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Summer Fun with Reading and Math
     I love the summer months. I am blessed to have time to review our progress from the year before and finalize our plans for the following school year. The schedule is a little more relaxed without our 100 plus staff members and 1500 students as you can imagine. I love working in a school but even I need a little break. However, my break here adds more time for the kids to be home maybe looking for something to do. Although the students may not like this, I would like to offer some info about doing some school work at home during the summer so the kids can stay busy and maintain those math and reading skills during their time off. Of course we are in the middle of the summer, but now is when the students may need a few more things to do. Or at least the parents may need a few more things for the kids to do. I have three at home myself.  Anyway—keep the skills sharp with a little summer fun.

Reading
     I think it is pretty well known and supported by research that the more you practice something, the better you get. Reading is the same way. You get better at reading by reading. The more you read – the more you learn. I was told by a very reliable resource (confidential informer) that kids should be reading about an hour a day in the summer (weekdays with weekends off). This hour a day will not only maintain the skills of the student but could possibly advance their skills. For those who are already good readers, it can advance their learning and in my case be fun, depending on what I am reading. So head to the library and see what they have, or visit on-line at www.ccls.org/ Hankin Library and check out the newsletter for more info.

Math
     Each year, I see summer reading lists, but let’s not forget about Math. The same ideas exists in that kids have to practice during the summer and maybe get ready for their next class. To maintain their skills and potentially advance their math skills, students should be practicing everyday (I will waive weekend work). There are a tremendous amount of resources on-line for free from practice pages for basic skills to advance programs for Algebra, Geometry, and beyond. It can also be fun as many of the resources include math puzzles and games as a way to practice. So go ahead and google “summer math practice” and see what comes up that may work for you.
     Other subjects –combine math and reading practice by reading the daily paper and doing the crossword or talking at dinner about the sports scores and local and world events.  Stay informed and stay involved with interesting topics.