The midwinter break for students at Brooklyn Charter School is coming up from Feb. 16-25. While this week is time off for the children, it should not mean time out from participating in activities that can enhance their learning away from school. Try to implement these guidelines to keep them sharp and ready to study more when classes resume.

1. Review and assess what they have learned. Take some time with your children to recount what memorable experiences they have had at Brooklyn Charter School recently with their peers and teachers. No matter how simple the triumphs may be, they will provide you and your children some nice moments to reflect on how much they have grown during the school year and where they are headed next.
2. Cultivate the Brooklyn Charter School culture. Our key principles consist of Creativity, Citizenship, Leadership, Life-long Learning, Awareness of Self and Success, or CCLLAS. Take any opportunity you have with your children when walking around your neighborhood and ask them, “Where can we apply some of these principles in what we’re doing today?” Doing this keeps the school spirit alive in students and shows their practicality in the “real world” around them.
3. Have them stay connected to school via social media. Encourage older students to like and follow Brooklyn Charter School’s accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, if they have not done so. Suggest that they can create pictures or videos of what they did during their break they can submit for consideration to share on these channels when they come back to class. This is a fun way to continue to stimulate their artistry.
4. Make plans for spring learning. Ask your children to put down a couple of goals about what they want to discover in school over the next few months. Keep the list somewhere so they can check back and mark their progress as desired every few days or weeks, then go over it with them for the spring break to see how they did since late February and if they need to do more.
5. Enjoy enriching activities where they can apply their knowledge. Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the New York Aquarium are just two examples of outings where your children will be stimulated and eager to tell you what they learned at school in connection with what they see. It’s fun and educational for all involved.

What other ideas do you have to help students strive to stay focused and improve during the recess? Share with us in the comments.