June 2010

School Counselor's Corner

Spotlight on Battling Summer Brain Drain

By Erin Mantz

School Counselor's Corner is a bimonthly column spotlighting different issues elementary school counselors are successfully tackling in schools across the Washington, D.C., area. This month, we speak with school counselor Melissa Masino, MA, NCC, from Potomac View Elementary School in Woodbridge, a recent finalist for the prestigious National School Counselor of the Year Award, who shares her thoughts and strategies for working with students today.

Ah, the carefree days of summer. Sunny afternoons at camp. Unstructured Saturdays and Sundays swimming, biking or playing ball. Weeknights without homework or overscheduled after-school activities. Summers are fun--as they should be--but, without the structure of school, it's easy for summer brain drain to set in.

Most parents probably aren't surprised when they hear the media, teachers and other moms and dads buzzing about avoiding summer brain drain. Research consistently shows that kids experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. In particular, math takes a hit; most students lose about two months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Keeping kids' minds active and engaged all summer long can be a tough, but important, challenge. The good news is, it's easier than you think.

Q: Do you think summer brain drain is a real problem? If so, is it one parents can tackle?

A: Yes, I think summer vacation does lead to students forgetting things that they learned during the school year because many are no longer practicing what they learned. The repetition and structure of the school environment is no longer available, and students must find motivation to learn on their own. Fortunately for parents, learning opportunities are available in just about every facet of life. Engaging students in learning is something that can be done all the time.

Q: When kids return to school around Labor Day, do teachers really see the effects of brain drain?

A: Yes, and teachers spend the first few weeks not only acclimating kids to new classroom procedures and routines, but also reviewing material from the previous year, especially mathematics and language arts.

Q: How can parents take summer experiences, such as vacations, day trips and free time, and turn those into learning experiences?

A: We live in a wonderful area of the country. Washington, D.C., has many opportunities to engage students in learning. Best of all, many of these experiences are free. Having worked as a tour guide for Tourmobile, I am well aware of these. I do a newsletter to parents and staff suggesting free things to do in the summer, including the National Zoo and museums. And I lead them to my favorite website for summer ideas: nps.gov/ncro/PublicAffairs/Calendar.htm.

Any new experience, including a vacation, gives kids a broader framework for new information they might encounter in books. Parents need to process what their children have seen during the day with them and ask what they would like to learn more about. Kids can make more connections with what they are reading if they have more life experiences.

Q: Many parents wonder about summer reading. How much is enough?

A: Parents need to be role models for their children. If you want to see your child reading, you should be reading, too. Look up words you don't know. Set up a weekly journal for children to write down any questions they have, and then go to the library once a week to get new books and look up the answers to their questions. I always say kids should be reading 20 to 30 minutes each day. Before school ends, check with teachers or the school librarian to get information on what books are appropriate for your child's reading level. To keep students engaged and to remind them of how many books they have read, make a chart to keep track of all the books.

Additionally, parents can make real world connections with reading. With your child, read ingredients in food, read menus at restaurants and read kid-appropriate articles in newspapers or magazines.

Q: We hear a lot about learning loss of math over the summer. What can parents do to combat this?

A: Think about all the opportunities where kids can gain practical experience in math. For example, kids can count items at the grocery or count change when buying something. Kids can read and measure ingredients while cooking. All these skills show students that what they learn in school has real world implications in daily life and how they'll use math as an adult.

Q: What about using educational sites and learning games on the Internet?

A: The Smithsonian Institute's site at smithsonianeducation.org/students/index.html is great for kids and families; you'll find online games, quizzes and interactive online exhibits. I also like funbrain.com for its educational games sorted by grade and age, and netrover.com/~kingskid/phonics/phonics_main.htm for spelling.

Q: How can parents help their kids discover and tap into a new interest over the summer, while they have the time?

A: Set up a weekly time to go to the public library to learn about new things. Give your child a notebook to write down questions he has throughout the week, and then head to the library to find answers. Exposing children to new experiences at local museums, zoos and free concerts also helps them discover new interests. Another idea is have your child write a weekly story about something that interested him that week. Children can also draw about the week's highlights or learn to use a digital camera and print out photos. You can then compile all the stories together at the end of August to create a summer memory book. This is an especially good activity on a rainy day.

Q: When August comes and the new school year is just weeks away, should parents do anything in particular to refuel kids' brains and prepare them for the more rigorous back-to-school schedule?

A: Do things throughout the summer, not just right before they return to school!

Erin Mantz (erinmantz.com) is a writer and communications professional based in Potomac, where she lives with her two sons, 4 and 8, and her two dogs, Rizzo and Gingi.