The amazing people at LeapFrog are offering a special program for parents and kids (age 4-7) to help make summer learning fun!
Children experience a loss of academic skills and knowledge over the summer.  Studies show that “Summer Slide” is estimated to be equal to about 1 month, but this varies across subject matter:  Math – 2.6 months and Reading 1-2 months.  There is the obvious negative impact of the setback, but the loss also impacts your child’s confidence and may make them more reluctant to return to school in the fall.
How can you avoid the “Summer Slide”?  This is where parents have to step in.  Not only with reading and math but also skills to maintain attention span, analyze information, make conclusions, and solve problems.  All the things they spent nine months  working on, cannot be abandoned.  But it’s tempting to relax and play.
LeapFrog recognizes the need to play and learn.  They have built their company on the premise of making learning fun.  Summer is no exception to their mission of create engaging and interactive learning experiences that make play and learning even more fun.
LeapFrog Summer Camp, from June 4-July 29, is designed to keep the learning going all summer long through exciting weekly themes and free, do-anywhere learning activities that explore geography, writing, science, art and more.
For 8 weeks, LeapFrog will provide parents with activities, craft ideas, and activities. Â These are the themes for the 8 weeks:
| Week 1: June 4-10 | Out & About — Campers will learn about the people and places in our world on their way to becoming global citizens. |
| Week 2: June 11-17 | Caring for Animals — This week of LeapFrog activities is designed to inspire new experiences with animals and to consider themes of responsibility and compassion. |
| Week 3: June 18-24 | Puzzle Time — Play with puzzles while building logic & reasoning skills. |
| Week 4: June 25-July 1 | Art & Music — Children’s creativity blossoms when they have the time and freedom to experiment with a range of media. This week’s activities include handmade instruments, crafts, and a home art gallery. |
| Week 5: July 2-7 | Writing That’s Real — Kids who don’t easily “take†to reading can often be coaxed through nonfiction. This week you’ll explore high-interest nonfiction topics and investigative writing. |
| Week 6: July 9-14 | Storytelling — This week, children will express themselves creatively through storytelling, music, art, drama and pretend play. |
| Week 7: July 16-21 | Natural Science — This week, we’ll encourage you and your child to observe, ask questions, and draw conclusions as you explore and investigate the world around you. |
| Week 8: July 23-28 | Friendship Week — Get ready for school and International Friendship Day by exploring the theme of friendship. |
Are you as excited as we are to start? Â It’s easy and free to sign up. Â You can either visit the LeapFrog Summer Camp page each week or sign up for weekly emails (that’s what I did!).
Although the program doesn’t start until June 4th, there is a preview of a typical activity on the LeapFrog website. Â Rosie and I tried it out! Â It’s called “Things That Go”. Â Using the printable graph, kids make a bar chart of different modes of transportation in their neighborhood. Â The child carries the sheet with them and every time they see one of the vehicles, they color in one of the squares in that column. Â Rosie has done bar graphs in kindergarten and this will be an excellent way to maintain that skill over the summer.
In addition to participating in the LeapFrog Summer Camp, here are more tips to avoid summer slide:
1. Â Keep a routine. Â Schedules are hard to maintain over the summer, but try to at least set up a routine of reading before bed each night, for example. Â In the morning, while you’re having breakfast, check the weather report and use the opportunity to talk about temperature, wind velocity, precipitation totals. Â Compare today’s weather to yesterday’s. Â Even if you don’t do things at the same time every day, do them in the same order.
2. Â Build reading and math lessons into every day activities. Â When you go to the grocery store with your child, ask them to add up the cost of a few items. Â Weigh produce and have them read the scale. Â Teach them to compare nutrition info panels on two products and determine which has more calories, etc.
3. Â Take outings to museums, libraries, or other educational attractions. Â Keep score on paper at sports events. Â Find activities in your area that provide opportunities to learn.
4. Â And have fun!
Notice of Material Disclosure: Â This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
