Join us this summer for our 5 Week Summer Challenge and get fun activities for your Beautiful Brown Girl during the month of July for FREE!
As summer picks up speed and we zoom into July, I wanted to share with you some helpful information you may find beneficial this summer when thinking about activities to keep your Beautiful Brown Girl busy. You may or may not be familiar with the term “summer slide” or “summer slip”. The “summer slide” is no theme park adventure. In fact, it’s no fun at all once school starts. It is the term many researchers and educators use to describe the regression of skills many students may experience during the summer months.
The “summer slide” affects millions of children each year. Teachers anticipate it….even the students anticipate it. They assume the initial back to school review (that can last as long as a month to a month and a half) is just part of the school curriculum. However, it is primarily necessary because most students forget important skills over the summer. It is actually a hindrance. Imagine what additional skills can be learned in the time teachers spend reteaching and reviewing?
The “summer slide” occurs when students sit idle for 2-3 months. In comparison to the regular school year, a student’s daily academic rigor and routine may significantly slow down. Daily lessons are replaced with summer camp, day trips, and sometimes lots of lounging! These are all important things and the value of summer camp and/or a relaxed summer schedule isn’t being challenged. But, in addition to all of these fun and exciting activities, there should be a daily routine for reading and/or “mind stretches”.
Follow our 5 Week Summer Challenge to get meaningful resources that your Beautiful Brown Girl can enjoy while also practicing important skills. Read below for more.
When your Beautiful Brown Girl thinks about writing in her journal, what do you think the first thing to come to mind might be? Do you think she interprets that as keeping a secret diary where she can record her deepest darkest secrets? They can, but she doesn't have to. Let's take some time this summer to reinforce that journaling can be used as a way to record personal thoughts and important life events. AND journaling can be used in fun, creative ways as well. Let's encourage them to keep journals because journaling has many benefits.
Benefit #1: Writing in a journal is a great way to feel in control.
Imagine your Beautiful Brown Girl sitting in class and the writing assignment isn’t that exciting? Well, when she keeps a personal journal she can choose what to write about. Keep in mind, it may or may not be the best writing in the world. But guess what, WHO CARES???? No one is reading it but her (ideally). So the spelling, punctuation and grammar rules can be thrown out the window. When writers are free to focus on their thoughts and not grammar, it makes writing a little more interesting!
Benefit #2 Build your Beautiful Brown Girl's confidence.
Writing in a personal journal actually helps to improve writing skills. How? Because with more writing on one's own terms means they actually get more practice -which means ultimately, they get better at spelling, sentence structure (writing sentences that make sense), vocabulary, and even with grammar.
Benefit #3 Writing can be fun!
When one writes in their personal journal, they have the POWER to pick their topic and the freedom to write whatever they want. That makes writing more enjoyable.
In addition, journaling:
•helps to reduce high levels of stress
•increase a one's knowledge of self
•is an excellent tool for processing strong emotions
•can help to raise teen’s grades and can help support/develop writing skills
•can be used a problem-solving tool as writers process their feelings and thought
DOWNLOAD OUR WEEK 1: SUMMER READING CHALLENGE FOR FREE. We share a variety of resources that are both enjoyable and beneficial. Our activities promote exercising important writing skills while also having fun.
Click here to download.
WEEK 2: FUN SUMMER READING ACTIVITIES
Experts share that students who read during the summer gain reading skills. Those who do not read, consistently slide backward. According to Scholastic, research shows that struggling readers who read at least 6 books will have a better chance of not regressing over the summer months.
So how can you keep your Beautiful Brown Girl reading during the summer months? In addition to participating in our 5 Week Summer Challenge, here a some tips:
- Make sure your child has an active library card. During the school year some students may lose their card. In addition, they may accrue fees due to overdue or lost book fines. Make sure that your child has a “clean bill” and that their borrowing privileges are in tact. Make it a point to visit the library regularly. Some libraries offer free summer reading programs for children to participate in. Your local library is a primary summer resource; be sure to take advantage of it!
- Build time into your child’s daily schedule for reading. Just like during the school year, it is important to keep your child on a reading schedule.
- Keep a book in a bag! Take advantage of “wait time” (i.e. dentist appointment, long lines, etc.). Also, long car rides, train rides and time on the beach are great opportunities to read.
- Provide a variety of reading materials for your Beautiful Brown Girl to choose from.
- Lead by example. When your child is reading, show them that it something that the family can enjoy. Pick up a book and read along with them, or, get engrossed in one of the books that have been sitting on your reading list.
- Read to and with your Beautiful Brown Girl. This helps to model fluency, strengthens vocabulary, and helps to improve listening comprehension.
- Encourage your Beautiful Brown Girl to keep a journal. By keeping a journal and highlighting what they’ve read and/or their summer adventures, she can continue to use important strategies for reading/writing.
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ACTIVITIES WILL BE AVAILABLE MONDAY JULY 5, 2021
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