It’s the end of June, the weather is warm and kids all over the country have waited all year for summer break. Sitting through classes, taking exams and facing evenings filled with homework is over for the next three months. Woohoo! But what can this time away from school really mean for our children?
In the late 1800s, when public schools began to become prevalent, summer vacation was a necessity for families. Much of America still relied on local farmers for the lion’s share of produce and commerce. So, during peak farming season, children were released from school to help out. Though times have changed since then, summer vacation still exists. This period away from school leaves children to their own devices for almost three months out of the year, which often results in summer learning loss.
What is summer learning loss?
Summer learning loss occurs over summer vacation when parents and children don’t encounter educational opportunities. Summer vacation has been shown to cause an average loss of two months of learning across the population, and this figure can be as high as three months in some areas.
While two to three months of learning loss over a summer does not sound too bad in theory, research spanning more than 100 years shows that students typically score much lower on standardized tests by the end of the summer than they do at the beginning.
Photo by Child Book
How to prevent the summer brain drain
Play educational trivia: Nothing will get your kids motivated to learn this summer quite like a bit of friendly, competitive trivia. FreeKIGames.com has a wide variety of educational trivia challenges across a range of topics like spelling, book quotes, chemical elements, vocabulary and more. Have your kids challenge their siblings (and maybe even you!) to see who knows more.
Visit the library: Making a trip to your local library once a week to allow your child to pick out one of their favorite books is a great educational treat. A bonus is that most libraries offer summertime events and book clubs, helping further your kid’s love for reading.
Daily math challenges: While math may not be their favorite subject, offering a “daily math challenge” that your kids must complete before, say, they are able to go over to a friend’s house, is a surefire way to prevent those math skills from getting rusty.
Journal as a family: Encourage creative writing while building grammar and spelling skills by journaling with your child daily. By letting his or her imagination run wild on paper, you’re improving your child’s written language skills one topic at a time.
Though these are just a few fun ways to keep your kids sharp this summer, it’s important to make time for learning every day. Summer learning loss is a real thing and it’s up to us as parents to prevent it!
Did you know there are a lot of talented “photographers” in the Spiral? Just take a look at these amazing Wizard101 fan photos! This summer batch has tons of player creativity, epic battles and super cool items. Each month on the blog we try to focus a selection of our favorite Wizard101 game screenshots!
Want to see even more fan photos? Check out our Wizard101 Facebook page where we keep albums updated all the time!
If you would like to submit a picture, send the picture and your character name in an email to community@wizard101.com
Please attach no more than three images per email. If you are under 13 years of age, ask your parent or guardian for permission to send us your screenshot. Digitally altered images will not be published.
Some animals enjoy chasing tennis balls and chasing mice, while others like belly rubs and scavenging for treats. And for a rare few, the thing that makes them happiest is joining their fellow buccaneers on the poop deck as they sail the mighty seas.
These 11 animals are singing “yo ho yo ho a pirate’s life for me!” as they pillage the seas and hoisten the mizzen!
1. If raccoons could jump aboard a Pirate ship, this hornswaller would be great at looting chests thanks to his stealthily moves.
2. Sir Stuffington is an old salt who was born on the streets and suffered a pillage from a racoon, resulting in him becoming the world’s cutest Pirate kitten, ready to sail the seas.
3. Jackson, this stoic Australian Sheppard, stares blankly at his landlocked lubbers as he remembers his days eating his dog food out of the bung hole.
4. The only thing Max loves more than cuddling with his landlubber human is scraping the barnacles off of his rudder and firing cannons through the porthole of his ship, SS Purina.
5. Don’t let his cute looks fool you! Fluffy to Pomeranian is one of the meanest sea monsters on the ship! His swashbucklin’ attitude fights of the enemies every time.
6. Tyler the Pug plans to go off leash tonight to catch the evenin’ tide. When the sun rises, he will comely wench his treasure: a bag o’ bacon treats.
7. Ralphie be an extra good boy today as he blew the man down and battened down the hatches on his walk ‘round the block. Shiver me timbers! No one messes with this lad.
8. These three wild Corgis were ready to heave ho and hang their enemies from the yardarm. Dead men tell no tales against these Pirates! Blow the man down!
9. This little lassie may look like a landlubber, but she’s definitely a woman-o-war. She’s ready to hop on the ship, weigh the anchor, and hoist the mizzen! Meow!
10. Darla the seadog kitty was made for the sea. From her crow’s nest she likes to meow, “Blow the man down!” as she counts her doubloons and booty.
11. Milo the squirrel misses the ‘ole Pirate days. Even though he is now a landlubber, he still finds the most unexpected places to bury his hidden bounty.
Yarrr! We have a ton of talented Pirates in the way of the arrrrts in the Spiral! Each month we like to feature Pirate101 fan art and fan photo submissions through or official social media like Facebook and Pinterest. There are so many great creative works from all the amazing Pirate players. For July, we picked out some of our sizzling summer favorites to feature on the blog.
Want to submit something creative of your very own? If you are under 13 years of age, ask your parent or guardian for permission to send us your screenshot or work of fan art. If you would like to submit something, send the picture and your character name in an email to community@pirate101.com! Please attach no more than three images per email, and please limit total submissions to no more than nine screenshots or drawings in a month. Try to only submit your very best images!
Summer is coming up, and to celebrate, Headmaster Ambrose has recommended some crafts to make at home! These fun Wizard crafts for kids were hand-picked by the faculty at Ravenwood School of Magical Arts and are guaranteed to make your summer all the more magical.
Spellbooks
In order to be an extraordinary Wizard, one must have a personal spellbook to read and use to jot down magical spells. A spellbook is vital to learning the art of spell-casting and Wizardry, and is something every young Wizard should own. This easy craft requires only a few items you have at home. In no time, you’ll have the perfect book to write your enchanting spells in!
Reagents:
- A composition notebook
- Colored construction paper
- Glue
- Glitter
- Markers
- Sequins, beads or feathers (optional)
Instructions:
- First things first, gather all of your book-building supplies.
- Next, select your favorite color of construction paper. Use it to cover the entire surface of the notebook or cut it into whatever design waves your wand.
- Then, glue the paper down and let your creativity take over. Using markers, glitter, other pieces of decor and glue, add on your own Wizarding flair. This is your spellbook, after all.
- After your designs have dried, open up your spellbook to begin filling it in with your favorite Wizard101 spells!
Edible Wands
Next is a craft you can eat: edible wands! All Wizards know their wands are the most powerful tool in their arsenal of magic. After you’re done casting spells on your friends and family, you can use your wand to fill your tummy.
Reagents:
- 10 long pretzel rods
- 6 ounces white or milk chocolate chips
- Edible glitter
- Rainbow candy sprinkles
- Wax paper
Instructions:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt your preferred flavor of chocolate chips for 30 seconds in the microwave. Take the bowl out, give its contents a stir and put it back in the microwave for 10 seconds more until the chips are fully melted.
- While your chips are melting, lay out a sheet of wax paper in your cooking area.
- Dip your pretzel rod into the melted chocolate chips. To better cover your pretzel rod, use a butter knife to spread the warm goo.
- While the chocolate is on the pretzel and still warm, use sprinkles or edible glitter to create your perfect design.
- Finally, place the newly forged wand on wax paper to dry. Once dried, your wand is complete. Go cast some spells!
Photo by Carrie Olivia
A Hat of Wizardry
Ever wanted a hat just like Headmaster Ambrose? You’re in luck! Though it takes many, many years to become a great Headmaster Wizard, this unique hat helps you forge that path.
Reagents:
- Compass (this kind)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Big sheet of blue construction paper or cardboard
- Glue
- Stapler
- Aluminum foil
- Black marker
Instructions:
- Before you begin your magic, set your compass to 15 centimeters—that’s from the metal tip to the tip of the pencil.
- Next, draw a semicircle on your construction paper or cardboard using your properly configured compass. You are now a mathematician and a wizard!
- Cut out your semicircle, making sure to keep the flat edge straight (the part between the beginning and end of the curve of the semicircle).
- Now that your paper is cut out, roll it into a cone. Keep trying different rolls until the bottom edge of the hat, the brim, is as flat as possible. You don’t want your hat to be crooked!
- Glue the hat together at the sweet spot you found. Use the stapler to staple the hat in place so you don’t have to hold it while it dries.
- This is the best part! Unroll a big sheet of aluminum foil and draw whatever shapes you want on it (moons and stars if you want to be like the Headmaster). Then, cut the shapes out and glue them onto your hat. You now have a superb and shiny hat of immense power!
And there you have it! Three unique crafts, perfect for a magical summer at home. What other crafted items would you add to your spellbook, wand or hat?
KingsIsle Blog 
