Summer Brain Drain – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

When our eldest finished Kindergarten last week I found myself experiencing a potpourri of emotions. I was sad because she will never be a kindergartener again, I was happy because she did it, she completed her first year, and then I was anxious, I realized I would be the one responsible for her “summer curriculum”. By “summer curriculum” I basically mean making sure she maintains all she comprehended in Kindergarten and that she doesn’t fall prey to the summer “brain drain”.

Thankfully, only our second week into summer break and she is still on target, in fact, she is making progress when it comes to her reading comprehension skills, who knew? I’d love to say it has something to do with me, some amazing lesson plans I have personally incorporated into our daily activities, but I must give credit where credit is due! Reading Eggs…I owe her progress to Reading Eggs.

Reading Eggs is an Online Learn to Read Program.

Reading Eggs is a comprehensive, online supplemental literacy program for early learners ages 4 through 8. Grounded in extensive educational research, Reading Eggs builds on and reinforces the five key reading pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. (From website)

When our daughter first started Reading Eggs she took an assessment test in order to determine which level she needed to be working at. I really appreciated the fact that Reading Eggs doesn’t just assume all children are at the same level, it is nice that it is catered to your child’s needs.

Once she was at the right level for her comprehension she started her first lesson. She quickly found that Reading Eggs not only provided reading comprehension lessons but also incorporated fun! At the completion of each learning activity she is rewarded with Golden Eggs for her Eggy Bank. She then has the options to use the Golden Eggs to buy fun and educational games from the game shop (that’s right moms, even the games are educational….but let’s keep that between us for now). As if purchasing fun games with their Golden Eggs wasn’t enough of an achievement she also gets to maneuver her way through various maps and more….Puzzle Park, Music Café, Story Factory, Reggie’s Shop, and much more!

Why I like Reading Eggs…….

I like the fact that Reading Eggs is SAFE. I don’t have to worry about my child being exposed to information that is not appropriate for her, including advertising, Reading Eggs has NO ADVERTISING pop-ups, banners, etc.

I like the fact that our daughter is building her confidence in reading skills while having a wonderful time. She enjoys Reading Eggs so much that I have to interrupt learning time for play time, never thought that would happen.

She is also learning a little bit about how the real world works, a little bit about financial responsibility, all-be-it in Golden Eggs but responsibility no less. She earns Golden Eggs, puts them in her Eggy Bank, saves them up, and then she decides how to spend Eggs.

It is also a great activity on a rainy day. It gives mom a break from having to provide the entertainment. And best of all moms can let go of the “mommy guilt” because Reading Eggs is educational (again…this will be our little secret). Don’t put your child in front of a television screen that fosters brain drain….put them in front of Reading Eggs!

The cost is reasonable. $49.95 for six months is a bargain considering how much time your child will be spending on Reading Eggs between the lessons, songs, stories, puzzles, games and more! It would cost more for a tutor all summer.

Bottom-line……

My advice to all you moms/parents out there who are concerned about your child falling prey to the summer “brain drain”, get Reading Eggs today!

(There is also a companion site, Reading Eggspress, for children ages 7 – 13 years old. )

Okay moms, I know it is difficult to believe but the school year is almost over. I know I for one am so excited to get my little soon-to-be first grader home for the summer. I can’t wait to enjoy the long lazy days of summer with all 3 of my kiddos. But I am also very concerned. Our 6-year-old has learned so much this year, making leaps and bounds in both reading and computation skills. I am afraid that a nearly 3 month vacation from academic rhythm of instruction might have her sliding backwards come the start of school in the fall. Reading the following article confirmed and compiled my concerns.

RESEARCH ON SUMMER LEARNING LOSS

A research synthesis conducted by Cooper et al. (1996) integrated 39 studies examining the effects of summer vacation on standardized achievement test scores. The 39 studies included 13 that could be included in a meta-analysis (a statistical integration) of the results. The meta-analysis indicated that summer learning loss equaled at least one month of instruction as measured by grade level equivalents on standardized test scores-on average, children’s tests scores were at least one month lower when they returned to school in fall than scores were when students left in spring.

The meta-analysis also found differences in the effect of summer vacation on different skill areas. Summer loss was more pronounced for math facts and spelling than for other tested skill areas. The explanation of this result was based on the observation that both math computation and spelling skills involve the acquisition of factual and procedural knowledge, whereas other skill areas, especially math concepts, problem solving, and reading comprehension, are conceptually based. Findings in cognitive psychology suggest that without practice, facts and procedural skills are most susceptible to forgetting (e.g., Cooper & Sweller, 1987). Summer loss was more pronounced for math overall than for reading overall. The authors speculated that children’s home environments might provide more opportunities to practice reading skills than to practice mathematics. Parents may be more attuned to the importance of reading, so they pay attention to keeping their children reading over summer.

(source:http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-5/summer.htm)

My plan for combating Summer Brain Drain is to first enroll all 3 of our kiddos in the Summer Reading Program at our local library. As the article addressed, our home environment fosters reading. The children enjoy listening to books on tape and CD, having mommy or daddy read to them, and then lastly, having our little reader read to the entire family. We then keep track of the books we read and go to the library to report what was read for that week and receive a prize. It is a wonderful way to encourage children to read.

So, that leaves Math!! What to do over the summer to encourage and continue our daughters interest in Math? The solution, DreamBox, it helps children become proficient, mathematical thinker with the right learning environment. DreamBox unique intelligent adaptive learning technology goes beyond engagement, with a rigorous math curriculum that builds conceptual understanding and fluency. What I really like is that DreamBox offers interactive math games for first graders. The clip below does a wonderful job of expressing how DreamBox makes math fun, in fact it is so much fun they have no idea that they are actually learning (shh…we’ll just keep that between us parents).

Phew, I can sleep better now knowing that I am prepared to combat the Summer Brain Drain. How about you, are you prepared to combat the Summer Brain Drain?