Brain Chase Fights Brain Drain

What is brain drain?

What is brain drain? Brain drain refers to the much-dreaded summer learning loss. Summer learning loss is the reason why many children attend summer school. It’s why some advocate for year-round schooling. And it’s the reason why September is a month of review in most schools. Studies suggest that children can lose anywhere from one to three months of reading and math skills over the summer. Scary, right?

The reality is, parents tend to place the sole responsibility for reading development on our teachers and schools but our children spend approximately 900 hours per year in school whereas they spend 7,800 hours per year outside of school (I got these stats from my favorite parenting book). Those numbers are striking. So what is a parent to do?? Start assigning book reports? Break out math flash cards at dinner?

Think homeschoolers are immune to brain drain?

Think again, folks. I don’t know about you guys, but I think that, in some ways, it’s harder to homeschool when the weather turns beautiful. It’s difficult to maintain a routine. I tend to become really relaxed and maybe a bit lazy. I believe I’m suffering from my own form of brain drain!

 

Relax, you’ve got options and Brain Chase is an excellent one.

Relax. It’s easy to encourage learning and maintain those skills if you think outside of the box a little bit. Get creative. Sneak in some learning when they least expect it. One way to do this is with Brain Chase. Relax, homeschool mama, and let Brain Chase take the wheel for the summer months.

Brain Chase was founded by a husband-wife team who were concerned about the effects of summer brain drain on their five children. They wanted to create an irresistible summer learning adventure.

And, guess what? This is a summer learning adventure that your kids will love! Just ask Leo. I showed him this trailer and he’s now counting the days until he can start the adventure!

What IS Brain Chase?

• A 5-week structured summer learning challenge for 2nd – 8th graders
• A global treasure hunt fueled by math, reading, and writing… with a foreign language option
• A motivational tool to get kids interested in summer learning
• A personalized learning platform
• A $10,000 scholarship and trophy

WHY Brain Chase?

• Brain Chase provides 5-weeks of structured, personalized learning through external math, reading, and foreign language websites.
• Parents receive weekly progress reports via email.
• Students receives exclusive access to an original animated adventure series that has hidden puzzles and clues
• 3 adventure tools are mailed to your home to assist with solving special bonus challenges
• Students get to participate in a global treasure hunt for a golden trophy and a $10,000 treasure

How does it work?

• BEGIN THE ADVENTURE

On June 22, 2015, Brain Chase: The Sunstone of Cortés begins. Student adventurers log in to watch the first episode, where they will meet Mae Merriweather, the webisode’s star.

• UNLOCK THE CODE

Each week, adventurers have four tasks: read for 15 minutes each day, earn 10,000 points on Khan Academy, write one journal entry* (*This year, Brain Chase has partnered with Rosettta Stone and you have the option of substituting a foreign language for written language!), and complete one bonus challenge. When the tasks are complete, the adventurer can view the next webisode which contains hidden pictures, numbers, and riddles to assist with guessing the treasure’s whereabouts.

• FOLLOW THE STORY

Mae Merriweather and her friends from Grayson Academy of Antiquities are searching for the Sunstone of Cortés. Watch them as they travel the world, and watch out for secret codes and riddles along the way!

• FIND THE TREASURE!

This is the part that Leo is most excited about, folks! There really is a treasure at the end of this adventure. The Sunstone of Cortés and $10,000 are buried somewhere on the planet- and your adventurer has the chance of finding it! The first adventurer to guess its location within a 2-mile radius will travel with his or her family to the treasure to find their prize!

More information

What about students who are learning disabled or academically advanced?

One of the many things that struck me about Brain Chase is that it’s truly a one size fits all learning platform. Why? Because you can completely customize it for academic level of your child. There are no restrictions. Last year, there were a number of Brain Chase adventurers with severe learning disabilities who used the program with great success. If you have a high schooler reading on a second grade level, that’s okay. If you have a second grader reading on a high school level, that’s also okay. Adventurers can do anything from early math and basic phonics to advanced Calculus, Shakespeare, and foreign language! Brain Chase and its partners work to accommodate all learners.

How much time does it require?

Brain Chase takes approximately four to five hours per week. You can divide that time as you’d like. If your family is traveling, you can catch up on the previous week upon your return.

What if my child misses a day?

That’s not a problem. Students can complete challenges at any time.

How are kids “graded”?

Adventurers are measured based on effort (e.g., energy points on Khan Academy, active reading time on myON), and not accomplishment.

If a family has two or more students participating in Brain Chase, do they work together or do they have their own dashboard?

Siblings will have their own dashboard. Each sibling works at the personal level that is right for them. Families are encouraged to work together to figure out clues and bonus challenges if they wish.

How does the reading work?

Brain Chase uses a reading platform called myON, which has a library of more than 5,000 digital books. Kids choose what they’d like to read and myON tracks the rest.

How often can we guess the treasure’s location?

Adventurers can guess the treasure’s location once every twenty-four hours.

Can adventurers finish even after there is a winner?

Yes! Brain Chase wants others to feel the accomplishment of completing the adventure.

Check it out for yourself

Use the dashboard demo for a hands-on look at Brain Chase. There, you will be able to interact with last year’s dashboard to get a sense for how Brain Chase operates.

How to register (with a 15% discount for My Little Poppies readers)

A Brain Chase registration is $199 ($100 for each additional sibling). Enter the discount code POPPIES15 at checkout for a 15% discount off of your total purchase! Sign up for Brain Chase here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Brain Chase and The Motherhood. I received  both product and compensation in exchange for this review. I want you to know that all opinions expressed herein are my own. I only recommend products that I would use with my own family.