Prevent Summer Brain Drain with Brain Chase
With the house full of kids during the summer, it can be a struggle to keep everybody engaged, active and having fun. While they love learning at school during the year, when summer rolls around, there seems to be a lot of eye rolls and “come on mom, we just want to watch TV.”
But, the reality is that by the end of the summer, students perform on average, one to two months behind where they left off at the beginning of he summer (according to a 2011 RAND study). That’s not where I want my girls!
Brain Chase
We do workbooks and reading and games, but I’m looking forward to adding a new fun element to their summer activities with Brain Chase. Brain Chase is a 5-week structured online summer learning challenge for 2nd through 8th graders (but really spans 6-16 year olds).
Brain Chase includes a massive global treasure hunt powered by reading, writing and math but it’s presented as a motivational tool for getting kids to do online academic work during the summer. It’s personalized and customized for the appropriate level for each child. The Khan Academy does a pre-test to help students start in the right place and each student selects their reading level through the myON digital library (with the option to have the book read to the student).
Real Mail
Each child will receive three packages in the mail with it’s own letter and project (like the letter and decoder ring above). They are addressed to the kids…and my kids LOVE mail!
Time Committment
At 9am ET on Monday, June 22, 2015, Brain Chase: The The Sunstone of Cortés begins. Students will watch a video and start their challenge in their dashboard. Each week, the adventurers have four tasks: read for 15 minutes per day, write one journal entry (which will be read by experts with feedback provided), earn 10,000 points on Khan Academy and do one bonus challenge. It should take one hour per day (or 4-5 hours per week).
Brain Chase works on major PC browsers as well as iPads.
A real prize
The challenge includes a hunt for a golden mechanical treasure and one winner will win a $10,000 scholarship and trophy.
What do I think?
After sitting in on a conference call with the CEO of the company, I couldn’t be more excited. I really like that they can’t work ahead. I don’t want my girls sitting at the computer all day and finish their 5 weeks in a week. I like that it will be paced and it will be at the level at which they are learning.
I also really like that there is a writing element and that somebody will actually read it and provide feedback. When I was in school the feedback was always what motivated me!
Sign up for Brain Chase now with the Discount
Register for Brain Chase today at and get the early pricing until 4/15 (15% off using REALLY15)
Because, as my daughter learned with the secret message from her decoder ring (which, doesn’t have the letters in alphabetic or numeric order) “There’s no shortcut to adventure” (or learning!)
I’m LOVING the decoder ring. “Don’t forget to drink your Ovaltine”….. anyone remember that? I would have loved this as a grade schooler.
She loved that thing and sat right down to it. She wants another code to de-code! I told her to make one!
She’s also already brought it to school for “above and beyond” in her target class.
This is so cool! I would have loved this as a kid, I actually got really bored during the Summer.
Kindness is the best accessory,
Rebecca Kelsey Sampson
RebeccaKelsey.com