Don’t Let Your Kids Take a Vacation From Learning Over Summer Break

As soon as the bell rang on the last day of school, all most kids could think of was their freedom, but nine-year-old Erica Burch of Tampa, Fla., has other plans. She is going to keep on learning.

"I’ll be going to the MetLife Center every day to play Carmen San Diego on the computer, to work on math problems in the book my teacher gave me, and to do research on archaeology," said Burch. "I’m going to be an archaeologist when I grow up, you know, and have to work hard to get ready."

Burch lives in one of the tougher neighborhoods in Tampa, but is bound and determined to prove she can "make it big." She is the kind of kid Boys & Girls Clubs around the country want to reach.

"Our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens," says Roxanne Spillett, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "MetLife Learning Centers around the country were established to help kids like Erica achieve their goals."

The Centers offer kids access to computers, arts and crafts, a game room, special programs and a gymnasium. They also offer kids a safe place to hang out all year long. Funding for such centers comes from the MetLife Foundation, established in 1976 by MetLife Insurance to provide constructive activities and adult supervision for disadvantaged youth after school. In addition to Tampa, MetLife Learning Centers are now open in Atlanta, the Bronx, N.Y., Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Dorchester, Mass., Franklin, Tenn., Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Providence, R.I., San Francisco, and Utica, NY.

"These centers are hubs for learning, especially during the summertime when kids would otherwise suffer learning loss," says Ron Fairchild, executive director of the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University. "Children who take a holiday from learning during summer vacation typically lose more than one month of reading and two months of math performance. As a result, many teachers have to spend the first four to eight weeks of the new school year re-teaching what kids have forgotten, which is a big waste of time," says Fairchild.

But that’s not going to happen to Erica. When she returns to school in the fall, she’ll be a step ahead of everyone else.

Tips from Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Help Prevent Summertime Learning Loss in Kids

For many kids, summer is a time when learning stops, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some fun activities, provided by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, parents can do with their children that will keep them learning:

*Help your child develop creativity and improve vocabulary by creating stories. You can do this by showing your children family photos or pictures from magazines, then asking the child: Who is the person in this photo? What do you think is happening in the picture? What is the person thinking or doing? If they can write, have them write down the story they make up. They may also want to draw pictures to go with the story.

* Take a few minutes to lie in the grass with your child and stare up at the clouds. Have your child tell you what shape the clouds resemble, then make up a story about what the objects in the clouds are doing.

*Cooking is one of the best ways to teach kids about math and science. Teach your child how to read a recipe and measure the ingredients. If you make a pie, when you take it out of the oven, cut it into four pieces to show your child how fractions work in the real world.

*Visit a local ethnic restaurant or grocery store to teach your child about how food is such an important part of culture and history.

*Encourage your teenager to create a family tree. The project may include interviews with elderly relatives, research on historical events, and writing your family’s story.