Preventing the Dreaded Summer Slide

Each fall I'm presented with new student who may or may not qualify for Extend School Year 9 months later. Its whats done over the summer that helps students stay where they left and in some cases grow over the long break.  Here are some ideas to try over the break between family trips and trips to the swimming pool.

Did you know that children can lose up to three months of academic progress over the summer? Over 100 years of research continually shows this trend.

Here are ten things you can do to help your child avoid the summer slide.

  • Read EVERY day!  Read non-fiction, fiction, ebooks, poetry, newspapers and read out loud! For most children, twenty minutes is an appropriate amount of time to read for a child who is an independent reader. Most libraries have a wonderful summer reading program with incentives and rewards for books read over the summer.
  • Cook with your children.  This is one of the best ways to integrate math, reading and following directions.  Let your child design the menu too!  Help your child put together their favorite recipes in a cookbook.
  • Plant a garden.  Your child will gain responsibility and pride as they watch their plants grow and thrive.
  • Take a field trip to a museum, zoo or local park with walking trails.  Keep a journal about your travels.
  • Learn a new word each week!  Hang it on the fridge and see who can use it the most times throughout the week.
  • Enroll in a quality summer program that will provide your child with opportunities to build their critical thinking skills.   
  • Play quick games with flashcards like Math War or Concentration to keep math skills sharp.
  • Listen to Audio Books during your road trip.
  • Take pictures and make a summer scrapbook.
  • Did I mention READ?!  If your child does nothing else this summer make sure they are reading!
Have a great summer! Don't forget to READ!

May Pick 3 from Pinterest Linking Party

This spring I found out I had extra money to spend for my students. I decided to add a sensory table. So far we have used the basics-rice, beans, water etc. I started looking for other things that could be added. I came across this idea-











I love the idea of bringing sensory play to my students. This idea provides my students with both sensory needs but also some science. This takes students through four different environments. I have start with the snowy mountains, then the ocean and forest, ending with the mud. 

A way this could be expanded would to add animals which leave in each environment. My older students have taken this and included the idea in their science projects write-ups.









I love reading a book for the sake of reading a book. But some books, have to some kind of follow up.


Using small bags to keep materials together works great for a resource room and traveling materials. For one of my students to access the book, I copied the book and then added pictures that she can pull off to interact with. This is a great way to move into questions and working with a students receptive language skills.




     I love this idea for working on sight words or other difficult words. I have never been able to get them to last the whole year-I always have to make more.


Have a great first week of May



About Me

Welcome to my all thing special education blog. I empower busy elementary special education teachers to use best practice strategies to achieve a data and evidence driven classroom community by sharing easy to use, engaging, unique approaches to small group reading and math. Thanks for Hopping By.
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