Oh, The Fun We Had Learning This Summer!

So much for kicking back and relaxing during these long, hot summer months. Dallas AfterSchool Network and its member providers know that the 10 to 12 summer weeks away from instruction and reading takes a toll, causing a lot of students to actually regress academically. The cumulative effect of this "summer slide" year-after-year creates two-thirds of the academic achievement gap between low-income students and their more advantaged peers.

New research shows that when students mix a dose of academics into the otherwise lazy days of summer, they lock in their learning gains from the school year. That way, they arrive at school in late August on track with their peers and ready to take on new challenges.

What fun learning activities did our students do this summer? Here are a couple of examples:

When I Grow Up - the students at Dallas Community Lighthouse explored a variety of diverse career paths, learning about the skills and educational background necessary to pursue each career. After learning the math, reading or science involved in a specific career, they then visited with professionals in those chosen fields. Not only was this a fun way to reinforce some academics, it just might have provided the spark needed to create future pilots, firefighters or even vets. Watch the DCL students tour a veterinarian hospital and learn what it takes to keep pets healthy.

Community Garden - Jubilee Park and Community Center created a community garden and grew tasty tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce and peppers, among other items. The students had to use science and math in addition to their green thumbs to plot the garden and nurture its growth. Then, they learned how to make nutritious, flavorful meals from the earth's bounty. Nutrition classes promoted healthy eating, portion control and the use of spices (instead of salt). By doing so, the students applied science and math principles in a fun, engaging way. View the community garden in a recent WFAA-TV After the Bell segment.