Balance Fun & Learning This Summer

Are you looking for ways to keep your children's minds sharp while still having fun this summer? As a responsible parent, you value balancing learning and leisure.

To help you make the most of your child's summer experiences and avoid the dreaded academic slide, below are some useful tips on intertwining learning with everyday experiences, regardless of your child’s age or the activity.

Embark on Exciting Volunteering Adventures

Encouraging your children to volunteer is an excellent way to teach them about empathy, community, and the impact of their actions. You can plan a family outing to a nearby food shelter where they can lend a helping hand and experience the joy of assisting others. This kind of activity will help them understand the value of giving back while building their teamwork and communication abilities. Moreover, it's an opportunity to create unforgettable memories as a family.

Acquire Essential Life Skills with a Job 

Encouraging your teenager to get a summer job can have multiple benefits. It can help them recognize their strengths and weaknesses and improve vital communication, organization, and time management skills. A seasonal job also allows teens to experience the concept of teamwork and make new friends. And by earning and managing their own money, they will learn about financial responsibility. 

Unleash Your Child's Inner Explorer at Summer Camp

Summer camp offers many opportunities for kids to have a blast while learning new skills. Whether it's a sport, art, or science camp, children can engage in hands-on activities that foster their interests and boost creativity. Encourage them to share their experiences with you, allowing them to reflect on what they've learned and develop storytelling abilities.

Discover the Thrills of Backyard Escapades

Transform your backyard into a treasure trove of learning adventures! Create a mini-garden to teach your children about plants, insects, and the marvels of nature. Motivate them to maintain a nature journal depicting and detailing findings. With activities ranging from observing birds and butterflies to planting seeds and monitoring their growth, the backyard offers limitless opportunities for scientific exploration.

Unlock their Inner Chef with Kitchen Creations

The kitchen is a haven for learning disguised as fun. You can involve your child in baking or cooking activities where they can practice math skills by measuring ingredients or following recipes. Encourage them to be creative with flavors and textures. Not only will they develop a taste for culinary arts, but they'll also learn about nutrition, teamwork, and problem-solving!

Foster the Joy of Beach Reading

A day at the beach is the perfect opportunity to indulge in reading adventures, so why not suggest they pack their favorite books? Create cozy reading spots with blankets and beach chairs, and let their imaginations soar as they dive into captivating stories. Discussing the books they read will enhance comprehension skills and expand vocabulary.

Create Lasting Memories with Grandma

Spending time with grandparents or extended family is a source of joy and a treasure trove of wisdom and shared experiences. Plan sleepovers at Grandma's, where children can learn about their family’s past, participate in storytelling, and even try their hand at an old family recipe. Encourage them to ask questions and actively listen to the stories shared by grandparents or loved ones. These cherished moments create strong connections while building an appreciation of family heritage.

In Conclusion: Find a Happy Balance

As parents, it is essential to balance fun and learning for children over the summer months. By intertwining education with everyday experiences, parents can ensure that children continue to grow intellectually while making unforgettable memories. From volunteering and summer camp adventures to backyard explorations, kitchen creations, beach reading, and family sleepovers, the opportunities for fun-filled learning experiences are endless. 

For more ideas on avoiding the summer slide, check out our blog called Want to avoid the summer slide? Here's How. 

Here’s to a happy summer full of adventures that combines excitement, growth, and the joy of learning!

Written By Keating Quigley | Educational Consultants

Rising seniors: Get Ahead This Summer!

As the academic year draws to a close, rising seniors are contemplating ways to make the most of their downtime, delve deeper into their college search, and simultaneously savor the carefree days of summer.

Every student's journey is unique, but it's important to have a strong and structured plan in place, no matter what their individual focus may be. As summer approaches and the planning begins, here are some helpful tips to help rising seniors get the most out of their summer and guide them toward success:

Volunteer or intern: Engaging in volunteer work or an internship within a desired field is an advantageous way to acquire valuable experience and cultivate new skill sets.

Get a job: A summer job not only provides valuable work experience that looks good on a resume, but it also helps to broaden horizons.

Prepare for standardized tests: If your child plans to take the SAT or ACT in the fall, they should use the summer to prepare and take practice tests.

Work on a resume: To save time in the fall, rising seniors should make the most of the summer months by dedicating time to refining their resumes to include work experience, leadership roles, community service commitments, accolades, etc.

Explore extracurricular activities: The summer provides an excellent opportunity to explore new extracurricular pursuits, such as joining a sports team or taking up a new hobby.

Start tracking activities and achievements: The activities log is an important but time-consuming part of the Common Application. The summer provides the perfect opportunity for students to reflect on their activities and accomplishments since freshman year and organize them in a spreadsheet. This will save time when submitting applications in the fall.

Visit colleges: If your child is still unsure about which schools to apply to, visiting college campuses during the summer is a helpful way to narrow down options and start finalizing the school list. It’s also fun to spend one-on-one time with your child, so get those playlists and snacks ready for the open road!

Get a head start on the Common App essay: One of the most important pieces of advice we give our students is to begin working on the Common App essay before the demanding workload of senior year begins. Check out our recent blog, It's College Essay Season: Let's Get It Done!, for detailed information. In the meantime, here are some suggestions for crafting a solid first draft:

• Break the piece down into manageable chunks

• Generate ideas through brainstorming

• Take it step-by-step to make it less overwhelming

• Write rough drafts

• Take breaks to refresh the mind

• Seek out constructive feedback and encouragement

• Reach out for additional assistance if necessary

KQ: a Helping Hand

If your rising senior is in need of help with their Personal Statement this summer - or any aspect of the college admissions process - KQ is here to lend a hand. Please contact us via email or phone to schedule a consultation. 

Written By Verona Keating & Jacquie Quigley | Co-founders | Keating Quigley Educational Consultants

Conquer Those End of Year To Do Lists!

There's no disputing it: time flies! And now that May is closing in, the last day of school will be here in the blink of an eye. With all the art shows, dance recitals, graduations, award ceremonies, field trips, team banquets, and recognition dinners, the final weeks of the school year can be a whirlwind. To help you stay an top of the craziness of it all, we’ve put together our top tips. Check it out…There’s something for everyone whether big or small!

What you can do At school…

1. Avoid ‘springitis’: Make sure your child puts in maximum effort right up to the last minute to ensure a strong end to the academic year. Consistency and accountability are crucial, so make sure they maintain their routine and stay on top of year-end projects, assignments, and finals.

2. Consider teacher options: If you think your child would react more favorably to a specific teacher’s personality and teaching style next year, now is the time to submit a request to the Division Head or Head of School. These discussions take place in early summer, so get to it!

3. Discuss class placement: Similarly, if you believe your child's classroom experience is being negatively impacted by a classmate or your child is too socially reliant on a friend, talk to their teacher and ask them to be placed in separate homerooms next year. Every child deserves the chance to grow into their own space at their own pace.

4. Crunch standardized test scores: And lastly, if you need guidance to decipher your child's recent standardized test scores and how they impact class placement, eligibility to advanced classes, or basic skills programs, contact your child's counselor, advisor, or teacher. They will help you make sense of the complicated percentile, stanine, and composite score data on the report.

What you can do At home…

1. Help your high schooler find a summer job:  Encourage your teen (assuming they’re old enough) to research summer employment or volunteering opportunities. Work experience is an excellent way to stay active over the long summer months and also teaches high schoolers the power of earning pocket money and helping others. And on another note: although the college application process might be a few years into your child's future, be aware that colleges prefer to see seasonal jobs listed in the Student Activity Log section of the Common App!

2. Sign your rising senior up for essay support: Summer is the ideal time for your child to work on the Common App essay before the demanding workload of senior year begins. Check out our recent blog, It's College Essay Season: Let's Get It Done!, for more info.

3. Show gratitude: There are most likely some staff members who made a positive impact on your child this year. Whoever they may be (a homeroom teacher, someone in the Main Office, the Head of School, or a member of the custodial staff), take time to thank them for their hard work and dedication personally. It may be a small gesture, but trust us, it goes a long way. 

4. Return & pick up ‘stuff’: Remember to trawl through closets and bedrooms at home and drop off IT equipment, library books, school supplies, or general classroom items on loan during the school year. Similarly, don't forget to pick up your child's yearbook, awards, art projects, etc., from the classroom before the last day of school.

5. Donate gently worn items: As the year winds down, this is the perfect opportunity to give your child's closet a once-over to determine what gently used uniforms and clothes to keep, donate, or toss. We promise you'll feel satisfied - not to mention lighter!

KQ: The Voice of Gentle Guidance & Reason

If you are looking for an educational consultant to advise you on any aspect of your child’s educational journey, email or call us. We’re always here to help...

Happy (almost) summer!

Written By Keating Quigley | Educational Consultants

Give someone a slice of joy!

As 2020 comes to a close, we could all do with some joy in our lives! But we should also consider the rewards of spreading a little love too. So why not consider how your child can bring some socially-distanced cheer into someone’s life through community service this holiday season?

Not just a “box ticking” exercise. We all know that a well-rounded resume is important in the school application process down the line, but authentic service to others should be more than just ‘ticking the box’. Not only can community service be personally rewarding, but it can also be instrumental in shaping your child’s future self. By getting involved in simple, selfless acts of kindness, they may learn the important lesson of caring for someone other than themself, while also realizing what a big difference a little effort can make in someone’s life.

The pandemic has presented us with complications of all sorts of shapes and sizes, with access to community service included in the long list of obstacles. However, these unparalleled challenges do not mean your child can’t get involved. So how does your child ‘give back’ in times when social distancing is the fabric of our new landscape? Here, we uncover some creative ways to volunteer - virtually or hands-on - from the safety of your own home. There are opportunities for your family as a whole, for your child individually, or for your child and friends to apply their skills without risking exposure to themselves or others.

Before you get stuck in, a word of advice... To inspire a genuine connection and leave your child wanting to commit to community service on a more regular basis, it is important that they do not feel “forced” into an activity. To achieve this, make it a collaborative process that involves them at every stage. Also, be sure to focus on how the process can be fun and align with your child’s interests. Without this emotional attachment, the activity will be perceived as a “chore” and will not result in a positive outcome.

Socially distanced, but by no means isolated... To begin with, there are many national, regional, and local organizations looking for help in ways that children can get involved with from home. A project can be scaled up or down, depending on your child’s age. And it doesn’t need to be elaborate either. For example, your child can express their thanks to our troops overseas by sending them a letter or making them a bracelet. Alternatively, they can pen a heartfelt message of thanks to a front-line worker. Or why not become a penpal to an elderly person living in a senior living community?

And how about injecting some fun, creativity, and a sense of community into the process? To give you an idea of how two kids made a simple yet HUGE impact in their hometown of Bethel, CT, this spring, meet the Bethel Sharks - Skipper (Dad), Sharkira (Mom), and little Sea Sea! This impactful endeavor was the brainchild of two anonymous students who simply wanted to spread cheer at a time when local morale was low. At first, the sharks started ‘hanging out’ at random locations around town, sparking instant curiosity. Soon, there were ‘shark sightings’ galore, a Facebook group boasting thousands of members, and a barrage of news coverage. Spontaneous acts of kindness and joy followed wherever they popped up. Ultimately, locals were sad when they headed back out to ‘sea’. Learn more about how their simple acts led to greatness in this article from CT Magazine!

In this age of Tik Tok, Reels, and YouTube, is your child a talented videographer - making fun videos of themself, others, or their pets? Check out VolunteerMatch in Maryland, an organization that asks students to submit short videos demonstrating how to do a simple craft. The videos are then shared with caregivers so they can, in turn, work on these fun projects with their intellectually-disabled companions. Alternatively, your child can help create a video storytime library for vulnerable children. What child wouldn’t love diving into joyous projects like this?

We know we’ve just scratched the surface in the endless list of virtual community service opportunities out there. And by now, we’re sure you’ve realized how easy it is to get creative and make a difference in someone else’s life. If you would like to receive more information about how to find meaningful volunteer opportunities, click the link below and we’ll send a list of amazing opportunities right out to you!

Request KQ’s Community Service List

Community Service List

IMPORTANT: Your child’s health and safety, and for those they are serving, are paramount. Be sure to review volunteer opportunities carefully so you know who your child will be working with online or by phone. Also, familiarize yourself with the volunteer position to be sure they are fulfilling an appropriate need that is not for profit.

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Written by Verona Keating and Jacquie Quigley | Founding Partners of Keating Quigley Education Advisors