5 Ways to keep young scholars engaged during the summer

Summer is here! It's time for scholars to enjoy the warm weather, let loose and have some fun.

Many kids are ready to close their books and put the school year behind them, but that may not be the best choice. For many, two months can be a long time to go without learning. Some students can actually lose what they learned from the previous year, also known as the "summer slide."

While it's important for children to enjoy their summer break, it's just as crucial that they stay engaged during their time off.

We reached out to Compass Charter Schools who provides Fresno families with tuition free online and homeschool options. Here are a few ideas they had to help young scholars continue learning and practicing their skills while having fun during the summer:

Keep a Journal

Ask your scholars to keep a daily journal of all their exciting summer activities! Journaling is a fun way to help children practice their reading, writing, and penmanship skills. Help them choose, or even decorate, a journal to use throughout the summer. Encourage them to reflect and write about their daily experiences or personal thoughts. Get creative! Journals are a great way for scholars to use their imaginations and express themselves.

Explore the Outdoors

Summer is the perfect time for kids to get out and explore the great outdoors with a chaperone. Consider taking your scholars on a hike in a nearby forest, field or park. Use a book or guide to help them identify different plants, trees, flowers and animals. It's the perfect time to talk about the environment, ecosystems. Let them enjoy the many sights, smells and textures that nature has to offer and turn the hike into a wonderful learning experience.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a special way for scholars to spend their time off. There are so many different ways for children of all ages to volunteer in their community. Consider helping your scholars find local volunteering opportunities and encourage them to get involved. Volunteering can help them learn about their community, and develop critical leadership and teamwork skills. While volunteering, scholars have the opportunity to explore a variety of industries such as healthcare, politics, finance, education and much more. During the regular school year, scholars have busy schedules, but during the summer they have more time to develop a hobby or learn important career skills through volunteering.

Craft Time

Art projects are a really fun way for children to stay engaged over the summer. Coloring and painting are fun activities, but also consider incorporating other styles such as clay modeling or jewelry making. Use books and other resources to help them to learn about famous artists and embrace different art styles. They can even enter local art galleries or competitions.

Stay Connected with a library or school

Many public libraries have summer reading that can keep young minds at work throughout the summer. Some school may also have programs that keep kids engaged and encourage learning.

Compass Charter Schools showed us a unique program they have that incorporates creativity and social media. They call it their Firebird Photo Contest, and they encourage scholars to enter the contest for a chance to win special prizes.

To enter, students simply print out the Compass Charter School's mascot, decorate it, and give it a name.

Now for the fun part - scholars bring their decorated mascot along with them during their summer adventures. Then, take pictures with the mascot and share those pictures with Compass Charter School on social media! Click here for more information.

Follow Compass Charter School on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Interested in learning more about online education or homeschooling through Compass Charter Schools? Check out their academic programs.

Ready to enroll? Contact their enrollment team at enrollment@compasscharters.org or (877) 506-8631 to get started!