Math might not be as fun as sports, or as cool as video games, but it’s still pretty awesome, and even fun! 

Students need to stop thinking of math as something that they will only use in the classroom. Math is used everywhere in life, from sports statistics, cooking, everyday banking, construction, landscaping, driving, and more.

Math literacy is essential, and there are endless practical ways that kids can apply math to everyday life. The trick is getting them to realize and appreciate that!

Math is in fact quite interesting to do once a student starts to understand the basics, and then “the sky is the limit” in what can be done with all the knowledge.

As school closes down for the Summer, should I give my kids a break?

This is the #1 question parents ask every spring.

The answer is:  That depends...

Have you heard of the “Summer Slide” or “Summer Learning Loss”?  A Johns Hopkins study reveals very a alarming fact that most students lose 2-3 months of critical thinking skills over the summer.  

While this Summer Learning Loss has been shown to affect all areas, math skills are the hardest hit.  This might not come as a surprise, since math is sometimes seen as a tough subject for students and parents alike. Also, students already typically don’t get the consistency needed to really master and retain the skills being covered in class. Plus each year, the amount of required math skills compounds from the previous year. Students must understand that their foundations in math must be strong if they are to do well in the upcoming year. So, any break from math will degrade their learning progress.

While many kids are looking to catch-up over the summer, there are also those advanced / enrichment students who want to push forward and get ahead.  With over 95% of the highest paying jobs straight out of university being in STEM fields, university entry and scholarships are more competitive than it has ever been.  STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  While these four fields are very different, they all derive their basic foundations from Math.

Did you know?

1. 40% of parents feel their child has difficulty with math, or at best, is just getting by.
2. One-in-three parents are unable to help their teens with high school math.
3.  Students can lose up to 2.6 months of math skills over the summer.
4. The first 6 weeks of the fall semester are spent re-learning old material to try to make up for Summer Learning Loss.
5. It can take up to 2 months from the first day of school for a student’s brain development to get back on track.
6. By the end of grade 6, students who have experienced Summer Learning Loss over the years are an average of 2 years behind provincial standards!
7. The “Summer Learning Loss” is such a big issue that there was in fact a proposal to take the 2.5 month Summer Vacation away in the Ontario school system.

Parents usually know that a little structure goes a long way towards keeping their kids motivated, happy, and safe from the academic "Summer Slide." Plus, we already have a lot of fun activities in stock for the kids in our Summer Programs at Mathnasium of Oakville. 

Call us at (905) 829-9400 and Let's Get Started with Mathnasium of Oakville!

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