Spring is short but sweet in Virginia. A few precious weeks, maybe a month, of pleasant weather between the chill of winter and the oppressive heat and humidity of summer. I also get the road trip bug in the spring; the last two years, I loaded the girls in the van and drove across the […]
THE BRAIN CHASE BLOG
Summer learning should focus on fun
Children do not need to slouch on the couch during the summer and lose months of hard-won academic progress. In fact, summer is a great time to awaken kids to the love of learning and help them discover that learning can be joyful—even if they think that school itself is not. Here are three ideas […]
Online learning promotes educational independence
Guest post by Asha Dornfest, founder of ParentHacks.com My family lives in Portland, Oregon. My 15 year-old son and 11 year-old daughter go to local public schools, and we’re thrilled with the education they’re getting there. But the fact remains that the curriculum is standardized — as it should and must be for a diverse student […]
A Newbery Book Club
In June 1921, Frederic G. Melcher, editor of Publisher’s Weekly and a longtime advocate of children’s literacy, petitioned the Children’s Librarians’ Section of the ALA (American Library Association) to create an annual children’s book award. The librarians loved the idea, and together with Melcher, they founded the Newbery Medal*, the first children’s book award in […]
Eye on Elegance
When you think of Washington, D.C., a few things probably come to mind. Definitely government: the Capitol, White House, Cabinet offices, federal agencies, and embassies all reside here. Next, memorials: gorgeous, majestic, symbolic creations can be found all over the city that pay homage to major events and figures in American history. But after that, […]
Offline Learning for Online Kids
One parent recently wrote us a note suggesting that students should ditch summer screen time in favor of spending some quality time outdoors. Bravo! As a father of five young children, I could not agree more! Qualitative feedback from last year suggests that Brain Chase participants spend significantly fewer summer hours on television and video […]
Circus School: Daring Mighty Things
When you were a kid, did you ever want – or threaten – to run away and join the circus? This concept has perhaps fallen out of usage; until recently, my children were unaware this was an option. Then we went to a day of circus school, and now they’re all about it. Through a […]
Armchair Art #Funfindfriday
There’s nothing quite like gathering up the family and spending a rainy Saturday wandering the halls of a favorite museum. You may not recall your very first visit to a museum, but most adults can still remember a distinct impression made by a visit during their childhood, whether it was the excitement of a scientific […]
Adventure Learning in the Natural World
A few years ago I read Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, and it gave me a good and solid scare. I already knew about ADD, ADHD, a host of speech and language disorders, and even PDD (Personality-Deficit Disorder, a condition my college roommates and I made […]
The Ugly Sapling and Other Inspirations for Earth Day
In 1912, the people of Japan sent 3,020 cherry trees to the United States as a gift of friendship. First Lady Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted the first two trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., and the rest were planted around that inlet, along […]