A to Z: 7 Ways to Keep Your Child’s Brain Active During Summer

When you’re a school-age child, there is possibly nothing better than the freedom of summer vacation. While this annual break from the daily grind is fun and exciting, the loss of structure and stability of the school routine can be a concern for some parents. Studies have shown that most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in math and reading during the summer break. A great solution for keeping your child sharp during the summer months is enrolling him or her in a quality summer program (none better than Fairmont Summer Programs, of course!).

Summer schools, educational camps, and enrichment workshops are great ways to keep kids active, structured, and learning while school is out. In addition to enrolling in a great summer program, here are several more strategies to keep your child safe from the summer brain drain!

• Find free classes or workshops in your community that interest your child. Visit your local library for summer reading challenges, children’s events, and youth classes.
• Start a family book club. Choose several age and level appropriate books for your family to read over the summer. Schedule time to gather, discuss the books, and ask questions of the characters and plot. Click here for reading recommendations!
• Plan educational outings to museums, historical sites, and cultural events. Encourage your child to study up on the history of the places you’ll visit, and have conversations about the significance of the people, places, and events that occurred.
• Bring your child into the kitchen when it’s time to make meals. Showing him or her the ways of the kitchen not only teaches basic cooking concepts, but also reinforces math concepts like addition, subtraction, and fractions.
• Research some online educational games or apps for your child to play during downtime. If you’re traveling this summer or you know your child will have a lot time when he or she will need to be still (at mom’s work or dad’s desk), games that promote mathematics skills and reading comprehension are beneficial.
• Make time to do lots of experiments this summer. Activities and experiments that promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) concepts will engage curiosity, creativity, and draw on math and science topics learned in school. Click here for a curated list of STEM activities!
• Do lots of arts and crafts. Encouraging creativity in your child opens the door for exploration and builds upon the concepts covered during the school year. Click here for arts and crafts inspiration!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

FRIDAY FOLDER: august 14

Memories of 2015's "Surf's Up" Summer Camp

 

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools 

FRIDAY FOLDER: august 7

Highlights of the Week:

Fairmont summer campers enjoy the last week of camp

Fairmont Summer Programs has concluded this year's 'Surf's Up' summer camp! During the final week of camp, students enjoyed Swim Day, knocked down pins at the bowling ally, dressed up for Superhero Day, and celebrated during on-campus parties.

Fairmont has enjoyed spending the summer with your child! To see more photos from this summer, visit Fairmont's Flickr and Facebook pages!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools 

 

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 31

Highlights of the Week:

 

Historic Anaheim campers dress up like nerds, show off their talents, and stay cool with water balloon games!

 

 

 Anaheim Hills campers enjoy snacks and dress up like nerds!

North Tustin campers love Swim Day!

With only one week of summer camp left, Fairmont Summer Programs is still going strong! Week eight was filled with excitement as campers enjoyed Swim Day, ate Wipe-Out Nachos, performed in the talent shows, and dressed up for Nerd Day! Campers also went on the last field trip of the summer to Knott's Berry Farm! 

Week nine will conclude summer camp with a bowling excursion, Under-the-Sea Cakes, Superhero dress up day, and an on-campus party!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

HOW TO: prepare for back-to-school

With family vacations and lazy days by the pool coming to an end, the new school year is just around the corner. Here are some great tips to prepare you family for the back-to-school routine:

1. Sleeping Schedule - Children love summer because of the relaxed bedtime schedule. To encourage a school year bedtime, try getting children to bed early and setting their alarms for a school morning two weeks before the start of school. This will help children acclimate to the new sleeping routine that’s sure to start with the new school year.
2. Family Calendar - Before school starts, gather as much information about sports schedules, class times, special events, etc. and outline everyone’s schedule on a calendar posted in a highly trafficked area of the house. Develop a color-coding system using highlighters or colored pens to help make dates and times clear for each family member. Tech-centered families can use calendar apps, such as iCloud Calendar, Google Calendars, or Sunrise Calendar, to seamlessly coordinate and synchronize schedules.
3. Streamline Cooking - Gear up for back-to-school season by making freezer meals one-to-two weeks before the start of the school year. Prepare as many healthy meals as possible before the new schedule sets in. Don’t forget that freezer meals are not just for dinner, but breakfast, too! Check out Fairmont’s Snacktime Pinterest board for great freezer meal ideas!
4. Fall Cleaning - Start the school year off with a clean house! After the upheaval of family vacations and summer activities, take time to put away all items and clothes that won’t be necessary during the fall and winter months. Clean up areas of the house that become easily cluttered, and try out a new organizing system with color-coded paper files, whiteboards, storage bins, etc. Don’t forget to clean out the family car before carting kids to and from school and events.

Taking the time to prepare your family and home before the back-to-school rush will help make a smooth transition into the school year!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by HAAN

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 24

Highlights of the Week:

 North Tustin campers have a great week with dancing, bingo, and bottled tornadoes!

Anaheim Hills campers show off their crazy hair and silly sunglasses!

Historic Anaheim campers play a live board game created by Counselors-In-Training!

What an exciting week of summer camp! During week seven, campers made Rice Krispy sculptures, enjoyed Swim Day, created sand art pictures, and traveled to Raging Waters theme park in San Dimas!

Next week will bring a whole host of new activities, including Turtle Roll Techies, Wipe Out Nachos, Nerd Day, an offshore talent show, and a field trip to Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools 

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 17

Highlights of the Week:

 

Campers and counselors play games during free time!

Preschoolers visit with Captain Karl and his sea creatures!

 

Campers enjoy a pirate show at Pirate's Dinner Adventure!

 

As week six comes to a close, it's time to look back at the fun and high adventure of Fairmont Summer Programs! This week campers made their own doughnuts and dressed up in their best pirate regalia! Campers also took a special trip to Pirate's Dinner Adventure in Buena Park for a scrumptious lunch and an adventure on the high seas!

 

Get ready for week seven as campers will take a trip to Raging Waters theme park of San Dimas and dress up for Crazy Hair and Sunglasses Day!

 

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools  

CHALKTALK practicing academic skills during the summer

During brief intervals of summer fun and rest, it is wise to devote some time for your child to practice their academic skills. The benefit will be apparent when they return in the fall refreshed and rested without losing a beat when it comes to reading, math, and writing. Here are some helpful tips to keep your children sharp in the educational essentials. Please note, adding some fun to these activities helps motivate initiative!

Reading:
Children should be encouraged to set time during the week for reading their favorite books. For young children, not yet able to read on their own, parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children every night before bedtime.  

Math:
For retaining and refining math skills, children should be offered opportunities to practice their grade-appropriate math facts. Effective tools to help exercise these valuable skills include flash cards, computer-based games, apps, and practicing math facts out loud.

Writing:
Summer is a great time for children to practice their writing skills. They can dabble in creative writing styles such as poetry and short stories. They can also keep a summer journal to record their adventures during vacation. Children also make excellent scribes or reporters for documenting activities while traveling and visiting relatives. 

Practicing these academic skills will help children pass the time productively while traveling.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools
Image by PBS 

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 10

During week five of the never-ending adventures of Fairmont Summer Programs, campers had a blast under water, examined shark teeth, and had fun with our wonderful camp counselors!

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 3

Highlights of the Week:

 

 Campers enjoy Mrs. Baham's ice cream created from liquid nitrogen! 

Campers bounce off the walls during the Sky High Trampoline Park field trip!

Week four of summer camp has come to a close but our campers enjoyed an abundance of new activities this week! Between Quidditch matches, a visit to the trampoline park, and dressing up in red, white, and blue, campers stayed busy and engaged with peers and counselors! One of this week's highlights was the ice cream experiment conducted by Fairmont's Mrs. Kathy Baham! During the presentation, Mrs. Baham explained how liquid nitrogen aids in the making of ice cream! After concluding the experiment, campers sampled the delicious results!

Next week will bring more excitement as campers head to the Corona del Mar beach and dress up like their favorite animal!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools