Avoiding the Summer Slide
I was the best homeschooling mama before I had kids. Teaching my children would be a breeze all from the comfort of my home. Boy was I wrong! If the pandemic has taught me anything it is to expect the unexpected. Homeschooling was extremely difficult, required a lot of flexibly and creativity. I did however, enjoy the planning and preparation aspects. I plan to use those skills during our abbreviated summer course a la Schwartz style.
What is Summer Slide
Statistically, students seem to regress academically during the summer months commonly referred to as the Summer Slide. With that information in mind, I try to incorporate educational activities into our summer fun. Here are a few tips I use to avoid the Summer Slide.
During the summer it’s easy to lose track of time and get behind schedule. I try to start the summer with an updated chore chart and daily schedule for the entire family. For me having dedicated time slots affords me the flexibility to manage the household tasks effectively. The kids know what to expect and when, this makes my life a bit easier because they are not constantly asking me the same questions regarding a scheduled event.
Our Schedule
We typically start our day with a simple morning routine. This includes getting dressed and eating breakfast. After morning chores are completed, we will dive into our educational time. During this time the kids will either complete some pages in a workbook or a printable from a wonderful website filled with resources from teachers called Teachers Pay Teachers. We have been happily using a combination of resources from Teachers Pay Teachers for years.
My Tips and Tricks
Kumon:
Kumon is a learning center for children that specializes in nationwide after school math and reading programs for preschool students through 12th grade. We decided to enroll Hen in the math and reading program. The program consists of worksheets that are correlated to the level the student is on. The director tests and assigns the worksheets to the student. After the student completes a series, a test is taken to determine the level of worksheet the student will be given.
Cost | Currently the tuition cost $150 per subject. No discounts are given at our location.
Commitment | We decided to commit to the 2-days per week program
Field Trips:
Keeping fun in mind during the summer break I tend to schedule adventures outside of our home. The library has opened up and has started story time for school aged children. The library is even hosting a summer reading challenge, the challenge is open to all ages. They even offer take home activity kits! The activity kits provide fun, hands-on learning and creativity.
We also visit the zoo, children’s museum and the local playground. I make grocery shopping and errand running adventurous too!
Educational Series:
The kids also participate in Summer School when school is out. This allows them to retain some of the materials necessary for improvement. They love seeing their friends and getting to attend half-day. I say it’s a win-win for everyone involved!
Thank you for reading my tips and tricks on how we are avoiding the summer slide. I hope this information inspires you to go out and try something new. Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me @sincerely.schwartz on Instagram. Bye for now!
Either you run the day or the day runs you.
-Jim Rohn