The Benefits of Learning Outdoors
by Julie Hersum
by Valerie Kirk
5 min to readSummertime is made for fun! But as any teacher can tell you, a student’s grasp of academic concepts can “slide” over the long summer months, leading to unintended learning loss. According to recent research, “summer slide” causes elementary-aged students to lose on average 20% of their school year gains in reading and 27% of their school year gains in math during summer break, causing the equivalent of one month of learning loss after summer vacation. There are many ways that students can avoid summer learning loss while still enjoying the carefree days of summer! By providing children with fun learning opportunities, you can help your child stay prepared for the new school year.
Connections Academy® collected summer quiz questions for K–fifth grade students from our online elementary school teachers to create a fun, free, online summer activities trivia quiz to keep those young brains active.
Featuring 10 summer quiz questions of varying degrees of difficulty, the summer activities trivia quiz can promote lively and educational family discussions about fun, summertime education opportunities—including that can be done at home—and is an easy way to incorporate learning into everyday summer activities.
Take this quiz to find your time-management personality type as well as some strategies that can help you learn how to improve your time-management skills.
A. Spring and Summer
B. Summer and Fall
C. Fall and Winter
D. Spring and Fall
A. biking
B. rollerbladding
C. skateboarding
D. snowboarding
A. “Always leave a place better than you found it”
B. “Only YOU can prevent wildfires”
C. “Just Do It”
D. “Be prepared for anything”
A. 301
B. 423
C. 476
D. 500
A. Yosemite National Park
B. Grand Canyon
C. Great Smokey Mountains National Park
D. Yellowstone National Park
A. rays from the sun that can damage skin
B. rays from the moon that help you sleep
C. sound waves from the television
D. extremely powerful ocean waves
A. when possible, stay in the shade
B. wear a hat
C. reapply sunscreen often
D. all of the above
A. Calcium
B. Vitamin C
C. Vitamin D
D. Zinc
A. it is the longest day of the year
B. it is the shortest day of the year
C. it is the hottest day of the year
D. it is the coldest day of the year
A. strawberries
B. oranges
C. pineapple
D. tomatoes
A. Indian Ocean
B. European Ocean
C. Pacific Ocean
D. Atlantic Ocean
A. Virginia Beach, Virginia
B. Miami Beach, Florida
C. Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
D. Laguna Beach, California
A. hot, humid weather are ideal conditions for thunderstorms
B. thunderstorms need sunlight to create lightning
C. thunderstorms produce rain
D. thunderstorms are connected to the ocean’s tides
A. the end of the Revolutionary War
B. the start of baseball season
C. the signing of the Declaration of Independence
D. the World’s Fair
A. George Washington
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. George Clooney
D. John Hancock
1. D - SPRING AND FALL
Before the Civil War, kids needed to be home during spring and fall to help plant and harvest crops.
2. A - BIKING
According to the Outdoor Foundation’s yearly Outdoor Participation Report, running and biking activities make up more than half of the most popular outdoor activities for youth.
3. B - “ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES”
Since 1944, Smokey the Bear has been the national figure behind the wildfire prevention public service message.
4 B - 423
The National Park System encompasses 423 national park sites that span across more than 84 million acres, with parks in each state and extending into U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, the Virgin slands, American Samoa, and Guam.
5. C - GREAT SMOKEY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
This national park is on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.
6. A - RAYS FROM THE SUN THAT CAN DAMAGE SKIN
Ultraviolet (UV) rays are invisible rays that are part of the Sun’s energy. UV Rays can damage the skin, causing sunburn and types of skin cancer.
7. D - ALL OF THE ABOVE
Too much unprotected exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer. Wearing a hat, reapplying sunscreen, and staying in the shade all protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays.
8. C - VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps the body take in calcium from the foods that we eat. Together, calcium and vitamin D build bones and keep them strong. Vitamin D also plays a part in heart health and fighting infection. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun.
9. A - IT IS THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR
During the summer solstice, the Sun is at its highest point in the sky, and we receive the most hours of daylight.
10. D – TOMATOES
While many people think tomatoes are a vegetable, they are actually a fruit. Fruits develop from the flower of a plant, while vegetables come from other parts of the plant. Also, Fruits contain seeds, while vegetables can consist of roots, stems and leaves. Bananas are the second most harvested fruit.
11. B - EUROPEAN OCEAN
The Earth’s five named oceans are: Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern. There is no European Ocean.
12. A - VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA
Virginia Beach is 35 miles long. However, the longest continuous beach is Long Beach, Washington at 28 miles long.
13. A - HOT, HUMID WEATHER ARE IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR THUNDERSTORMS
Though thunderstorms can occur at any time of year, conditions for thunderstorms are best when the air is very warm and heavy with water vapor.
14. C - SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by the US Continental Congress.
15. D - JOHN HANCOCK
John Hancock was one of the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and his signature is the largest signature on the document.
If you are looking for an additional challenge, we’ve added five bonus questions to the quiz that can be downloaded to use on those long summer car rides, at parties, or over family dinner.
You can also continue the friendly competition by creating some of your own trivia questions! Parents can find even more ideas to help keep students learning throughout every season by visiting the Connections Academy’s Resource Hub.
By making summer learning activities enjoyable and incorporating a bit of lighthearted competition, you can reinforce what your kids studied during the school year and avoid summer learning loss. Best of all, if you make it fun, your students may not even notice that they’re learning! Connections Academy students of all ages can take online summer enrichment courses through Pearson Online Academy to keep learning all summer.