM based knowledge simply by attending camp.”
For tips on what you should look for in a summer camp and more information click here
Put the Brakes on Summer "Brain Drain"