Learning Limbo
With the arrival of the Memorial Day weekend, schools will soon be breaking for summer.
But does that mean learning must be put on hold until the approach of Labor Day?
Several educators and a local librarian talked about what parents can do to keep the learning process active. Here are their ideas:
Kathleen Norante, a Title 1 reading specialist at South Butler Primary School for the past decade, loves reading. Making her love infectious, she said, is the trick to getting elementary pupils to continue learning even when the classroom is closed.
During the summer, parents don't want to put a lot of educational pressure on young children. It's a time of relaxation, she said.
But there are plenty of ways to integrate learning into children's lives without stress.
“Make it fun,” she said.
In minutes, Norante names a dozen games — some board games that already may be around the house and others that can be fashioned in minutes — that parents can play that integrate reading, math and geography.
The popular card games Old Maid and War, for example, can easily be adapted to reading games. And tic-tac-toe and hopscotch can be transformed into question-and-answer block games.
“Parents don't have to spend a lot of money on these things,” she said pointing to household items, such as kitchen magnets that could teach the alphabet or spelling.
Poems, jokes and theatrical presentations, such as puppets or emotional reading, also can entice children into participating.
“Any novel thing you can do makes learning fun,” said Norante, who also suggests parents draw from the family's daily routine. For example, helping cook with a recipe can teach both reading and math skills. Planning a grocery list can teach reading and spelling.An easy way to draw children into these activities is to incorporate topics in which they already have an interest and make the projects hands-on and activity-oriented.If they are interested in planes, learn to make a paper plane. If you're planning a trip to the zoo, study up on the child's favorite animal.Although workbooks are for sale, Norante said parents should not forget the many resources available at the local library and in the home.“Like the local newspaper,” she said. “Hold a scavenger hunt with the paper, looking for words that begin with the letters A to Z.”And Norante stresses that one of the most important actions parents can do to encourage children to read is to read themselves.“Be a good example,” she said. “Kids pick up on what mom and dad are doing.”Once children are interested, it's important to reinforce encouragement.“Nobody likes to do things they are not good at,” Norante said.Nina Fulton, Freeport High School guidance counselor, dispensed a few tips for older children. Fulton said older students should be registered for college and university summer programs, such as psychology and sports broadcasting camps. She also recommends children be involved with job shadowing.Steve Dobransky, Butler Junior High School principal, said reading and physical activity are both equally important for keeping students on track.Reading well is the most important skill required for academic success, Dobransky said. By checking with a school librarian, students can develop a summer reading list before vacation begins, he said.Many Butler Junior High School students also frequent the Butler Public Library, another good resource for teenagers. Even magazine reading is helpful for maintaining skill levels, he said.“It doesn't matter what you read as long as you read,” he said.Dobransky also hopes students get outside and move around.“It's important to be healthy and physically fit. If you're not physically healthy, your brain doesn't work at maximum capacity,” he said.During the summer, parents want to strengthen bonds with their children as well as help them maintain their reading and math skills, said George Svolos, superintendent, of the Moniteau School District.
It's always a good idea to have children strengthen their reading skills, he said, including using electronic alternatives. Teenagers love websites that make learning seem like a game, he added.Svolos said his own family takes advantage of websites that improve math and reading skills.“We sit around the dining room table with a laptop and play games. We form teams,” he said.He encourages families to make trips to libraries or to consider enrolling teens in a YMCA camp.Also, he said, “Support their Little League or soccer activities. Or even go to a field with them and toss a ball around. That's what my family does.”Mindy Isles and Amy Glackin, guidance counselors at Slippery Rock Middle School, said it's vital for students not to lose the skills they've developed.She suggests students practice their math facts, especially younger students who may not be as proficient as older students.At the same time, the educators encouraged students to dream a bit and be curious.Teens can set goals for themselves for the next school year, Isles said.Summer also is a good time for children to investigate things that they don't have time to research during the school year.And students can learn history by visiting landmarks or historic sites, whether locally or elsewhere.Amy Kellner, adult services librarian at the Zelienople Public Library, said the library offers summer programming for everyone age 3 through adult.“We have our summer reading program. This year's theme is “Dream Big,” she said.“We'll also be having programs Monday through Thursday, where we'll be talking about things related to nighttime.”The Dream Big theme will lead to conversations about wishes and dreams, as well as nocturnal animals, Kellner said.“The favorite day is Thursday, because we do Tasty Thursday, making a snack related to the theme,” she said,The kickoff date for the library's summer programs is June 11.Youths are encouraged to read and to pledge to read a certain number of books.“They also keep a record of what they read, so when they read so many books, they get a reward ... like a coupon for a local restaurant or activity,” Kellner said.“Some of them improve (reading). But, it's more to keep them from losing track, especially when they're at the first- or second-grade level. When they're just learning how to read, you don't want them to take the summer off and forget what they've learned.”Kellner said an events calendar will be posted on the library's website and include events such as library night at a Butler BlueSox game and an end-of-summer gathering at the Zelienople Pool.<b><i>Eagle staff writers Kim Paskorz, Sandy Pontius, Ed Biller and Tom Victoria contributed to this report.</i></b>
