By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Winter Math Camp Set
math.jpg

For schools, Christmas break is no longer a one-week holiday to celebrate the season, several schools now have a three-week break. What is wrong with that you may ask … research shows that while teachers return to school refreshed, for students there is a loss of skills also known as slippage.

“Many students will return to the classroom after a three week break, but will start the year with lower achievement levels than they were at the beginning of the break,” stated Dr. Viji Sundar, Professor of Mathematics at CSU Stanislaus. “What is alarming is that the loss of skills is sharper for math than for reading.”

To help area families beat the slippage effect, Dr. Sundar will be offering a Winter Camp set to begin Monday, Jan. 7 through Thursday, Jan. 10 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Hobby Lobby, 2801 McHenry Ave., Modesto.

The Winter 2019 Math Camp is for children in second through fourth grades. Winter Camp participants will do activities that mirror play, such as board games and puzzles, riddles all in a group setting. This promotes a “can do” feeling to tackle new problems, promotes social skills, and communication skills while promoting a growth mindset.

For more information on Winter Camp contact Dr. Viji Sundar at 209-918-2469 or Drsundarmathcenter@gmail.com/www.SundarAcademy.com.

Why does slippage happen? It is a well-known fact that learning changes the brain.

“Every time you learn something, there are nerve cells that are making connections,” said UW-Madison educational psychology professor, Edward Hubbard. “When you’re learning, you’re strengthening those connections in the brain at a microscopic level. But if you're not using that information, over time those connections will weaken. These weakened connections cause “Brain Drain.”

One way to break this cycle and send your child back to school with a learning mindset is to enroll them in programs that are fun, interactive and engaging. Dr. Sundar, who has over 30 years’ experience, has opened up the Math Center, an interactive learning academy, and has started conducting programs for children and urges parents to get their children to play board games, jigsaw puzzles, riddles, and math experiments to keep the mind sharp. Dr. Sundar’s Math Center Winter Camp sets a stage for learning through play.

“Don’t ever say I was never good at math or I do not have a math gene,” said Sundar. “That simply is not true, we all use mathematical reasoning and logic in almost everything we do and say.”

Instead said Sundar, “Let your child know that everyone can learn math. All you need is a class climate that is conducive to your style of learning.”