Summer Brain Boosters

Kids are burned out when school gets out. You remember being a kid, don't you? That last day of school comes and you burst out of the school doors ready to explode with all the summer fun you wanted to have. Learning was the furthest thing from your mind. After two days, though, you went to Mom and said, "I'm bored. What can I do?"

Now I'm the mom in my house and I have a plan. In this article, I've included a mix of traditional ideas mixed with some more modern ones utilizing the internet and its vast resources. You've got everything from summer reading programs and behavior goals to creative emails with RSS feeds, quizzes, and all sorts of rewards you can offer your kids.

Kids need structure. It's a plain and simple fact. How much structure you want to be in charge of is up to you. My own examples show a strong emphasis on social behavior because my kids have mental illnesses and struggle socially. But I think social education is very important. You can use these ideas to help set goals for table manners or any problem behavior you experience on a regular basis with your kids. Let's face it, mentally ill or not, kids are a challenge!

My basic checklist is very simple. I've thought of making a more structured one that is on a set schedule, because my autistic son needs that, as well as my severely ADHD daughter. He needs to know when I expect breakfast to be eaten, when he can nap (he sleeps 13-15 hours a day), when he is expected to complete certain tasks, and when he has free time, as well as how he is allowed to use that free time. If I'm too simplistic with him, he runs amuck.

Today is:__________

My behavior goal for today is:_________________________

________________________________________________

I was friendly today (cross off one for each I criticized or fought):

I was helpful today (circle one for each helpful thing done):

I made good progress on on my behavior goal today (circle one for each time positive behavior is noticed):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I completed my educational activities:

1 2

I completed my daily chores (personal, family, kitchen):

1 2 3

There are probably as many different ideas about education as there are parents in the world. I have particularly challenging children, so I have been highly motivated to find creative ways to encourage my children to learn.

My kids are at an age where I expect them to be self-directed in their educational activities. I can assign them a task and expect them to complete it. When they were younger, it took a lot more of my attention. I also have to tailor my autistic son's activities to his special abilities and interests. He will not do a large amount of writing, but will circle answers, fill in some blanks or do certain types of limited writing. My daughter's attention span is limited, so I have to make sure her activities are in very small chunks. When she feels successful, she is motivated to do more.

Email: My son likes to get his email. He's not a very social child, so he has only a few adults from whom he has ever received emails. I would not have thought of sending him email because I live in the same house with him, but I tried it just for fun a few times. He really likes it. I send him links to high-interest educational web pages. Sometimes I ask him questions in the email and he has to respond after reading the article or watching a video.

I have included a few of my favorite high-interest links in this article for you to enjoy. Share links with friends and family via email, and ask them to share any they find with you. When you find a really good link, look for related links. They seem to "herd" together.

RSS Feeds: Another source for reading materials is RSS feeds. I've included some different types of news feeds I've found that have high-interest materials my kids can read. So far, my favorites are the science, nature, and health feeds. When I find an article I like, I email it to my kids and then direct them to check their emails. After they have read the article, we discuss it.

Worksheets: Sometimes I make up my own worksheets, and sometimes I find websites with ready-made ones. There are also numerous workbooks for sale for all ages and subject matter. I have found them at all kinds of stores, especially near the end of the school year and during the summer.

One of my favorite things to do while carrying on a conversation with my kids is to teach them language skills. I teach them a new word. I help them polish their grammar. Sometimes these conversations help me know what types of worksheets they need the most.

Videos: Kids love movies! Have you ever watched a pre-school child as they watch one of their television shows. When it gets to the part where they show how something works or is put together, these kids are absolutely fascinated. The clips about animals are also great. I go to my public library and find all sorts of educational videos geared toward kids. They have a veritable boat load of such videos.

On cable, there are great shows such as How It's Made, Mythbusters, Modern Marvels, Extreme Engineering, Survivor Man, Cash Cab. My children also love the PBS science show, Nova. It has been around for about 35 years! You can watch the recent shows right online. And those are the ones I thought of in less than two minutes.

Take a good look at resources in your area. I'm sure you'll find there are absolutely amazing quantities of great educational viewing available. Granted, you don't want your kids babysat by the TV all day, but it does make for a nice amount of quality quiet time.

In attending therapy sessions and working through various behavior issues with my children, I have begun to compile a list of really good behavior goals. Given more time, I hope to add to this pool of ideas from which to choose.

I will have good table manners. This involves chewing with mouth closed; staying at the table until excused; appropriate conversation; eat what is fixed; compliment cook; help set and clear table; keep food off clothes, table and floor

I will wait my turn to speak. Don't interrupt others when they are speaking. Quietly wait your turn. Stay on the same subject as everyone else. Ask permission to change the subject.

I will be good listener. Keep your head still, your eyes on the face of person speaking, and your brain focused on what they are saying. Participate by answering or asking questions. Stay on the same subject. If you have to fidget, use small, quiet movements in your lap or table top, but stay focused on the person speaking.

I will give meaningful answers to questions. Avoid "I don't know" answers. Replace it with, "Hmm, let me think..." Then, make sure to give a good answer within 30 seconds. Thinking out loud also helps the other person know you are still thinking of a good answer.

I will respect others' boundaries. We all have physical boundaries (our "bubble") as well as eye boundaries and ear boundaries. Ask permission when you want to go past any of these boundaries for anyone. For example: "May I have a hug?" or "Do you mind if I make a lot of noise?"

I will have a calm body and calm voice. Control tics by setting stretch goals. Stretch the amount of time you can go without the tics. Choose appropriate times to tic between conversations or tasks.

I will give positive feedback to others. If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Try looking for the good in others, and compliment them, instead of saying the first thing that comes to your mind. If a person asks how they can improve, tell them first what you liked, then what you think they can do better.

When setting expectations about how to earn points, you can also set expectations about how they are spent. How many points can be spent in certain categories per day or week? How many points is each activities or item worth?

Food: I buy favorite candies, snacks, and drinks in bulk or on really good sales to cut down the costs. Then I mark them 1 point to each 10 cents of cost. I allow my kids to buy 3 food items a day. Healthy snacks don't cost, so if a kid has no points or wants to save points for something else, he/she can have "free" healthy snacks.

• Propel, gatorade, crystal light, soda pop
• fruit snacks, fruit by the foot, etc.
• granola bars
• cheese'n'crackers
• candy bars
• chips
• microwave popcorn bags

Toys: I buy toys my kids want and then assign the point value same as food - 1 point for each 10 cents. Some of the toys are more expensive than others, but my kids have enjoyed saving up points for something special. Here are some ideas of things to buy so you can have them on hand:

• Small jewelry items (both or girl)
• Small toys
• Additional toys/parts to add to a set
• Favorite chapstick or lip gloss (boy or girl)
• Costume items (boys or girls)
• Glow sticks

Reward Activities: I believe in having the majority of things on the reward list be activities, not things that cost extra money or add empty calories to a child's diet. Kids need to have active minds and active bodies. I have compiled a list of things my kids routinely ask to do and asked friends and relatives for ideas. The point values I assign to these vary. It all depends on how expensive they need to be for your family's needs:

• computer time (15 min intervals, max 3/day)
• shopping trip to dollar store w/$5 (max 1/week)
• go on walk with a parent
• have a manicure with mom (1/week)
• play board game
• run through sprinklers
• play with a friend
• go to dollar movies
• watch TV or movie at home (30 min intervals, no more than 2 hours/day on movies/TV)

Earning Super Activities: Some activities cost a lot more money than it seems feasible to have kids save up their point to earn. If you keep a journal of your daily checklists, you can tell your kids they get to go on the weekly field trip if, and ONLY if, they achieve a pre-determined level of "good" during the week. You may also need help with a big painting, cleanup, or yardwork project. This is the perfect opportunity to reward big, or even allow a kid to redeem themselves during a not-so-great week.

These outings break up the monotony of the daily checklist and give kids something more to work toward. Here is a small list of ideas to get you thinking. The sky is the limit!

• Go to the zoo
• Dinner at favorite restaurant
• Amusement park
• State or county fair
• Concert

I treat my kids' reading program as a completely separate reward system. It is ongoing. I put a penny a page into a book fund for them. When there is enough in there to go buy some books, we buy more. In order to read enough pages to buy books, they have to borrow books from the library.

My Rules are very simple:

1. Books read must be on the child's own reading competency level.
2. Books can be counted only once. Re-reading the same book doesn't count.

I have helped my children collect wonderful books throughout the years, ones they will enjoy with their own children in future years. We have collected small series of books, large series of books, enormous reference books, books containing collected works of art, and many books with especially unique characteristics. I find I get the best value for my money when I order books from the kids' book orders. Too bad those stop after elementary school. I've got only 2 more years.

I also belong to a book club. I sometimes buy a yearly membership and get in on many member-only specials. I also stay informed of new books by our favorite authors, and similar books I may be interested in. Many such clubs exist online and/or in bookstores.