Staying Sharp Through the Summer
by
Mindi Johnson
Summer is a great time to take a break from the daily grind of school and
homework, but it’s important to help your children retain what they’ve
learned and be ready for the next school year.
Eileen Althouse, the school Librarian at Amphitheater School District’s
Painted Sky Elementary has these suggestions to help your child through the
summer months:
- A child should read everyday so they do not "lose ground" on
where they were academically. If they do not read daily, when they go back
to school and test - the test scores often show a decrease.
- Read at least twenty minutes a day.
- Ask your local
Librarian or a clerk at the book store for age-appropriate book suggestions. There’s a book for every reading level and every interest, so take
your time to look for a book you will enjoy!
- Join a Summer Reading Program. Try the public library or local books
stores like Barnes and Noble. At Barnes and Noble, if you read 8 books,
write the title and author down, have your parents initial it and take
that in to Barnes and Noble, you can choose a free book from a list of
books. You can get 2 free books over the course of the summer. The public
library also has a program to earn prizes along the way.
- Don’t read all day long – summer is a time to play, play, play!
But when it hits about 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon and children need to "get
their body temps down," read for about 20 minutes or so and then go
back out and play, play, play!
© 2008
Good News Tucson™
