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Continue ShoppingCreate memorable experiences for kids this summer with fun-filled, exhilarating activities.
Let’s explore how you can boost your camper’s academic skills in an exciting and engaging way. After all, summer is supposed to be fun, right? You want your learners to have a blast, and at the same time, you want them brimming with confidence when they return to school. This challenge has a simple solution — integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) into your summer program! Let’s dive in.
Our cross-curricular STEAM programs are key to fusing academics with fun! A thrilling summer camp with an academic base boosts campers’ confidence, combats the summer slide and prepares them for the upcoming school year. Pairing a flexible learning environment with subject exposure increases learning retention in a manner that’s so invigorating campers won’t even realize they’re learning.
Learning retention is a child’s ability to store new information in their long-term memory and easily recall it. It’s directly related to the child’s achievement levels in school.
Summer vacation is equivalent to an entire month of instructional time and is the perfect time to supplement students’ education, especially when it comes to STEAM topics (Cooper et. al., 1996). Our STEAM programs foster a flexible learning environment by including multisensory learning experiences, collaborative activities and opportunities to apply academic concepts to real-life scenarios.
When multiple senses are engaged, children are more likely to retain information. That means our multisensory lessons are key to improving learning retention. Here are a few ways we captivate learners with activities that require movement, visualization and listening:
Not every child learns the same way, which makes multisensory learning a wonderful approach to reaching as many individuals as possible. To read more, visit our blog, 7 Ways STEM Supports Neurodiversity.
When kids work together to talk through new information, they are more likely to dive deeply into academic content and explore it from various perspectives. That’s why collaborative opportunities and rich, guided discussions are major components of our lessons.
During these experiences, kids organically “teach” the content to their peers or instructors. For instance, a camper may express what they know when explaining an answer to a question or guiding their team in a building challenge! They may help a peer in need or proudly share work with the class.
Summer is a great time to switch things up! Check out some Student Grouping Strategies to Maximize Engagement.
Educators often hear, “Why do I need to know this? When will I ever use this in real life?” To prepare educators for these questions, PCS Edventures’ has developed programs with built-in, real-world connections!
Our extensive curriculum includes all the connections needed to emphasize the value of academics. Campers can easily identify examples of what they’re learning when the activities are associated with the world around them and increase their ability to retain information.
Da Vinci Camp is fantastic for exploring real-world connections. You’ll travel back in time to identify how Leonardo Da Vinci’s curiosity inspired many of today’s advancements.
Not only do academic summer camps provide opportunities for students to explore STEAM, but they provide a variety of learning exposures in a comfortable and flexible learning environment (Krishnamurthi et al., 2010). Multi-subject programs are essential in combating summer learning loss by exposing campers to a wide range of academic concepts.
Through hands-on, collaborative lessons, campers are eager to perform fun tasks without realizing that they are calculating time, writing creative journal entries, developing maps and studying history, just to name a few! Attending a STEAM summer camp ensures that vast sets of academic skills don’t go unused all summer.
As a result of this consistent subject exposure, campers strengthen their skills in subjects they may struggle with, as well as boost their strengths. What’s more, they’ll continue to review concepts taught to them in the previous school year and learn new skills that’ll help them in the upcoming year.
Let’s look at ways PCS Edventures gets campers excited to explore different subjects:
Our programs are so captivating, children hardly notice they’re learning (and retaining) subject-based content and preparing for the upcoming school year!
This summer, PCS Edventures is ready to help you balance relaxation and recharging with refining academic skills. Implementing STEAM programs is key to filling the summer gap with fun, educational pastimes. It’s possible to increase a child’s overall learning retention while simultaneously increasing their summer-time fun!
Ready to get started? We have plenty of resources! Here are a few you'll find helpful:
As a 4th-grade elementary teacher and instructional coach, Marissa believes hands-on learning is the key to student engagement. Her love for literacy, STEAM and student collaboration guides her instruction and professional development sessions.
Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review. American Educational Research Association. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1170523
Krishnamurthi, A., Ottinger, R., & Topol, T. (2010). STEM Learning in Afterschool and Summer Programming: An Essential Strategy for STEM Education Reform. Retrieved from http://www.expandinglearning.org/expandingminds/article/stem-learning-afterschool-and-summer-programming-essential-strategy-stem
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