“Stop Summer Slide! Stay Summer Smart!” The tag line of Workman’s new Summer Brain Quest publishing program pinpoints its goal of helping kids avoid the setback in academic skills that commonly occurs during summer break. An extension of the publisher’s Brain Quest brand, launched in 1992, which now has almost 46 million units in print worldwide, this vacation version offers a personalized-learning experience that kids can approach from various directions. The program encompasses six individual Summer Brain Quest workbooks, targeting kids entering first through sixth grade.

The interactive format of the 160-page, $12.95 workbooks—each contains an age-appropriate, tri-fold map featuring multiple learning paths, on which kids mark their progress with more than 150 achievement stickers—creates a flexible learning game in which players can choose their next steps, giving them a say in what and how they learn. Summer Brain Quest’s curriculum-based activities focus on four main subjects: math, science, social studies, and English language arts. The books also provide outdoor learning activities, among them studying tree textures, designing a treasure hunt, and identifying different shapes that can be found in nature. Also included are suggested reading lists, as well as inspiration and encouragement to read at least 15 to 30 minutes each day.

Workman senior editor Nathalie Le Du, who is at the editorial helm of both Brain Quest and Summer Brain Quest, noted that an in-house team built Summer Brain Quest on “three pillars” after reaching the conclusion that “what kids need is a workbook, what they want is a game, and what they love about summer are outdoor adventures.” These tenets became the foundation of the program and, she added, “helped us determine the way that we would approach the obstacles presented by ‘summer slide,’ which can lead to kids losing up to three months of reading and math skills, with other core subjects suffering as well.”

Not surprisingly, Workman did its homework to ensure that Summer Brain Quest matches the quality of its parent brand. Each of the new workbooks was vetted by the Brain Quest Advisory Board, and aligned to the Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and state social studies standards.

One educator who has been long involved with Brain Quest is Kim Tredick, currently director of curriculum and instruction for Sulphur Springs Union School District in southern California. Tredick vetted Brain Quest cards at the time of the line’s 20th anniversary in 2012, has served as the brand’s national spokesperson, and was a consulting editor for Summer Brain Quest.

Tredick, who was a teacher for 24 years, easily recognized the value of Workman’s new learning program—and its potential for putting the brakes on “summer slide.” “I spent a significant amount of time at the beginning of each year re-teaching concepts and skills in order to move on to new grade level learning,” she recalled. “Summer Brain Quest offers kids a fun way to practice the fundamentals over the summer. Because the books have a game format, students are empowered to have choices in their learning while they track their progress, and are rewarded with stickers and a certificate. I think it’s an amazing product—it’s personalized and interactive, and kids are learning while they’re having fun.”

Published this month, the Summer Brain Quest titles will receive a promotional push on June 10, the date on which Workman is encouraging libraries, bookstores, and toy and specialty shops across the country to host Summer Brain Quest kick-off parties. The publisher has created a party-planning kit to help participants stage events, and to date more than 350 have signed up to celebrate the program’s launch. The publisher is also partnering with such parent-resource websites as Mommy Poppins and Rookie Moms, and with “mommy blogs” Canary Jane and Paging Supermom, to promote Summer Brain Quest.

While acknowledging that “it’s difficult for parents and caregivers to keep learning going all summer long,” Le Du is confident that Summer Brain Quest has enough kid-appeal to pull that off—given the “bright, colorful design of the books, whose covers and character artwork is created by video game artist Edison Yan, and the games and outdoor activities. I think we’ve created something for the whole kid, targeting what they need and want during school break. These workbooks have all the great benefits of Brain Quest—in a summer way!”