EDUCATION MATTERS—SANFORD SCHOOL'S PRIVATE SCHOOL BLOG

When the echoes of the final name emanating from the speaker finish their reverberation and the crowd erupts in cheers for the class of 2022, parents of graduates may find themselves at the center of a cyclone of emotions. Countless feelings which likely include pride, excitement, fear, worry, joy, and sadness rush over them at this pivotal moment in not only their child’s life but also their own. This moment signifies the official beginning of the next chapter for your family. 

Summer is here, so it’s the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. This blog from Harvard Medical School describes six reasons why it's important for kids to spend time outside. If one (or more!) of those reasons resonates with you, then take advantage of one of our activities below that will help you and your child engage with nature.

The end of the school year is here, and while that might mean lazy days by the pool or family vacations, it’s also the perfect time to start preparing your child for the upcoming school year. Here are six fun ways to promote learning and to make sure your child makes the most of this SUMMER so that they can roll smoothly into the fall.

For more than a year, children across the country have been learning in atypical school settings. Faced with remote, hybrid, and in-person teaching and learning options along with major changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, some students have fallen behind academically. In addition, many miss their typical routines, others are suffering from Zoom fatigue, and the majority are longing for social interaction.

As your family prepares to wrap up this school year and makes plans for next year, consider enrolling your child in a summer enrichment program. Strong enrichment programs, even during a traditional school year, offer many benefits for PreKindergarten through high school students. Learn about five ways a summer enrichment program can help your child:

This has been an unusual summer, but while COVID-19 may have caused you to cancel your plans, but there are still many ways you can make the most of your stay-at-home summer. It's understandable to dwell on and feel disappointed about missed opportunities, but if you have the bandwidth anddesire, you may find great joy in using thissummer as the time to do the things you are usually too busy to do. Rather than dwelling on thistime as the summer of missed opportunities, you can turn it into the summer of exploration by diving into the following areas:

Educators have been aware of summer slide or a regression in academic progress over the summer months since a comprehensive study was published almost twenty-five years ago (Charlton, K, Cooper, H, Greathouse, S, Lindsay, J, Nye, B, 1996). Especially during a period of uncertainty when many families may be spending more time at home, Sanford School teachers are here to share ideas that will encourage continued academic growth and stability throughout the summer months. Setting up a consistent schedule in the summer filled with educational activities will help continue your child's learning throughout elementary school.

Once summer rolls along, it is often hard to resist the temptation to retire completely from the academic pursuits that had kept one so active during the school year. As tempting as this may be, what students often forget is how easy it is to incorporate these lessons into their summer schedules in a way that suits their interests. Here are just a few tips on how to keep the learning going so as to expand your interests and ease the transition into a new school year.

The summer slide is the learning loss that some students have at the beginning of the school year after the summer break. Studies have shown that there is a loss of about one to three months of knowledge from the end of the school year to the start. To avoid the summer slide, students need to be actively involved in educational opportunities so they can return to school ready to learn.

Summer presents a whirlwind of choices for families including day camps, special interest camps, downtime, and family vacations. Students have the opportunity to pursue the interests they love, make social bonds at camps, and create family memories that will last a lifetime.