Prince Albert, SK -
PRINCE ALBERT - Just because it's summer doesn't mean your kids have to stop learning.
"Summer is a great time to learn," said Sylvan Learning Centre director Angeline Hesje. "It's not about taking a brain break. It's the time to learn in a different way."
According to research done by the Centre of Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Mo., students can lose up to two months' worth of knowledge they learned the year before. Hesje said with that and the two months it takes for students to get back into the swing of things when they go back in August, you have students who may be struggling to keep up with school.
For high school students who are in summer school this year, Hesje suggests parents and teens come up with a goals-and-rewards system in order to encourage them to work hard on their schoolwork and improve their grades.
She even has homework ideas for students who are preparing to go to university or college in the fall.
"I will say that if anyone is preparing for university, they should learn how to write a proper essay," she said, suggesting websites students could visit to learn different essay formats they may need for school.
Hesje suggests parents work with their children to find ways of keeping up on their education, but to do it in a more creative and fun way.
Among several ideas she had, Hesje suggested cooking with children, letting them measure ingredients, going on a hike with a guide through the Prince Albert National Park, making a budget with their parents and going to the library for activities and checking out books and other materials.
"Just pick one or two things to do over the summer and make it memorable," she said. "My kids now, they still say 'Remember that summer when...?' It was memorable for them."
kjarvis@paherald.sk.ca
