Many of us think back to our summer vacations as children and see a golden glow of endless sunny days full of activities and fun. However, the summer vacation is now an average 10 or 11 weeks long and while the kids love it, such a long time can be tough on parents and have a negative effect on academic achievement.
Finding activities to keep kids amused for 11 weeks is nearly impossible and finding an employer who will let you do flexi-time for the summer is even harder. That is where the Boys and Girls Club and other summer programs can step in to keep your kids safe and active, and to keep their brains ticking over. It is said that children forget so much over the summer that it can take to Halloween before they are back at the academic level that they were at in June. Therefore ensuring that your summer activities include an educational component is vital. Here at the Club we will be doing an hour of ‘Brain Gain’ every day with each age group. Brain Gain involves fun games and activities that include reading and mathematics and will be taught by the fabulous Mr Lopez from Bijou School. The program was written by the Boys and Girls Club of America and research has proven that participation in Brain Gain keeps children at their academic grade level over the long summer months. Other activities you can do at home include word searches, card games that require addition and subtraction, board games like monopoly and taking trips to museums and other educational centers. Other activities that we will be participating in at the Club to ensure every day is packed with fun are: offsite field trips, swimming, ice skating, golf on our own putting green, sports, trips to the beach, biking, science experiments, art, sewing and much more. We’ll also be having ‘electronics free’ periods where we will be encouraging our members to talk and play with each other instead of using their phone and computers. The summer is the perfect time to learn more about yourself and to have adventures outdoors, and that’s what we will be encouraging this year as well as making sure that everyone keeps up with their education.
If you are interested in having your child participate in the Boys and Girls Club Summer Program please call the Club on 530 542 0838 or come along to one of our open evenings (5.30 p.m. onwards at Al Tahoe on Tuesdays and 4.30 p.m. onwards at Bijou School on Thursdays). Places are filling up fast so sign up now to be sure not to miss out.
