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BETTER BEGINNINGS
PENNY PATTER |
July 2, 2004 (re-write of June 25 due to lack of newspaper space)
| Summer "Vacation" for school kids has arrived! I don’t know exactly when the sojourn became known as a vacation. When I was young, I lived on a farm and the lapse was designed so that I (and all my schoolmates) could help out on our | various farms. The very youngest of us had chores and had a role in the full operation. Probably that is when I learned that we each have something to contribute to the whole. |
| I once had a school-ager tell me that summer was his vacation and he didn’t need to do the learning activities we had planned, We care too much about you, your parents and us, to allow you to lose learning over the summer, I told him and his mates. We want you to be all you can be and do the very best you can in school. We are learning all the time, I | explained, in one way or another. I also mentioned that we had gone to some trouble to make the learning activities of the fun variety and open ended, and golly gee I sure would like it if he would jump in and have some of that fun. He did and he did. |
| A study by Dr. Harris Cooper, professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia reports that when students return to school after a long summer vacation, they've lost one to three months worth of learning. (Source: Familyeducation.com) The study also found that "The decline is more detrimental for math than it is for reading. ‘All students lose math skills, says Cooper. It may be because community and home environments give kids more opportunities to practice reading than math. The study also found that income has an impact on how much a student loses or gains in reading. Middle-class children actually gained in reading over the summer, while |
lower-income students experienced losses. Cooper attributes this to
the enrichment activities that many middle-class kids participate in over
the summer, such as camp and trips."'
The gap is widened further, I think, by the students’ access (or not) to computer learning activities at home. Familyeducation.com, for just one site, has many suggestions for activities in math, language arts, social studies, science, arts, and more. For working parents, the need for supervision of their children adds to the dilemma. |
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The Summer can also be seen as a time for opportunities for experiences
beyond what is offered in formal school. Special camps address different
interests, from basketball to music to science to arts. Many local
organizations recognize the need and opportunity. Although there is room
for much more, especially for teens, we do encourage families to
investigate the possibilities, such as the program offered by the
Community Action Service Center (443-4464). The public libraries offer
reading programs and access to computers. East Windsor Recreation has a
variety of activities, including extended time day camps, and travel
camps. (443-4000). The Hightstown-East Windsor YMCA offers Little
Peanuts, ages 4 to 7; Soccer Camp, and Cheerleading Clinic (448-1357).
They also offer Summer Sports and Enrichment for grades 1 – 8 in
conjunction with East Windsor PAL. PAL, (448-5333) of course, has many,
many activities.
PAL is also partnering with Hightstown Fire Company, according to their sign, for a week-long Youth Fire Academy. East |
Windsor PBA and Police Department is offering a Youth Police Academy. Roosevelt's Community Camp (448-0359), open to residents and non-residents, for K - 7th graders, started June 21, and offers arts and crafts, sports, drama, computers, swimming and field trips. Many religious organizations offer camps and Vacation bible schools. Better Beginnings’ few spaces in PACT (Peacemakers and Counselors in Training) at Better Beginnings are full already. Hightstown offers the Dawes Park program from July 5 - August 13 with Larry Gunnell, longtime director, again leading the program. Heroes and Ladies Mentoring continues through the summer. I have nosed around quite a bit to find these. If you know of others, I would love for you to let me know. There especially seems to be gap between ages12 - 15. For these, we suggest looking for volunteer opportunities. Hands On Helpers is a good place to start looking. Volunteering offers intrinsic rewards, and also is a positive on future resumes for prospective employers and colleges. |
| TV has much to offer in helping time to pass and has many educational programs, but also can be detrimental if unsupervised or overdone. Sparky James writes, "I really think that children should have limited time.. When I was younger I was only allowed one hour each day unless I had to watch something for school or if there was a movie or program on the "family" could or wanted to watch." What to do instead? Sparki, as always enthusiastic, had dozens of ideas. Here are just a few: Read, READ, READ!!!! Did I say Read? Play Board Games! Play cards! Do Puzzles! Garden or help someone in their garden ( I can always use help in mine... there isn't any pay involved but plenty |
of fresh fruits and
veggies)! Go for a walk! Go to the park! Go for a bike ride! Go Fishing! Learn how to play a
musical instrument! Take Dancing lessons/give Dancing lessons! Sparki's
enthusiasm and energy spills over into this enumeration. She has many
more, which I will share later.
Here's one I especially liked: Have a car wash and donate the money to Better Beginnings or another charitable cause or to buy yourself something you really need... or for your Mom or Dad.... Or the little boy or girl next door who needs new shoes. |
| This week our donors and contributors include Valarie Bottega, "Mr. Jonathan" Craig, and Shelly Pomonis, with toys, snacks, musical instruments, books, and more. | In memory of Patricia Glackin, Harry Horowitz contributed to our small (but growing) endowment fund. |
| This idea will help children learn to count, value money, and save. Perhaps the student sees something in a catalog that he wants. Suggest he tear out the picture and then glue it on a coffee can or other recycled container, adding other decorations as desired. He adds change, coins, whatever as it is available. | Alternatively, the student draws or finds a picture of something he has been wanting (or otherwise whining and begging) for this use. All that adding and subtracting is surely worthy, along with the social skill called deferred gratification, all too often an unknown attribute for many |
| Your gift may help a child have a loving experience to replace the pain and rejection of abuse | Note: One of the terms of an appropriation from the New Jersey Division of Family Development is that top priority is given to children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected.. |
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Ideas, suggestions? Please write to me at bewith@mail2peace.com; or PO Box 187,
Hightstown NJ 08520. Remember you can visit our Web site at www.princetonol.com/groups/bbcdc.
You can also call Better Beginnings at (609) 448-6226.
Bettie Witherspoon is a former executive director of Better Beginnings, which has provided affordable child care to the East Windsor/Hightstown area since 1967. |