NEW HAVEN--Learning over the summer? It's a struggle for many parents, but one New Haven non-profit is working hard to change the stigma associated with learning.
“I wondered if you could use sports to better understand math and science concepts,” said Annick Winokur, the founder and CEO of Sportsometry.
And so Winokur set out on a challenge: to get inner city kids playing sports while teaching them math and science.
“A lesson connects a sport with a math or physics concept,” explained Winokur.
But then the second part of Sportsometry takes place, and that’s taking all the stuff they learned and applying it on the field.
During one lesson on Wednesday, the kids, who are learning about shapes, joined hands to create the shape in question, while outfielders retrieved balls and batters raced home-- all things you can’t do in a classroom.
“You don’t just go to class to put down numbers on a piece of paper,” added Winokur.
And though today's lesson is related to wiffleball, Sportsometry uses lots of sports: basketball teaches angles, while tennis provides lessons on speed and velocity.
In the end, it’s exercise for the body and the mind.
“It’s different, and when kids like to learn in different ways, or learn in different ways, they find it exciting,” Winokur said.
To learn more about Sportsometry, which has partnered with local schools and agencies since 2003, click here.
