During the summer, most parents default to enrolling their child in a general summer camp or sports clinic, but what if there was an option for kids to explore an academic interest and build a competitive edge in the classroom? 

The Sylvan Learning Center of Richmond is introducing Math Edge — a new activity this summer for kids to build math skills and avoid summer learning loss.

Designed for kids in grades one through five, Math Edge helps nurture students’ natural math ability and builds on core math concepts in a fun, kid-friendly learning environment alongside other kids with similar interests. Well-trained teachers manage the small sessions of 12 students or less and offer encouragement, motivation and rewards in an effort to foster independent learning and encourage students to set personal goals. Math Edge is a unique learning experience that also allows students to build camaraderie with a small group of their peers. 

“There are few opportunities for young students to cultivate their passion for math outside of the classroom, particularly in the younger grades. With a growing demand for students interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), it’s important to get them engaged now, our goal with Math Edge is to help foster a love of math when kids are young, helping to lay the foundation for a competitive edge in middle school and even beyond to a potential job in a STEM-related field.”

Steve Green, owner, Sylvan Learning Center of Richmond

Students interested in the Math Edge program need to take a qualifying assessment at the Richmond Sylvan Center to ensure that they are performing at grade level. The assessment will also provide students with an accurate starting point to begin the Math Edge program. From there, students will advance through the program track, which aligns to Common Core standards, in a low-stress setting at their own pace.

Math Edge will be offered in Richmond Sylvan Center at least three days a week initially during afternoon and evening hours. The program starts at $149 per month with two sessions per week and unlimited access to games and premium educational content through Sylvan’s online portal, mySylvan.

For more information on Richmond Sylvan’s Math Edge enrichment program, please contact Lisa Branner Stickley at 804-744-8002, email address sylvansouthside@gmail.com, or visit the Sylvan website.

This article is sponsored by Richmond Sylvan Learning Center

Click here to learn more and register.

This article is sponsored by Sabot at Stony Point.

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I know a lot of adults who say they can’t cook.  I realized, that even though I’m no master chef, I didn’t want my kids growing up not being able to make a meal for themselves… that’s when my 8 year old son has started cooking dinner for our family.

Aside from just learning a useful skill, read all about what kids can learn from cooking, here.

When I started looking up recipes for kids, I mostly found things like pita pizzas and ants on a log… yummy, sure, and kid friendly, but we were looking for something that required a little more effort. I found that crock pot and one pot recipes were an easy place to start.

Here are a few recipes for beginners and interested chefs.  Most of these are ideal for kids who have learned a few kitchen basics and can handle some chopping (we use some slightly dulled knives)

Of course, adult supervision is required although the kids can do most of the work.
There is no age recommendation because these skills are more about maturity and development, not age.

Crock Pot Recipes

Crock pot recipes are great for kids who aren’t ready to handle hot stoves or ovens.  They are also perfect for early-risers and if evenings are a bit hectic and busy.

2-Ingredient Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Gimme Some Oven
Easy

It’s as simple as dumping it all into the crockpot.

Crock Pot Vegetable Ziti
Weelicous
Easy

Lots of shredding in this one, watch out for little fingers.  This one will also be done in 3 hours so you can make it in the afternoon.

Crock Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
Raining Hot Coupons
Easy (parent needed for cutting chicken)

Not exactly healthy, and if you’re avoiding processed foods you might want to skip right along… but kids (and adults) can’t usually resist creamy alfredo sauce I had to add it in there.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Jo Cooks
Easy – just dump it.

Easy peasy and a bit healthier than alfredo sauce, no?

Garden Minestrone
Good Thymes and Good Food
Easy/Moderate -chopping involved.

This one is for kids who are ready to start chopping food, for kids who aren’t ready use frozen precut carrots.  Also, the recipe goes from microwave to crockpot so there is no need for the stovetop. Since it’s a minestrone, you can omit the vegetables that will make your kids turn their nose up at the whole meal.

One Pot Pastas
Once again, this fairly easy for kids because you just dump it all in one pot.  There is usually chopping involved and the moderate comes when recipes call for sautéed onions -this is definitely parent-supervised. There is the question of the stove top so it’s slightly more advanced than crock pot recipes where you can put it all into a cold pot.

Spinach Artichoke Wonderpot
Budget Bytes
Easy

My 8 year old son makes this one and it’s a family favorite.  I’m also obsessed with Budget Bytes. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Tortellini and Sausage in Cream Sauce
Yellow Road Bliss
Easy/Difficult (see below)

Sautéing is challenging. Skip the sautéed onions if your child isn’t ready (we do this frequently in our house as there are a few members of our family who won’t touch onions)

One Pot Chicken Rigatoni 
Top Ate on Your Plate
Easy with parent help

The chicken in this recipe borderlines on difficult. Keeping things sanitary comes into play as well as the difficulty of cutting raw meat -this is a parent involved process. The rest is an easy recipe for kids to do.

Looking for more meal-time inspiration? Follow us on Pinterest

CommuniKids Preschool and Children’s Language Center, with centers in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, is now open at 3111 Lauderdale Drive in Short Pump. CommuniKids offers several programs designed especially for young children in Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese, including full and half-day preschool, weekly classes, summer camps, and after-school care.

The benefits to starting foreign language instruction early in life are immense. The optimal time for language learning, or the “Window of Opportunity,” occurs in young children from birth to age 8. At that time in their development, young children’s brains are extremely flexible and are “hardwired” for language learning. Very young children have the ability to learn any of the world’s languages and to recreate them with a near-perfect accent. Recent research confirms that the advantages of learning another language go beyond the practical. Multilingual children also perform better in school in all subjects and have higher executive function skills.

For families searching for part- or full-time preschool, the CommuniKids language immersion preschool program offers a well-rounded, play-based, full-immersion curriculum in Spanish or French. Our after-school and weekend language classes give children enrolled in other schools a chance to complement their education with weekly exposure to French, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. And our summer camp program offers six weeks of full-immersion fun to students of all proficiency levels looking for intensive exposure to the language. CommuniKids also plans to offer an immersion after-school care program for school-aged children with transportation from nearby elementary schools.

For more information, email admissions@communikids.com or visit CommuniKids online.