We’re in the height of summer, and as you continue to have what we hope is a restful and restorative break, we wanted to pop in (👋) and share ways for you to feed your brain while you’re away from school.

Below you will find suggestions from Beaver faculty and students to learn, move, connect, nourish, and be. The list includes indoor and outdoor options—as well as a variety of ways for you to engage with the world around you, try new things, practice self-care, and tap into your curiosity!

But before we jump into the list, here’s a refresher on the different elements that make up “Feed Your Brain” and the impact they have—mentally and physically.

• Learn: Choose how and what you want to learn. Read, watch, listen, or do something new or connected to what you want to learn more about so you can add to your fund of knowledge. Prior knowledge helps you acquire and learn new information and improves your capacity for problem solving.
• Move: Exercise improves brain health, enhances focus, strengthens memory, improves mood, and reduces stress. (Read this fact sheet or listen to this Ted Talk to learn more.)
• Connect: Make new friends or strengthen existing relationships by sharing a common interest, develop a sense of purpose, learn new skills, and stay active physically and/or mentally.
• Nourish: Cooking can enhance cognition by improving one’s memory, fine motor skills, attention, and ability to sequence and anticipate. Learn more about the seven ways that cooking can boost brain power. Try to choose foods linked to better brain health!
• Be: Choose activities that help you slow down to have a calmer and clearer mind. This also will help improve concentration, memory and decision making. Examples include meditation, which decreases stress and increases focus; reading for pleasure, which increases brain connectivity and builds empathy; writing, which improves creativity, problem solving, empathy, and self-monitoring skills; and listening to music, which elevates mood, reduces stress, stimulates memories!

Ready to Feed Your Brain this summer? Let’s do it!

LEARN 🧠

General knowledge

• Learning something new with Khan Academy
• Check out free classes from Coursera, edx,and Lynda
• Visit a museum or take a virtual tour of a museum
• Learn, play, and give back with Free Rice (each correct response in the game sends a financial payment to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support its work saving and changing lives around the world.)

Math skills

• Review with Zearn
• Overview of 6th grade | 7th grade | 8th grade
• New Math: 6th grade | 7th grade | 8th grade
• Sharpen & develop your math brain (Digits and Connections from The New York Times are some new favorites!)

Language skills

• Learn or practice a language with Memrise or Duolingo

Code

Learn to code in p5
Code

MOVE 🏊

• Go for a swim
• Ride a bike
• Do yoga
• Get active and save lives with UNICEF Voices of Youth.

CONNECT 👥

• Volunteer in person or remotely for an organization
• Interview friends and family and make a podcast
• Connect with nature through Mass Audubon’s in-person and online nature-based programs. Nature Walks and the Firefly Watch Community Science Project are two of the many options!

NOURISH 🪁

• Cook something!
• Plant some vegetables, herbs, or flowers in your yard or a planter
• Design & create
• Paint, draw, or make art
• Woodworking and DIY Furniture
• Build and fly your own kite
• Design your own board game
• Build something out of found objects

BE 🧘

Relaxation & mindfulness

• Take a mindfulness break
• Go for a nature walk
• Color
• Take a beach day
• Visit a public museum, garden, or park

Read

• Read a book
• Read a book from the The Ultimate Middle School Summer Reading List or ALSC Summer Reading List
• Do a summer reading challenge

Write

• Write a short story, poem, novel, or whatever you like
• Keep a diary or journal. Write down feelings throughout the day
• Keep a gratitude log. At the end of each day, write down what you are thankful for

Listen

• Play music in the house to shift or influence the mood in your home.
• Listen to a Podcast

Bonus: Exercise Your Brain

Brain Games Play these games to enhance the power of your brain!