Many parents might think online students suffer from social isolation. In truth, they participate in several activities with peers.  And because an online education allows a flexible schedule, students can easily make time for clubs, sports, competitions, and more.

Parents play a key role in facilitating their children’s socialization. Many families of online students form communities that organize events and activities, allowing their children to build lasting friendships. As Ashley MacQuarrie advised in her post about facilitating friendships for kids:

“Facilitating friendships for your child might require you as a parent to step out of your comfort zone, by approaching other parents to arrange get-togethers for your children. Don’t be shy! Remember that you are modeling to your child how to make and maintain friendships.”

Students can take advantage of sports or community groups such as Girl Scouts and 4H as well as clubs organized by online schools. Whether it’s photography or Legos or math, these clubs let kids pursue their interests and passions.

Summer break is here! A time to unwind, get outdoors, and take a break from school work.

However, encouraging your kiddos to continue learning throughout the summer will help them be better prepared for their next school year - which will be here before you know it!  

According to Summerlearning.org,

• All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004). 
• Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper, 1996). 
• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004).

With nearly one million mobile applications in Google Play and the Apple App Store respectively, and new apps being added at an astonishing rate of 20,000 each month (on average), it can be hard for even the most active user to keep up with what’s out there. While there are many apps available designed to make your life easier, finding the ones that are actually relevant and useful to you can be harder than you’d think. To save you the trouble, here are 5 favorite apps perfect for busy parents.

We are partnering with CrossFit Kids to bring you information to help encourage and inspire your children to incorporate health and fitness into their every day lives and to improve their ability to learn. It's important for all online school students to spend some time every day moving, playing, and exercising - not only because in some states, it's required, but because the overall benefits to health and learning are immense!  

However, It is very important that you consult a doctor before you or your children begin any type of exercise. Always stop exercising immediately if you experience any shortness of breath, dizziness, or pain.

The posts provided by CrossFit Kids in this series are designed to explain the overall philosophy of CrossFit Kids, review some basic movements, and offer suggested workouts that can be incorporated at home. We will be reviewing different movements throughout the series and providing you with ideas to get your kids moving.  The workouts won't be anything you can't handle and you should, by all means, join in!

Remember, this should be fun!  Are you ready? 3, 2, 1...Go! 

Walk midway into a class at a registered CrossFit Kids program and you might discern the kind of energy that usually emanates from a playground during recess. There is joyful noise: laughter and thrilled shrieks and triumphant shouts. Kids are having a blast. And the trainers look like they might be having an even better time. A well-run program always looks like a boatload of easy fun. But all of that fun, as merrily hectic and aimless as it sometimes seems, is by design, purposeful. CrossFit Kids intends to teach children to associate exercise with fun, with the ultimate goal being that they will value the pursuit of fitness into adulthood.  It is the new school when it comes to physical education.

But when parents find themselves acting as their child's learning coache at home, that sense of easy fun can become decidedly uneasy. The urge to get their children to a registered CrossFit Kids program can become strong. But that is not necessary.