The buzzword in Science and Mathematics education research is “free-choice learning,” what used to be called “informal learning” — that is to say, learning that takes place outside of the classroom. It’s “free-choice” because learners are free to pick what they want to learn about, and, depending on the setting (anywhere from a museum to an after-school program to a library), kids may be free to choose their own pace.
Summer is — or should be — all about free-choice learning. It’s an opportunity for kids to pursue their own interests, indoors or out. Savvy parents will encourage their kids to put down the video games and get out the art supplies or sports equipment. But if kids must be on the internet, point them toward the Scholastic Summer Buzz page.
The Scholastic Summer Buzz program is an internet version of the programs our local library puts on every summer, where kids get rewarded for reading. As kids read books and enter them into their personal page, they feed the Reader Meter. For every book read, Scholastic will donate to the KIDS (Kids in Distressed Situations) program. Kids can download booklists of suggested age-appropriate books (all Scholastic books of course, but then it is their program). They can enter to win prizes, take quizzes, send e-cards to their friends, and play fun games.
Best of all, programs like Scholastic Summer Buzz and local library reading programs encourage lifelong free-choice learning. So if your children’s goals for this summer don’t go much further than conquering level forty-two in the latest bash-em-up video game, show them how much more substantial the rewards can be in the Scholastic Summer Buzz program.
