Brain Gain camps: smarter fun in the summer

With the weather getting warmer, everyone’s mind is turning to summer and the great opportunities for travel, food and family fun. While it is great to have time away from work and school, this break in learning often makes a huge impact on our youth in summer learning loss.

The average American student loses at least one month’s worth of learning, and many children lose far more, especially in the areas of math and reading. This means our children return to school in the fall without the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

This summer learning slide stacks up from year to year, making it difficult for youth to enjoy school and learning because they are struggling to meet grade level expectations and take longer to complete homework. Ultimately, this may endanger their high school graduation.

To help families combat summer learning loss, Ramstein Youth Programs is committed to making this summer a season of learning. They were selected as one of only four military sites to pilot a new program from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Summer Brain Gain camps.

“Our programs have always provided learning experiences in the summer through fun and interactive camps that the kids enjoy,” said Josie Cordova, chief of Airman & Family Services Flight. “This program really takes things to a higher level, and we are excited to be able to bring these opportunities to the community.”

Campers will spend the summer on missions of fun and learning, where they work together to solve challenges and develop hands-on projects along the way. Children will enjoy adventures that include conducting science experiments, cooking fresh meals, creating sculpture gardens and testing new inventions. Each camp provides reinforcement of skills in math, reading, science and critical thinking while the children are enjoying themselves.

Summer Brain Gain camps are a fun way to keep children busy and learning, but they are also a great compliment to the Department of Defense Education Activity Summer Enrichment Program.

“We are so committed to supporting academic success and providing high quality summer programs, and this program will enable us to reach even more kids,” said Kaure Whittaker, assistant director for Ramstein Youth Programs.

Because the camp curriculum is focused on school grades rather than ages, there will be camps for high school students, middle school students and intermediate school children. The Brain Gain camps will be available to youth who have completed second grade and are entering third grade in fall 2013, even if they are not yet age 9.

“We are really excited to be able to offer these special opportunities to some of the younger kids,” Whittaker said. “It will give them a great summer and encourage them to be a part of our Clubs R Us program when they turn 9 this fall.”

Summer camp registration will open at 9 a.m. Monday. Families can visit the 86th Force Support Squadron’s website at www.86fss.com and look under the “Families” tab for youth programs. Just click on “Youth Registration” and you are on your way to smarter fun this summer.

For more information, call 06371-47-6444.

(Courtesy of 86th Force Support Squadron)