Vol 1, July 2010
by Kristal Randall, MSEd, Co-founder of Knowledge Tree, LLC and Brain Training Specialist
Getting enough good sleep is critical for brain health. Sleep deprivation leads to slower reactions, muddled thinking, and poor memory. For some of us, however, it's tough to fall asleep and even harder to stay asleep.

Researchers studying cognitive- behavioral psychology have some tips for getting better sleep. One of the most powerful tips is also one of the least intuitive - psychologists recommend getting out of bed when you're having trouble sleeping. It seems that spending a lot of time in bed not sleeping programs the brain to associate bed with wakefulness. So, instead of tossing and turning for hours, get up, go into another room, and do something relaxing, such as reading a fun book. When you're feeling sleepy again, head back to bed. This counterintuitive tip typically leads to more good quality sleep, and your partner may thank you!

Children age 7-12 need 10 to 11 hours of rest at night for optimum behavior and cognitive functions.  Even being the night owls they are, teenagers also need a minimum of 10 hours of sleep.  Lack of sleep in teenagers can lead to drowsiness at the wheel, and depresson, amoung other undesirable effects.   Adults should establish routines that will allow eight hours or more of sleep each night.
Get a healthier brain with more sleep and brain training.

Chances are, now that summer’s here, you aren’t thinking much about brain fitness (if you think about it at all). No, you’re thinking about playing tag, eating watermelon, or lying on the beach in the sun doing absolutely nothing, and I don’t blame you. But activities that boost physical and brain fitness during the summer can help you (and your family) enjoy the long summer days even more, and be ready for next fall – when cooler weather and challenging classes will require more of both the brain and the body.

Brain Fitness: Summer Activities for Brain Health
Exercise – Physical activity affects the body in many helpful ways, including increased blood flow and the release of serotonin into the bloodstream. Probably most interesting is that exercise promotes neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons). Take advantage of the summer months by combining lots of team sports with a brain training program (which also stimulates the growth of new neurons).

Drink water – The human body would be lost without H20. We’re practically made of the stuff (roughly 60 percent of body weight is water). We have to consume lots of the stuff we’re made of to keep our bodies functioning. The brain is no exception. Keep all your tissues hydrated by drinking at least 64 fluid oz. of water per day and you’ll be amazed how much better everything will work.

Take a class – Acquiring a skill is different from learning in a classroom and uses different parts of our cognition. Take an art class, guitar lessons, or learn to play a new sport to give your brain a chance to stretch in a new direction.

Read a book – Specifically, read a book on a subject with which you are not familiar. It will be hard at first, but just like practicing to play a song on the piano, your brain will get used to the subject matter and the author’s style, and by the end of the book you’ll find it’s easier to read than it was at the beginning – if you persevere. This is a way to train your own brain! And the best part is, you can sit outside in the park or on the beach and read during the summer, which leads us to…

Go outside – One of the best things about summer is the longer, hotter days, and the fact that you can spend more time outside. If you go long enough without, you’ll feel depressed and fatigued. It’s not just the sunlight, it’s also the fact that sunlight generates vitamin D, and if you’re deficient in vitamin D (as most people are), you’ll feel pretty crummy. The brain needs sunlight because the body needs sunlight. It’s like water. Everything just works better when you get lots of it.

Get a partner – Any exercise or healthy endeavor is taxing and takes a certain amount of discipline and mental toughness to be consistent, even when the benefits are good and the activity is enjoyable. Getting a partner, a coach, a trainer, or a friend to do healthy things with makes the tough parts so much easier, and you’ll have more fun along the way too. This is one reason why Knowledge Tree, LLC’s programs are so successful. All of our students have a trainer who works with them one-on-one to help them all the way through, challenging them and encouraging them through the difficult parts, and in many cases, becoming a friend and mentor.

Do the right kind of brain training -- Brain fitness has gotten a lot of press lately, so learn to distinguish between the helpful and not-so-helpful types of brain training, and then sign up for a (good) brain training program. Summer is the ideal time to do this because training won’t conflict with school. Many parents agree that brain training was the best thing they could have done for their child and summer is a great time to start…just in time to prepare for their next school year.

by Tonya Randall, Co-founder of Knowledge Tree, LLC and Brain Training Specialist

It is a commonly known fact that unless you exercise regularly, you will begin to loose muscle tone, coordination, stamina and flexibility.  The same is true with learning.  To help my children exercise their reading skills and retain what they learned this school year (and hopefully improve their skills), we have introduced reading incentives. 

Each week we have a designated “fun” day with mom with new activities.  The catch?  They have to read ten books each week to be eligible, and the “fun” has to be educational.  This week the boys enjoyed a trip to Leonardo's  Discovery Warehouse & Adventure Quest in Enid.  Other places we plan to go this summer include Alabaster Caverns just south of Freedom, the Great Salt Plains between Cherokee and Jet, Sedgwick County Zoo and Exploration Place, Wichita, and Oklahoma Railway Museum, OKC.  

If that sounds like too many miles for you, consider turning any local event into a learning experience.  Have your children figure the cost for a movie, popcorn or candy and soda.  Then pick a movie to attend and see if you are right!  Instead of depending on the popular overhead screens, have your children figure their bowling games by hand.  

Have a smaller budget? Take a picnic to the park and collect bugs to enter in the fair this fall.  How many dimes does it take for admission to the swimming pool?  Visit the Historical Society or local museum – you would be surprised what kiddos find interesting at a museum.  Host a game night and invite another family over for fun.  There are many fun ways to entice your children to keep learning and reading this summer.  

Boom Blox original is much more pricey than its sequel, but both of them have an amazing number of levels that are a cross between Jenga, Rube Goldberg machines, and Problem Solving.  It is even possible to create your own levels.  The entire family can play and enjoy it no matter what the level. Multi-player modes can be played with a single remote on the Bash Party.