The Best Ways for Students to Take Advantage of a Summer At Home
Online yoga is a great way for students to learn a new skill and practice mindfulness this summer.
Students and parents alike are staring down the barrel of a long summer at home with no camps, no internships, and no vacations away from home. As experts at scaffolding student schedules and teaching summer academic enrichment programs, we put together some ideas for parents to consider when thinking about summer plans.
Where to start?
By now you’ve probably received at least 1,000 resources for online activities students can do this summer. It’s amazing what’s out there, right? But it can also be overwhelming. How do you choose?
Instead of throwing a bunch of random resources and activities together, we recommend first coming up with a comprehensive plan that incorporates both short-term and long-term goals in two major categories:
Academic
Non-academic
Now is a great time for kids to hone their goals and turn them into action plans.
Did you know…
Typically the first six weeks kids return to school are spent re-learning old material to make up for summer learning loss. This year, given the interferences of Covid-19, we can expect that review period to be longer.
Making Your Summer Plan
Under the “Academic Goals” category, consider the following options:
Remediation: summer is a great time to fill academic gaps. Students who might have missed content over the school year might want to consider hiring a tutor to review important skills they might have missed.
Enrichment: once those gaps are filled, summer is a good time to get ahead, especially in subjects that the student feels might be particularly tricky to tackle in the coming school year.
Coursework: a lot of students will be receiving pass/fail grades for their second semester of school this year, which can be either beneficial or detrimental to their overall GPA. High school students expecting this change to negatively impact their GPA should consider additional coursework over the summer because colleges will take those additional grades into account when computing their GPA as a whole (just make sure to get A’s in those summer classes!).
Standardized test preparation: most standardized testing companies (SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, etc.) will be offering a test-at-home option as early as this summer. For students applying to schools that require standardized test scores, summer is going to be a great time to dig into preparation, either by signing up for a class or working one-on-one with a tutor.
Study skills: for students looking to up their academic game next school year, learning study skills is one of the best ways to make quick gains and increase the efficiency and efficacy of study time. These skills are especially helpful for students in 5th-9th grade, as the transition to middle and high school can be especially challenging.
This summer…
Take advantage of the many online resources available to come up with a plan that keeps your kids on a track toward achieving their goals.
Under the “Non-Academic Goals” category, consider the following:
Social-emotional learning: The past 3 months have been an emotional roller-coaster for everyone, which is why now more than ever we want to emphasize the importance of social-emotional learning for every age group. Every summer plan should include opportunities for social-emotional learning, whether that means regular virtual playdates with friends, online cooking courses, online support groups or virtual therapeutic services.
Elevating interests: Summer is a great time for students to take their passions to the next level. Interested in creative writing? How about writing a short story and trying to get it published? Interested in gardening? What about building a series of raised beds and creating an “edible garden” with food you can use to feed your family? While you're at it, why not start a blog about your project and include recipes you’re trying out? Not only does elevating interests help keep kids motivated in school, it also provides them with a reason to get out of their pajamas every morning.
Volunteering & online internships: Even though many summer camps and programs have been canceled, a lot have been moved online. Kids who didn’t have access to opportunities before due to geographical considerations may actually find they’re now able to work remotely, opening up new opportunities they may not have had before.
Physical activities: Being stuck at home means getting exercise is more important than ever. When helping families put together their weekly schedules we always recommend including opportunities for movement and stretching, whether it’s in the form of independent activities like hiking or jogging, or group activities like online classes.
Reading is a great way for students to stay on track during the summer.
Resources
We know you have a lot of resources to choose from. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and done some vetting to share a few of our favorites to help you start putting together your summer schedule. These aren’t the only resources out there but hopefully will provide you with a running start.
We’ve sorted our top five resource recommendations into Academic and Non-Academic and included relevant links below:
Academic:
Pacific Preparatory & Tutor Corps (not that we’re biased or anything): provides 1:1 instructional and tutorial support for all K-12 academic subjects, standardized test preparation and study skills.
Khan Academy: provides a range of free, self-led coursework in all academic subjects.
Coursera: offers a huge range of courses from world-class universities and companies (Edx is another great option).
Ted.com: ok, so technically Ted talks don’t count as “academics” per say, but can certainly be an enriching and thought-provoking addition to any academic program.
UC Scout: high school students seeking affordable A-G approved credits over the summer and want a self-guided online course should check out UC Scout’s list of available courses. These courses, which mainly consist of watching videos, reading text on screen, and taking multiple-choice quizzes & tests, can definitely be enhanced with some support from a live 1:1 teacher.
Non-Academic:
Virtual book clubs for kids: although a book club appears to be non-academic from the outside, reading is one of the best ways for kids to continue learning over the summer. Some kids read best with scaffolding in the form of tutoring or book clubs.
Nanoramo Young Writer’s Program: budding creative writers may discover both friendship and inspiration by joining the young writer’s program with Nanoramo.
Girls Who Code: is offering a virtual summer immersion program for rising 10th-12th grade girls and nonbinary students. These students will learn about computer science and gain exposure to tech jobs.
Carnegie Hall Workshops: Music-lovers can take part in virtual workshops from the pros at Carnegie Hall.
Idealist.org: to find a suitable internship or volunteer opportunity.
For high schoolers seeking extracurricular opportunities for the summer, check out the awesome resource list compiled by University Gurus, which you can download for free here.
For younger students (K-5), we have a few additional resource recommendations:
Consider a penpal: writing letters serves a dual purpose of honing writing skills and supporting social-emotional learning.
Online chess clubs: for kids into games and competition, this is a great way to keep them socializing and active.
Virtual tours: in lieu of in-person visits, try a virtual tour with the kids of national parks, museums, zoos, and theme parks.
Interested in signing up for academic enrichment with Pacific Preparatory this summer? Please contact us for more information.