BY GRANT LANCASTER
A baseball-themed online learning course originally intended to keep students’ minds sharp over summer break will be available for free to students learning from home during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Summer Slugger course, offered by the MLB and EVERFI, teaches math and literacy skills in a game-like program based on America’s national pastime.
Summer Slugger has 36 Series covering units of measure, place value, arithmetic, geometry, spelling, phonemic awareness, vocabulary and comprehension, each designed to take no more than 10 minutes to complete. The game offers rewards for progress and consistency, such as unlocking activities.
Parents, guardians and teachers can access the free Summer Slugger courses online.
The program launched in 2017, with MLB Clubs in the U.S. and Canada introducing 140,000 children ages 8-11 to the game, with more joining from home.
“MLB and our Clubs are proud to assist the millions of parents and school teachers in helping our young people succeed during these challenging circumstances,” said Melanie LeGrande, MLB vice president of Social Responsibility.
MLB and MLB Players Association made a joint donation of $1 million to Feeding America and Meals on Wheels last week, as well as a $30 million commitment made by MLB Clubs to relief for ballpark employees
