Summer is almost over and, according to researchers, my kids have by now lost over two months of the knowledge drilled into them last year. Any seasoned teacher will tell you that they spend up to six weeks at the start of the school year reprogramming kids’ brains from the seasonal learning loss/water damage of the summer vacation. A 2004 John Hopkins University study stated (a little more officially) that on average, students lose about 2.6 months of mathematical learning and from one to three months of reading loss—with low-income students experiencing the most significant loss—over the summer break.

With such stats in mind, I researched the recommendations of teachers and “learning experts” to see what I, as a parent, could do over the summer to prevent my kids from needing to play catch-up in September. I found stodgy and uninspired recommendations like “get to know your library,” “take a summer class,” “explore parent-approved learning Web sites,” and “write book reports.” Don’t these experts know that “learning is fun” sounds like “vegetables are delicious” to vacationing kids? Puhlease!

Fortunately, our summer was not a complete brain drain. I discovered a few sneaky ways to keep my kids’ brains at work while they were on vacation, and you know what? Learning really can be fun. (Just don’t tell your kids!)

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(photo by scoll22)

(original article by Jacinta O’Halloran)