(Blooming Prairie, MN Feb , 2023) :
It’s Not Too Soon to Think About or Talk About Summer Learning
At Leo Augusta Children’s Academy, our school-age staff is already preparing for our summer school-age programming. Even though the calendar shows that it is four months away we know how quickly time can pass and we want to make certain that we are fully prepared for an exciting, educationally filled activity time for our children.
Research consistently shows that children who do not engage in any type of mental activity during the summer break will tend to lose up to a third of what they have learned during the academic year. At Leo Augusta Children’s Academy, we intend to keep the children’s minds sharp and stimulated with programming that is distinctively different from that of the school year and is filled with learning, activity, relaxation, and exploration.
During the summer months, the Academy will focus on different thematic units of study that will be available to all area children. Families will have the opportunity to sign their child up for one, or all three of the monthly themes. By taking extra time over the summer to concentrate on a particular subject, rather than focusing on several subjects, we hope to provide a deeper understanding of the topic and activities supporting that learning. We will delve “deeper” rather than “wider” with each month’s study.
Summer learning is a time when a child is able to learn without the sense of urgency and pressure that may be associated with an extremely busy school schedule. The brain is free to relax, create, wander, and imagine, which promotes happy and positive feelings associated with that learning. Summer education builds a child’s self-confidence and provides a feeling of accomplishment. One of our goals will be to promote innovation, creativity, and a love of learning with each monthly learning theme.
Summer is certainly a time for long lazy days and later bedtimes for children. However, routines are healthy and good for children and often provide them with stability, security, and safety. We believe that summer provides children with plenty of time for structured learning opportunities with schedules that are also light, flexible, and filled with activity, fun, and friends. Leo Augusta Children’s Academy will be able to provide exactly this to your school-aged child this summer.
Opportunities to participate in school-age summer programming at the Academy will be available to our area children, even if you aren’t currently enrolled at Leo Augusta. A simple enrollment process will be available, and families will be able to register for one month or all three months of programming, based on your child’s interest and availability. The themes, activities, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning is currently being designed. We look forward to sharing with you each months Focus For Learning and information regarding enrollment.
Don’t hesitate to contact us at Leo Augusta if you’d like additional information or would like to visit our childcare-education center. We’d love to show it to you!
Doug Anderson, Director: doug@leoaugusta.com
Daysha Zilm, Assistant Director: daysha@leoaugusta.com
For updates on progress and development follow the LACA Facebook page.