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Kids Don’t Need To Take A Vacation From Learning

Posted: 12/29/2010

When not in school, children can learn many useful lessons on the computer, at home and around the neighborhood.

(NAPSI) - Your child’s education doesn’t have to take a holiday when school is not in session. There are a number of things parents can do to promote a love of learning year-round.

For example:

1. The U.S. Department of Education has come up with a way to make science lessons at home good, clean fun. Children can learn about surface tension and about change just by blowing soap bubbles. Mix some dishwashing liquid with water and pour it into a pan. Let your children blow through a straw while moving it slowly across the surface of the solution. Ask them to notice the size of the bubbles that it makes. Next, have your children gently touch a bubble with a wet finger and then with a dry finger to see what happens. Finally, look closely at the bubbles. Count the many colors and see if they change.

2. Children can explore fascinating mathematical possibilities in the world around them every day. Ask them to look for symmetry in leaves; count the number, sizes and kinds of trees on your street; and look at the various shapes and patterns of flowers.

3. When school is out, the library is in. Visit the library with your youngsters and help them find books to pique their interest.

4. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, today’s kids spend more than 53 hours a week with digital media. This constant interaction with digital media equates to a full-time job. They can enjoy the digital space while learning through “untraditional” means. One useful site comes from Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital curriculum−based content for the classroom. At that site, teachers, students and parents can find:

• “Explore the Blue,” which demonstrates the importance of outdoor recreational activities and conservation.

• Science of Everyday Life—a new Web portal with resources for students, parents and teachers that celebrate the science all around us.

• Read to Succeed, a program to inspire students to engage in recreational reading.

• Science Fair Central, a website supporting educators, parents and young scientists as they embrace that great opportunity for project-based learning—the Science Fair.

Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Communications, whose networks include Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

To access these and other free resources, go to http://school.discoveryeducation.com or call (800) 323-9084.

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