<p>http://www.education.com/slideshow/summer-apps/</p><p>10 apps for preventing summer slide</p><p>When we think of summer, we think of a happy, carefree time when children can have fun and unwind. Sometimes, however, we forget about the potential learning opportunities to which we can expose them. In order to make sure that your child does not experience the summer slide, here are my suggestions.  Summer Programs: Many public and private schools run summer programs for their students. Take advantage of them. They are usually for only half a day and allow flexibility for summer vacations. Contact your child's school to find out if it offers such a program.  Family Reading Program: Set up a summer reading program with your child in which s/he chooses an agreed- upon number of grade-level books to read per month. Make sure that you consult the child's teacher or a librarian for advice. In order to show solidarity, the entire family should participate.  Specialized Summer Camps: Enroll your child in a specialized summer camp. These camps are fun and incorporate hands-on activities into their curriculum. Some of the more popular ones include computer, science and math camps.  Pick the Teacher’s Brain: Conference with your child's current or next teacher and ask him or her to suggest summer workbooks, science activities, essay topics and interesting summer activities for your child. You may even be able to elicit help in assessing your child’s performance.  Summer Enrichment: Summer is also a good time to fill in learning gaps. If you know that your child is weak in a particular subject, you may want to set up an enrichment program. As always, consult with your child's teacher.  Learning While Vacationing: If you are planning on taking a vacation this summer, you can turn it into a social studies activity. Ask your child to research the destination's history, cuisine, popular attractions, etc. Also, once you reach your vacation destination, you can schedule tours of famous landmarks and locations, which will increase social studies knowledge.  Summer Journaling: Ask your son or daughter to write a daily journal of all the things learned each day. Remember, you will need to orchestrate learning activities for your children, because you can't trust that they will be able to do it on their own.  Turn Daily Activities Into Learning Opportunities: If you’re at the grocery store with your kids, challenge them to add up the total cost of your purchase. Driving to grandmother’s house? Ask them to find certain colors, shapes, or patterns along the way. If you’re dealing with older kids, think of appropriate variations.  Learning Locally: Don’t forget about the local park, museum, zoo, aquarium, etc. Your local community is full of learning opportunities you’ve probably never considered. Preventing summer slide can seem like a daunting task, but thankfully, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pull off. All you need is to be organized and have the right plan. I have provided you with some simple strategies for preventing summer learning loss, without taking the fun out of the school break. When the new school year begins, your child will be armed with skills retained from the previous year, and hopefully will have gained some brand-new ones as well. Good luck! - See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/ask-dr-lynch/preventing-summer-slide.shtml#sthash.pW0ccdBJ.dpuf</p><p>Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they've learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. Try these strategies to help your reader improve her reading during the summer and beyond: 1. Six books to summer success: Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right — not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your local library. Ask for help selecting books that match your child's age, interests, and abilities. Libraries often run summer reading programs that motivate kids to read, so find out what's available in your area. Also check our book lists for recommendations. 2. Read something every day: Encourage your child to take advantage of everyopportunity to read. Find them throughout the day: o Morning: The newspaper — even if it is just the comics or today's weather. o Daytime: Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc. For example, if your daughter likes the food channel, help her look for a recipe on the network's Web site — then cook it together for more reading practice. o Evening: End the day by having your child read to you from the book he is currently reading (one of the six books, above). Have him rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Rereading will help him be more fluent — able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression. 3. Keep reading aloud: Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so she will build listening comprehension skills with grade-level and above books. This will increase her knowledge and expand her experience with text, so that she will do better when she reads on her own. It's hard to keep up a reading routine in a season packed with distractions and diversions. These suggestions will fit into a busy schedule and make reading fun! Topics Reading Support, Summer Themes. Related Summer Reading Resources</p><p> Keep Your Kids Reading All Summer Long! </p><p> Summer Challenge 101 for Parents</p><p> Fun-in-the-Sun Activities Book Lists  Hot Summer Reads</p><p> Hot Summer Series</p><p> Beach Blanket Books Summer Reading Blogs http://www.justreadfamilies.org/</p>