This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing and contains affiliate links
The school year isn’t even close to over but I’m already thinking of summer. Summer camps, summer vacations, and combatting the summer slide by helping my kids prepare for a new grade.
This year Thomas will graduate from elementary school and as he moves on to middle school, I want to make sure he’s ready. This means using a critical eye to figure out what he’s learning between now and the school year, celebrating the things he’s mastered, and understanding what could be a challenge in middle school come fall.
As a former teacher, I know that the summer slide is real. I saw confident, knowledgeable kindergartners leave for the summer and enter my first grade class having lost important spelling expertise, math concepts, and reading skills. I found my students lost about two months of grade level equivalency in math and many lost the incredible progress they had made in reading during the summer months.
To say it set us back was an understatement. The catch up that teachers play in the fall is real. Kids who consistently read, practice math facts, and write on a regular basis have a huge advantage over those who don’t.
As a parent, I embrace carefree summer days but there’s a way to build in learning in a fun way as part of your summer routine that doesn’t involve a screen thanks to Summer Brain Quest.
About Summer Brain Quest
Earlier this month the popular Brain Quest brand launched Summer Brain Quest, a collection of workbooks targeting each summer between kindergarten and 6th grade. But unlike other workbooks, Summer Brain Quest is one that kids will want to pick up and complete.
Kids will love that each book is structured like a game. Each Summer Brain Quest workbook contains a pull-out map that guides kids on a learning quest.
The map offers a choice of routes, allowing kids to customize their learning path and pursue what excites them most (extra math problems? more hands-on science?), while encouraging them to jump around within the book to follow their curiosity. After years of doing summer packets from school labeled according to the week of summer that work needs to be completed, this is a refreshing change!
As kids complete their work, they fill in their route on the map by earning stickers for completing workbook pages as well as pursuing outdoor activities. Thomas and I love that Summer Brain Quest is like a Choose Your Own Adventure for summer work!
As a parent who knows how difficult it can be to get a child to complete summer homework packets in order, I appreciate that Summer Brain Quest recognizes the importance of individualized learning. Letting kids learn what they want and when they want thanks to the learning quest not only provides personalized educational experiences for every type of kid but keeps the learning at a level that’s just right for your child.
Having exercises are tailored to each child’s strengths, needs and interests empowers kids to have a voice in what and how they learn, while ensuring they get enough practice of the fundamentals.
Summer Brain Quest not only provides personalized learning through a fun quest but also features original artwork by video game artist Edison Yan. The visual appeal makes every book feel fresh and fun while the educational material is of the highest quality.
Each Summer Brain Quest workbook has been created in consultation with an award-winning teacher specializing in that grade to ensure that exercises are aligned to Common Core State Standards, Next Generation State Standards, and state social studies standards.
For more information about Summer Brain Quest,
- Learn More at the Official Site
- Visit the Workman Blog
- Follow @WorkmanPub on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest
- Like @WorkmanPublishing on Facebook
I was compensated for this post and giveaway but all opinions are my own.
I homeschool year round and the biggest struggle is that their neighborhood friends attend public school. During the summer they keep coming by and knocking, interrupting our homeschool work.
My biggest challenge is knowing exactly what to help my kids with over the summer months. I feel fortunate that they really do enjoy learning!
The biggest challenge is keeping motivated to write as it is gorgeous outside!
It hasn’t been that much of an issue for us yet — luckily, my daughter loves to read and we do a lot of family activities like geocaching and camping in the summer that incorporate incidental learning. Biggest struggle for me is just keeping her from vegging out mindlessly in front of the screen.
What a great thing for kids to keep busy in the summer. I have not had any issues keeping mine engaged over the summer. We set up a calendar together and decide what we will do. They get input and so do I:)
What a great thing for kids to keep busy in the summer. I have not had any issues keeping mine engaged over the summer. We set up a calendar together and decide what we will do. They get input and so do I.
They are antsy and want to play outside and as there aren’t grades to be handed out there is little incentive for them to focus on schoolwork.
Keeping them interested. Vacations can get in the way sometimes.
These would be great for my child because he likes to do workbooks anyway.
My son does not like to practice his writing.
My biggest struggle is trying to keep my kids focused on learning all year when they want to be playing outside every second. We like to do our work in the morning and get outside right after lunch.
My biggest struggle is trying to keep my kids focused on learning all year when they want to be playing outside every second. We like to do our work in the morning and get outside right after lunch. We like to take field trips to make learning exciting.
Usually trying to keep them focused is the main problem.
Keeping them motivated and interested in school during break.
during the summer we work on workbooks, and we go on education field trips together
My biggest struggle is probably not have a set schedule and bed time is usually later. We also go on vacation and a few day trips. I encourage of reading during the Summer. These workbooks look to include too.
just being busy having other fun and going to activities
What DOESN’T distract my kids from doing school work?!? lol! It’s mainly the sun during the summer. It pretty much rains here the rest of the year, fall through spring. So when the sun is out, my kids want to be outside as much as possible, playing ball, riding their bikes or swimming.
beach time we;re a surfer family cant really take learning to the beach
Finding fun and interesting activites
Keeping everyone on the task is hard when their friends are out playing
In the summer we usually concentrate on the subjects that they find to be the hardest. I struggle to keep them focused because most of their friends are in public school and they don’t understand why they need to do school work when their friends are out playing.
My youngest son has no choice right now but to be spending his summer learning. This year has been a huge struggle for him to focus and stay on task.
they are not interested and just want to have fun
These would be perfect for him due to the variety (he gets bored easily) and covers all subjects.
Getting them to stay off electronics
Keeping my daughter on task is hard sometimes because she gets bored at home. She these other kids playing and feels like she does not need to learn during the summer.
The biggest struggle is getting them to focus instead of their minds wandering over what they’re going to do the remainder of the day.
Keeping them interested in learning during the summer is often difficult. Why in the world would they have summer work from school?
My kids lack the motivation to do school work in the summer.
Trying to keep my kids focused during the summer when they want to be outside swimming etc.
This would help my child with her learning.
Keeping the work fun to where they stay interested!
not being interested because they rather be on the phone or the laptop