Or, 13 more ways to make learning part of your summer.

N: Nature. Take a nature hike, stopping along the path to look at plants and animals. This is a great place to practice description skills. Engage children to think actively about what they encounter by asking questions, “why do you think that tree is dead?” “What kind of animal might have left that footprint?”

O: Oxford Learning. Oxford Learning Camps and programs are an easy way to maintain learning momentum over the summer. Our programs help students catch up in trouble areas, keep up with their classmates, and get a head start on next year’s subjects.

P: Puzzles. Like board games puzzles are great downtime activities that keep the brain challenged. Whether playing Sudoku, Crosswords, search-a-words, or traditional puzzles, this is a fun way to challenge your mind and learn skills such as persistence and problem solving.

Q: Quiet time. Make a time every day to have some peace and quiet. Engage in some active thinking, a little daydreaming, or just spend some down time simply being together. It’s a great way to let the brain make important connections.

R: Read. If there is one summer activity that is equal parts fun and education, it is reading. It doesn’t take science and research to know that reading keeps the mind active all summer long. It also helps develop vocabulary, and increases reading comprehension, which both pay off in the classroom.

S: Scrapbook. Turn summer memories into a hobby that encourages children to engage their brain by writing and drawing about the day’s activities. Cut pictures from magazines and newspapers and gather items such as feathers, or seashells to paste onto the pages for a colourful way to document summer fun. (This is different from “scrapbooking,” but that can be fun too!)

T: Travel. You don’t have to leave your city to experience the spirit of wanderlust. Visit your local tourist bureau and become a tourist in your own backyard. Head to the other side of town to visit a park that you’ve never been do. This is also a great opportunity for children to learn about the city they live in—major street names, directions, and local history.

U: University. For teens heading off to university in the fall, summer is the best time to prepare for what comes next. It’s also a time for summer jobs and, as the last summer of high school, it’s a major life milestone—it’s important to take advantage of this opportunity.

V: Vocabulary. Vocabulary is linked to school success—the greater a child’s vocabulary, the greater the reading comprehension skills are. The best way to develop vocabulary? Reading. Write down new words and definitions in the summer scrapbook.

W: Write. Despite the prevalence of keyboards, penmanship and handwriting are still very important! Personal handwriting style is always developing, so it’s critical to maintain skills. Journaling and writing in a scrapbook are a great ways to improve penmanship over the summer.

X: X Marks the Spot. Organize a fun scavenger hunt or a pirate-theme day and have a little bit of silly fun. Make crafts and invite neighbourhood friends. It doesn’t have to be a holiday or a birthday to celebrate the summer! It’s a great way to break up summer boredom.

Y: Yard Sale. Summer is the perfect time to hold a yard sale. It’s also a great opportunity to teach kids lessons about organization. Kids can help gather up clothing, books, and toys that they no longer use, and sort what they’ve gathered into categories. They can also help with money and counting.

Z: Go to the Zoo. Zoos are a great opportunity to learn something new about the animals we share the planet with. Spend some time before hand researching a favourite animal either online or at the library.

Read Part 1: A-M

Between sports, friends, and homework a teen’s life can be pretty chaotic. In most cases, it’s because of disorganization!

Let’s face it, even though we may be afraid to admit it, when it comes organization, WE NEED HELP!

Here are a few ways that I’ve used to deal with my organization issues:

1. Create a planner. I created a planner that told me to do my homework and study as soon as I got home so that I would be able to free up the rest of my evening for friends or so that I could have time to relax.

2. Get help. If you have a test or examination coming up on something that you just don’t understand invite a friend over to help you.

3. Reward system. When your life becomes less hectic and more organized, your grades get better, so this is a good time to talk to your parents about more freedoms.

4. Improve your learning skills. If you master learning skills (how to study, how to do homework, taking notes, etc.) it becomes easier to study. Plus, you become more organized in how you go about schoolwork.

I hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me over the years!

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. Whenever my friends call or text me to go for a walk or to meet up at the school my only response is “Nope. Movie or bust!” Needless to say I usually get my way! But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I know, right? How often do you come across a teenage guy who uses the word beautiful when not talking about that hottie across the hall? But there’s more weirdness than that! I also like to bake and listen to old music. OMG! You’ve just entered the Twilight Zone! Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

As soon as children learn how to talk, they start asking questions. This is a good thing, despite how exhausting it can be for parents.

Young kids’ minds are sparkplugs of curiosity—continually seeking and absorbing new information. In terms of cognitive development, the years between the ages of three and six are an immensely busy time. Children’s brains are growing at an incredible rate, continually forming new neural connections. As the brain develops, so does its ability to process information.

As neural connections form, children begin to better understand their worlds—the more they understand, the more they want to know. As the brain becomes more and more capable of forming neural connections, the more connections that it wants to make. That’s why the questions never seem to stop. The questions keep coming because the more that the brain understands, the more it wants to know, and the more that it is capable of knowing.

The more questions kids ask, the happier the brain is—the more it develops and strengthens neural connections.

Why? How come? When? Where? Young children are thirsty for knowledge. They want to understand their worlds and know everything that they can about everything. When they encounter something new, they aren’t okay merely with filing it away for later use. They want to touch it, know it, and name it—to understand it.

This period in a child’s development is a unique opportunity to challenge the developing brain to become an actively learning brain. Parents can, and should, challenge their children to think logically about answers to their questions, and to come up with answers on their own.

The ever-questioning minds of young children are the foundation for tomorrow’s active thinkers, which is important, as active thinking and learning is a trait common to the most successful students.

This week’s Secret Agent Josephine post explores what life is like with a four-year old who is smack dab in the middle of the questions phase. Enjoy!

click on the image to see a larger size

End-of-year report cards are almost here…with their arrival comes the potential for shocking and unpleasant revelations.

Report cards are generally upheld as the ultimate indicator of student progress—after all, they are the final word on a child’s academic progress in the school year—but the wait and the wondering about what the report card will reveal can be very stressful to both kids and parents alike.

In an attempt to remove the wondering and the unpleasant surprises from the reporting process, school boards across the US have implemented online programs such as EdLine, to help parents monitor their children’s daily academic standing.

According to an article in the New York Times called I Know What You Did Last Math Class these programs open the lines of communication and to keep parents informed at every possible opportunity throughout the school year, not just when report cards arrive.

The reporting technology fuels the debate about a parent’s level of involvement and what is or isn’t private in a child’s education. As you might expect, responses to programs that allow parents to monitor their child’s progress online vary from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Keeping informed of your child’s academic progress however is not dependent solely on new online technologies—there are many other warning signs throughout the year which signal that a student may be heading into academic hot water.

There are the newer technology or web-based indicators; school blogs, teacher sites, and class webpages where parents can log on and read what particular assignment a class is working on now. There are behavioral indications—bad attitudes about school, lack of motivation, lying, skipping classes; and there are the more obvious warnings—a poor mark on a test, homework not completed, or even the dreaded a call from the teacher.

Regardless of any warning signs that may have been missed during the school year, the end-of-year report card is the final update. And while it may be the end of the road for progress in the school year, it doesn’t mean that all hope for the academic future is lost.

After all, there is still the summer to get the kids back on track, even if there is no online monitoring program.

More on that next time.

It’s report card season.

For parents of achieving students it’s a time to celebrate your child’s hard work.

For parents of under-achieving students it’s a time that is not looked forward to.

For parents of teens, it can be a whole other issue altogether. (see previous entry about how parent-teacher interviews can go horribly wrong)

Teens can be uncommunicative at best, so one school in Baltimore came up with a unique solution to talking to teens about report cards—they brought in neutral third party from John’s Hopkins who are not invested in the report card results.

The third party is objective and not likely to be upset by poor grades the way a teacher or parent is. The third party has a better chance of communicating with the teen about poor grades without the teen getting defensive or upset.

And so far, the program is working. It’s an opportunity for teens to talk formally about their progress and goals with an objective adult—a system that is especially good for teens too proud or embarrassed to ask for help.

With report cards on the horizon, parent teacher interviews are not far behind, which reminded me this unforgettable story that actually happened!

This story is true—and hilarious.

It was the week after report card cards and this father (names changed to protect the innocent and guilty parties) was scheduled at a parent-teacher conference for his tenth-grade son. He announces that he is leaving to meet the teacher, and asks his son if there is anything that he needs to know. The son shakes his head and does not reply.

The father gets to the school and introduces himself to the teacher.

“Hello Teacher, I’m Mr. Smith, father of Tim. How is my son doing?”

The teacher gives the Father a quizzical look.

“Mr. Smith, your son has not been in school for about two months!“

The moral of this story is: Don’t be a Mr. Smith!

Stay in contact with school teachers and keep the lines of communication open with your kids! Read these tips on homework help and how to get involved.

In a techno-savvy world, it seems that old-fashioned board games have gone the way of the dodo. But before you put those old games out to the curb, you might want to reconsider the value of playing board games together as a family.

Playing board games is more than just an alternative way to spend TV-free quality time together. From manual dexterity to memory enhancement, board games help to develop skills that are necessary both in and out of a classroom.

And you thought that board games were just a fun way to pass time!

The best part is of playing board games that your kids will be so busy having fun that they won’t even know that they are learning!

Take a look at some of the school skills that board games enhance:

• problem solving
• identifying patterns
• quick thinking
• anticipation skills
• vocabulary skills
• math skills
• confidence building
• risk-taking
• persistence
• deduction
• memory
• decision making
• team work

Take those board games off the shelf and dust them off—they are more than old-fashioned games, they are great learning tools!

What are some of your family’s favorite board games? We’d love to know!

It’s Time to Lose Sleep Over Not Getting Enough Sleep

So your kid wants to stay up an extra hour. Whether that extra hour is for TV, video games, computer time, or to complete homework, that lost hour of sleep can do more than simply make your kid grouchy the next day—it can have substantial impact on academic performance.

A recent article in New Yorker Magazine called Snooze or Lose* compiled findings from a variety of studies on sleep deprivation in children. Across the board, the results from these studies said essentially the exact same thing: a child’s number of sleep hours is directly linked to academic performance.

Children’s brains are in a growth stage until the age of 21, and the majority of that growth occurs while children sleep, so even a short reduction in sleep time—even as little as 15 minutes—can have detrimental impact on academic performance.

Some of the findings from these studies include:

• Standardized test scores among sleep-reduced students were roughly 7 points lower than among students who got a full night sleep
• Measurement tools showed that, during class time, one hour of sleep loss is equivalent to the loss of two years of cognitive growth
• Identification of a link to high school grade points. For teenagers, 15 extra minutes of sleep can mean the difference between an A and a B

Using MRI scans, scientists are able to identify how the brain processes information at night. During the day, each separate area of the brain temporarily absorbs information, similar to a holding tank. During sleep, the day’s absorbed information is processed and relocated to permanent storage areas. And, each stage of sleep plays a different role in the processing of information.

After a particularly grueling day of class—think mental exhaustion—kids need even longer sleep time so that the brain can properly process and store information.

So, as a parent, how regimented should you be regarding bedtimes? If you are like most parents, then a strict bedtime during the week falls by the wayside when Friday hits. But one researcher found that sleep loss is cumulative and another, that every missed hour of weekend sleep creates a cumulative sleep debt.

Read the entire Snooze or Lose article here.

*Snooze or Lose was written by Po Bronson with files from Ashley Merryman.

You’ve packed their bookbag with everything that they’ll need to face the day ahead: pencils, markers, notebooks, and an agenda, but did you pack their lunchbag with everything that they’ll need to make it through the school day?

Studies have shown time and again that children who eat breakfast do better at school than those who do not. Delving deeper into the subject shows that eating breakfast is one thing, but eating a healthy breakfast consisting of food that supports the brain helps children to learn better and be more alert for the entire day.

Studies have shown that low-glycemic index foods like oatmeal can boost memory and attention, which is good, as oatmeal is a breakfast staple, cheap to buy, and easy to prepare, but what about lunch time foods? What foods provide a brain boost for the middle of the day?

No matter which article you read, the same foods appear over and over again. These are the “superfoods”— foods that nourish the brain as well as the body.

Try to make your child a lunch that comprises at least one of the superfoods. We know that kids can be fussy eaters, but use your imagination to develop kid-friendly recipes, and your child’s body, and brain, will thank you for it!

• Whole grains. Buy breads and tortillas that are multigrain—they provide more sustained energy throughout the day, and the extra fiber is a plus.
• Blueberries. The nutrients in blueberries help to destroy free radicals, which can damage brain cells. They also help with memory, balance and co-ordination
• Yogurt. Protein and calcium and probiotic cultures, which helps the immune system.
• Sweet Potatoes. A favorite with kids because of the naturally sweet taste, the bright orange color means beta-carotene, which helps produce vitamin A
• Natural Nut Butters. Better than their brand name cousins, the natural nut butter can be made at home in a high-speed blender, which means no preservatives or additives.
• Omega 3. Normally found in fish, the protein and essential fatty acid help keep brain cells flexible and can help with skin conditions, and allergies
• Beans. Fiber, protein, and iron are all beneficial. Try chick peas, aka garbanzo beans as a kid-friendly snack. Hummus works just as well, and is a great sandwich spread.
• Broccoli. This vegetable is notorious for being on kid’s icky-food list. But a few clever tricks can get this high vitamin C veggie into your kid, no problemo.

Want more info? Read these articles:

• Top 5 superfoods for kids
• What to feed your brain to get back in gear