The Importance of STEM Summer Learning

Summer is here--and that means fun in the sun! But for many kids it also means losing important academic skills. During the summer months, many children lose critical math and literacy skills learned from the previous school year.

Students returning to school after a lengthy summer break will have lost one to three months’ worth of learning. Studies show that on average, teachers end up spending four to six weeks re-teaching things their students learned in the previous school year.

And where is most of this loss? Math and Science! According to MetaMetrics, Inc., all students, no matter their socio-economic status, lose math skills over the summer break. Of course, most children and their families want to enjoy summer, but children need to read every day in order to maintain and even improve their reading skills.

Recent studies show that summer learning loss does not improve with student age. The NWEA states in a recent article that in the summer following third grade, students lose 27 percent of their school-year gains in math. By the summer after seventh grade, students lose a whopping 50 percent of their school-year gains in math.

In other words, the need to prioritize STEM summer learning only increases as your child progresses through elementary and middle school.

How Science, Naturally STEM Books Help Combat Summer Learning Loss

Our STEM fiction and non-fiction books can help your child combat STEM summer reading loss, as well as maintain their critical thinking and math and science skills! It’s a win-win for summer!

Reading over the summer is incredibly important for students and their academic achievement. Children who don't read over the summer don't just feel like they've forgotten some of what they've learned -- they actually do forget it. And the effect is cumulative. -Madison Public Libraries

If your child loves fiction, they can get lost in engaging and entertaining stories that weave science and math together into these great adventures! Our Science Explorations Book Set is perfect for the adventurous summer reader!

The books in this set are winners of the Science Writing for Children, Brain Child, Outstanding Science Trade Books, and Smart Book awards!

Our One Minute Mysteries series books are perfect for taking along with you on your summer adventures in the car or on a plane. These books have brainteasers and puzzles that take one minute to read and test your knowledge and critical thinking.

The 101 Things Everyone Should Know About... books have a fun question and answer format that helps simplify and demystify math and science concepts with entertaining real world connections in sports, travel, food, weather and more.

NSTA Recommends and Best Book Awards Winner.

The good news for students and parents alike is that summer STEM learning is FUN! Making math and science learning fun for children, especially over the summer, is an integral part of creating lifelong learners. The summer is a perfect time to spend time learning together: explore new worlds, solve mysteries, learn interesting facts, and keep pace with summer learning all at the same time!