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Summer and study, 10 very useful tips for doing holiday homework - Lifestyle

2020-08-12T09:16:34.854Z


(HANDLE)The months of the lockdown with the school moved home, with distance learning done in the emergency of quarantine, to force everyone - teachers, students, families - to compete with new methods and consequently new problems. Now the summer has arrived which already opens months of vacatio, holidays, of closed books, of tasks postponed to September. In the year dominated by the distance between stu...


The months of the lockdown with the school moved home, with distance learning done in the emergency of quarantine, to force everyone - teachers, students, families - to compete with new methods and consequently new problems. Now the summer has arrived which already opens months of vacatio, holidays, of closed books, of tasks postponed to September. In the year dominated by the distance between students and teachers, what will happen to our children, especially the little ones? Will the long pause weigh more? A deficit could result. To report this problem is a recent research by the University of Southern California published by the American Educational Research Journal and re-launched a few days ago by CNN according to whichmore than half of students can lose up to 39% of the reading and writing skills acquired at school during the summer months .
A negative phenomenon that takes the name of "summer slide", accentuated this year by the health emergency that has forced millions of children to deal with distance learning. Suffice it to say that an American survey by CBS reported that 62% of students, especially elementary school, have accused problems of stress, fatigue and attention deficit. But what are the advice of the experts to counter the "summer slide"? Children can be helped by outdoor activities, typical of the educational model of "outdoor education" , which allow you to stimulate imagination and creativity thanks to the time spent immersed in nature. For the older ones, on the other hand, it is advisable to identify exciting themes around which to develop research, projects and readings.
"During the summer we should make the most of outdoor activities , making sure that the child can regain that sense of autonomy, choice and responsibility unfortunately lacking in recent months - explains Mariarosa Porro, pedagogist at the Baby College of Monza - Especially for younger children, a valuable help comes from outdoor education: parents, for example, can accompany them on a journey into nature by preparing a backpack for them with an explorer's kit, containing a small notebook, binoculars, a magnifying glass and paper bags to let him observe the reality that surrounds them. And again, in the park or during summer trips, children can use the frottage technique to create a book with the textures of the different surfaces or devote themselves to the hunt for color, sounds and noises. In fact, the little ones need to live their experiences in an imperfect environment, in lively and stimulating open spaces ".
The importance of "outdooor education" as a learning opportunity and an opportunity for the development of those skills that during this period of closure of the schools it was not possible to support is also confirmed by a research by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), published in Psychology Today, according to which spending time outdoors, immersed in nature, increases socio-emotional well-being and the development of relational skills in children. Furthermore, this teaching method increases the cooperative capacity among children, decreases competitiveness, reducing stress, anger and aggression, and has significant positive effects on school results: through direct experience in nature, in fact, the possibility of develop critical and creative thinking, problem solving skills, child's attention and a love of learning.
But what are the recommendations for elementary school children? "Even before the didactic curriculum, it is necessary for parents to ensure the emotional well - being of children - explains Luca Hubbard, Bilingual Coordinator of the Junior College of Monza and Seregno - To maintain the skills of reading, writing and logical thinking, the advice is simplest in the world: “practice makes perfect” .
It is essential, in this period, to encourage the use of literary and scientific skills by identifying an exciting topic for the child and developing research, projects and crafts around it. It is also essential to read 5 pages, 20 pages or a chapter every day as long as what you read is exciting. Finally, keeping a summer vacation logbook is a practical solution to motivate writing and raise awareness of one's own experience. It is essential not to overwhelm children sitting at the desk with books, but to immerse them completely in their daily experiences. "
The importance of cultivating reading skills even during the summer season is confirmed by a research by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) published in the New York Times, which shows how children who can read from the four books in this period they can have a greater understanding of the text and achieve a better academic performance upon returning to school. And again, according to a survey by the American Library Association (ALA) , summer reading helps children improve their memory skills.and it turns into a real positive habit that affects the didactic trend. But the desire to read must be favored above all by parents: a research by the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) has in fact highlighted how children are more likely to read a book if encouraged by the positive behavior of adults.
Finally, here are the expert advice to help parents deal with the “summer slide” alarm.
FOR THE CHILDREN (0-6 YEARS OLD):
1. Follow the didactic model of "Outdoor Education": outdoor education improves the physical and mental health of the little ones, nurturing relational skills.
2. Use new techniques to experiment with playful activities: creating books with the frottage technique using the different textures of the surfaces helps to relax them and be more creative.
3. Dedicate themselves to the exploration of outdoor environments: the little ones can create a real explorer's kit and observe the reality that surrounds them, improving their socio-emotional well-being of being in nature.
4. Conceiving nature as a teacher : children need to live their own stimulating experiences in the midst of nature, devoting themselves to hunting for colors, sounds and noises, making sure that time outdoors takes on an educational value.
5. Set up a domestic space in which to keep a collection of the jobs done: the memory of the time spent outdoors evokes an experiential experience of personal research, helping the child to feel more at ease.

FOR CHILDREN FROM 6 YEARS OLD:
1. Follow the advice of the “practice makes perfect”: playful activities, even the simplest ones, help children improve their learning skills.
2. Improving concentration through stimulating activities: identifying exciting topics around which to carry out research, mini projects and crafts help children to stay alert and focused.
3. Draw up a "timetable" to divide free time from that dedicated to activities: keeping a real daily diary of summer holidays allows children to actively immerse themselves in everyday experiences.
4. Reading every day: daily reading, especially during the summer break, improves memory capacity and turns into a real positive habit that affects the didactic trend.
5. Ensure the emotional well-being of children: even before the educational curriculum, parents must ensure the emotional well-being of children. It is not important to overwhelm them with books, but to immerse them completely in their daily experiences.

Source: ansa

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