How Families Can Help Curb Summer Brain Drain!

Summer brain drain exists. Research shows that children and young adults can lose up to two months of math and reading skills over their summer break. For students in poverty, the numbers are even more staggering. So, how can we combat this loss of information without sacrificing the desire to break from all things educational? As a parent of two children, I have found using reading challenges and technology helps promote my children’s engagement!

Here are some websites and apps that may help your child stay fresh on their skills while still having FUN:

LITERACY

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge: Motivate and excite your children to read books with Scholastic’s Summer Reading Challenge. They can log the minutes they spend reading, play games, earn virtual rewards, and enter sweepstakes while they try to set a new reading world record for summer of 2015! Scholastic provides parent resources including book lists from birth through young adult as well as other printables offered in both English and Spanish. Teachers can register their students and track their progress as well as discovering new free book lists and resources and entering for a chance to win 50 books! The challenge has already started and goes through September 4, so you and your children (or students!) can go ahead and take advantage of these resources.

Get Georgia Reading Summer Challenge: Get Georgia Reading and myON are teaming up to deliver more than 8,000 books to children’s computers and mobile devices that can be accessed 24 hours a day, every day through August 30. There is even a challenge to see which communities in Georgia are reading the most! 

PBS LearningMedia’s Summer of Reading Collection: PBS is bringing books to life while strengthening comprehension and vocabulary skills through videos, activities, and interactive games for children of all ages. Go to their website to find materials conveniently organized by grade level.

The Lexile Framework for Reading: Not only does this website provide information about lexile ranges, but it will also generate reading lists based on reading ability and interests (even if your child doesn’t know his or her lexile measure!) To find information about reading lists for your child, visit Lexile Framework's website.

Spelling City: Engage in spelling and vocabulary either through Spelling City’s website or its free mobile app. Create your own spelling words or use an existing list for practice with commonly confused words, compound words, and SAT vocabulary. 

SCIENCE APPS

A Life Cycle (ages 8+): Experience the different states of a species from birth through reproduction in this app. The app’s current life cycles include: frogs, water, butterflies, plants, pollination, photosynthesis, moon phases, nitrogen, oxygen, and rocks. ($0.99)

Frog Dissection (12+): Dissect a virtual specimen through vivid 3D imaging, step-by-step instructions with sound, accurate procedure with valid content, additional resources including an interactive quiz. ($3.99)

TECHNOLOGY APPS

Daisy the Dinosaur and Kodable (ages 5+): Animate Daisy the Dinosaur’s dance or create pathways to explore technomazes in these two apps that offer a kid-friendly introduction to programming concepts and problem solving. (Free)

Hopscotch (ages 9+): Interact with the mobile device by tapping, tilting, shaking, and even shouting at it to make characters move, dance, and draw in this educational programming app (Free)

ENGINEERING APPS

Blocks! by miSoft (ages 7+): Design images in a Lego-style app that allows for creation, movement, building, and dreaming in 3D space! ($1.99)

Cat Physics (10+): Maneuver the ball from one cat to another, but beware! There is a twist: flip boards, glass windows, trap doors, and other obstacles. ($1.99)

MATH APPS

Mathtopia+ (ages 5+): Swap jewels in this puzzle game, which requires math skills centered around addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to match tiles in an addictive and fast-paced way. ($3.99)

King of Math: Full Game (10+): Pose as a male or female farmer in a fast-paced math game where the player levels up by answering math questions that cover topics ranging from math basics like addition and subtraction to higher level like statistics and equations. ($1.99)