Kaiserslautern American
Page 24
July 1, 2022
Summertime smarts by Katie F. Boltuch contributing writer Between the end of one school year and the start of the next, every student risks summer learning loss. According to the National Summer Learning Association students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in reading and mathematical computation skills over the summer. For many, this statistic is incredibly worrisome. But, rest at ease, there are two simple words that can help prevent the ‘summer slide:’ enrichment and involvement. Regardless of whether you have the ability to travel or can only stay on your local base or post, there are plenty of ways to stimulate your children to keep those brains pumping. Challenge yourself this summer by deciding to enrich your children so they can return to school without losing their academic footing.
Visit the library — Story time
If you have limited means of travel this summer, your best option is to take advantage of your surroundings. A family trip to the library is a wonderful source for many activities.Ramstein and Vogelweh libraries both offer story time for kids aged three to five at 10:30 a.m. Story time at Ramstein is every 2nd & 4th Wednesday and Vogelweh every 1st & 3rd Wednesday. Spaces are limited to the first 25 participants. For more information please call Ramstein 06371-47-6667 / Vogelweh 0631-5367665. Baumholder Library holds story time on different days depending on
Explore museums Who doesn’t love field trips? All of these options are within a 1- to 1.5hour drive of the KMC area. There are almost too many to choose from! Located in Pirmasens, the Dynamikum science center offers nearly 160 exhibits for children to explore. The one time shoe factory now focuses on education, particularly in the area of motion. The museum encourages visitors to experience its eight divisions of friction, impulse, energy, research of natural motion, aspects of biological mechanics, and the power of the mind. The Dynamikum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. If you’ve already been to the Dynamikum, take a ride to Frankfurt for a visit at the EXPERIMINTA Science
age. Baby story time (newborn to 18 month) is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Toddler story time (18 month to 2 years) is every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Preschool story time (3 to 6 years) is every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. German story time (3 to 7 years) is the first Wednesday of the month, September to May at 3 p.m. For more information please call 0611-143-531-2841. Children will be introduced to reading and language while listening to songs, rhymes, and stories. You can also encourage your children to take turns reading to one another, write about and discuss the different choices of reading materials, as well as encouraging creativity to create their own stories.
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Technikmuseum Speyer
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Center. With more than 120 experimental stations involving natural sci-
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ences, math, and information technology, children will be challenged to expand their
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minds. Experiminta offers various workshops for children ranging in age from 5-6, 7+, 8+, 8-10, 8-12, and 12+, children with parents, as well as parents, grandparents and adults! Hours of operation vary throughout the week. For more information, visit www.experiminta.de. Open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and about an hour east of the KMC area, the Speyer Technik Museum will excite the technology lover. With a wide range of exhibits from wandering around an original jumbo jet to walking through Russian space shuttle BURAN, visitors can also see vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Unique to Speyer, the IMAX Dome movie theater offers patrons a movie experience out of this world! For more information, the IMAX schedule and museum information, visit www. speyer.technik-museum.de. Background graphics by Sarunyu_foto/Shutterstock.com
