Summer learning - don't let your kids experience fall behind

It is only January and most of us are not thinking about summertime.  Depending on where you live, there could be a ton of snow surrounding your home (not me, I live in California!) and summer is the furthest thought from your mind.

But kids will be out of school in a few months and keeping them engaged and active is something that you do have to plan for.  If you think about the last winter/holiday break, it can be very easy for children to fall into some poor habits quickly. That's why I have been helping my sister look into some summer programs for my niece and found Galileo Summer Camps to be a great way to inspire kids while educating them.

But what you may not be aware of is how kids fall behind in learning when they are not actively participating in some type of summer camp or summer program.

Here are some facts that may surprise you*:   

• All kids will experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Over 100 years of research proves that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer*
   
• Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months.*
   
• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college*
   
• Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer. Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break*
   
• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do*

I always looked for great summer camps for my children when they were   growing up.  And these camps fill up early, that is why this is the time you have to sign kids up so they know what they will be doing for summer and it also helps you plan kids activities and family activities while they are out of school.

I think the key is to make sure whatever activity they are doing is F_U_N and drives their imagination and innovation spirit.  I mean, that is how we create new ideas and finding activities that drive us to do just that!  That's what makes it fun, not sitting in a class learning.  No, it is having fun and participating in creating something that you can truly feel proud of and see your ideas come to life!  

I have my niece who is in fifth grade over a few times a month.  I thought whynot start doing something that we can both really enjoy.  She wants to be a marine biologist!  She loves the sea life.  So we went on a field trip to the academy of Life Sciences to see actual sea life.  Oh what a great day we had exploring and learning all about the different sea life.  She loved the starfish.  Afterwards, we went home and made some starfish by drawing it on paper and using pastina pasta.  We also had fun as she drew and created more sea life artwork.  We talked more about the interesting facts that she learned about starfish and posted it on her bulletin board.  We went back for a second field trip to learn more about the starfish and other sea life!  

That is what I mean when I say finding activities for kids that spur their imagination and zest for learning!  

A camp that is completely founded on these very principals is Galileo Camp which was inspired by Stanford Design School.  Here is why this could be a great learning activity for your child.  Galileo Camp is about inspiring children to learn by creating.  They set goals, generate ideas and actually create things.  They choose different themes each week so children have a chance to try different areas and challenge themselves while having fun.  

Galileo Camps are offering a discount right now.  See the coupon to the right.  You can get an additional $30 off by using the discount code: 2015INNOVATE

• Music and Art 
• Destination San Francisco
• DIY Art and Real-world Inventions
• Mount Everest Expedition
• Arts Academy (painting, filmmaking, photography, fashion design)
• Technology (mod, website and video game design, 3D modeling / printing, music production)
• Culinary Arts (International cooking, dessert making) 
• Building/Inventing