Keeping Up with Learning

I just joined the board of a non-profit, Massachusetts Public School Performance, whose mission is to improve the quality of education. Supporting and improving education has always been a passion of mine. From my days at UPromise (I was one of their first employees) to my time now helping companies and organizations, like MPSP, with an education focus grow or even get started, I’m always looking for ways to improve the quality and experience of learning, especially for children. 

Now that summer’s here, school’s out, and grades are last semester’s news, does that mean we should stop thinking about learning? No! As a mom, I’d like to encourage parents to keep supporting their children’s education by setting aside time to foster an environment for learning at home this summer.

When school isn’t in session our children are free to explore their hobbies and interests. Now is the time to especially encourage those budding passions. Without the pressures of daily homework and class schedules, our children have the chance to spend extra time exploring the subjects that interest them the most. We can help them out by seizing this opportunity to support them in their growth.

Now that there’s a little more free time on the calendar, take the chance to help out your children and support ongoing learning. If they love dinosaurs, take them to a natural history museum. If they’re fascinated by machines or Legos, bring them to a science museum. If they paint, write, or sing, try finding a private lessons instructor to help encourage their hobby. And if you’re looking for fun and educational group events, your local library should have regular (free) events, so check with their schedule for fun things to do.

Summer doesn’t just mean school’s out. It means we parents have the chance to help encourage our children’s passions. Who knows? Maybe that hobby could turn into a lifelong profession?

If you’re looking for some other learning opportunities, here are some resources for you to check out:

Secret Builders – a great site for little ones (I'm an advisor)

MyHappyPlanet – a language learning site for older kids or parents (I'm an advisor for this company, too.)

FamilyEducation.com – tons of hands-on activities and crafts

Family.com – Disney's super-fun site for families

Education.com – info for parents (of older children)

PBSparents.org – info for parents (of younger children)

FunBrain – fun, educational games for elementary-age kids

What are you doing to keep your kids learning during the summer? Share all your great ideas in the comments!