Research over the years discovered that students lost a significant amount of what they learned over the summer school break According to thirteen recent studies the effect of summer break was most detrimental to math computation and spelling (Cooper et al.).

To help your child retain math and spelling skills, you can add some fun learning experiences at home or on vacation to help prevent the summer slide. In this post, I'll outline some ways you can sneak some math, reading, spelling, and comprehension skills to your daily routine without making it feel like a chore or a bore. 

I strongly believe in encouraging kids to attempt math tasks that are  challenging. but fun. Math Quests are a great way to do that in the classroom or at home.
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---- In case you've never heard of these teaching resources before, Math Quests are gamified worksheets filled with reading passages, math problems and puzzles. ​ ----

So, what are Math Quests  used for in the classroom? In this post, I aim to outline multiple ways these easy prep printables can be used as part of your curriculum. 

Critical thinking is a skill our children will certainly need throughout their lives.  As educators, it is part of our job to equip young minds with the ability to analyze situations, solve problems, and to question what they see and read. 

All of our students have a tremendous capacity! But, to tap into this capacity requires a gradual process that involves hard work and lots of patience. So how can we do what is necessary to help our students develop critical thinking skills? Keep on reading for some suggestions and strategies that you can start implementing at home or in the classroom today.