Staying Smart This Summer

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell stresses the importance keeping your mind fit over your summer break. He describes research that shows that students who continue to engage their mind and learn in some capacity over the summer come back to school with way fewer cobwebs than those who don’t. And coming back to school fresh or rusty can prove to make a huge difference on the report card down the road.

There’s just one problem—students work really hard all year with private SAT tutors and other knowledgeable aids, as the beauty of summer is right around the corner to take time off. Students don’t want to work hard to x learning over the summer.

The solution is fun learning. Easy, relaxed, enjoyable learning that doesn’t require too much effort and doesn’t feel at all like work.

Here are some ways to keep learning this summer that I consider “fun.” Check them out and see what appeals to you:

Books: Nearly all reading—fiction or non-fiction—is a great way to engage your brain, learn things, and beef up your vocabulary. But my personal favorite category of book is what I would call “fascinating, user-friendly non-fiction,” and this is one of the best ways to learn. Here are some of my favorites:

• All four of Malcolm Gladwell’s books: The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and What the Dog Saw. These are addictively fascinating and so fun to read.
• Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
• How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker
• Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

Magazines: Go to the store and browse the magazine rack. Find something that both interests you and is reasonably educational. No matter what interests you, there’s a magazine out there that focuses on it. Make a pledge to read each issue of it this summer.

TV: Like magazines, there is TV that helps your brain and TV that, well, doesn’t. You know the difference. Browse around channels like The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and National Geographic, find a new show that looks fascinating to you and get into it this summer.

• Personal recommendation: How the Earth Was Made on The History Channel. I’m totally hooked on this show…

Documentaries: Google a list of “best documentaries,” find something that looks interesting to you, and watch it. Simple as that!

The Internet: The Internet can be a phenomenal way to engage your brain and learn new things. One way to start is simply think of something you’d like to understand better. It can be anything from, “What is the history of computers?” to “Why is Alexander the Great so famous?” to “Which countries have the highest populations?” to “How big is the universe?” If you’re in a reading mood, dive into a Wikipedia article about the thing you want to learn. If you’d rather sit back and have someone explain it to you, head to YouTube and you’ll find someone to do just that.

• Personal recommendation: Go on YouTube and search for Richard Feynman. I’ve learned a lot about how the world works from watching him explain things on YouTube.

Ted Talks: Ted Talks are short, excellent presentations by really interesting people on all kinds of topics. They’re superbly inspiring and educational. Visit Ted.com and browse around!

"Smart" Games:  Get into Scrabble, or Chess, or Sudoku, or crossword puzzles this summer, and it'll help keep you sharp.  Or head to Sporcle.com, though I warn you now—it is addictive.

For Dummies Books: I love the For Dummies line of books. They’re easy and fun to read and super user-friendly. Head to the bookstore (or to Dummies.com) and browse through their titles. You might come across one that makes you say, “I’d really love to learn about that” or “I’d love to learn how to do that.”

Not all of these suggestions will appeal to everyone, but the thing they all have in common is that they’re easy, relaxing, and fun.

Have a great summer, and stay sharp!