AUSTIN, TX (March 19, 2014) – BRAIN CHASE PRODUCTIONS, the new Austin-based online entertainment and education company, announced today the debut of a 6-week Summer Learning Challenge and global treasure hunt for students in grades 2−8. Competitors complete weekly learning challenges, tailored to individual ability, to unlock online webisodes of an exclusive animated series. The webisodes contain hidden clues to the location of a real treasure – a $10,000 globe with gold-plated continents – which has been buried under a rose bush somewhere on Earth. Parents can register their children now at www.brainchase.com. The adventure begins at 9 a.m. Eastern on Monday, June 30, 2014. 

 

Studies show that the average student loses a month of math and reading ability during summer break. Brain Chase’s 6-week Challenge is designed to motivate students to stay smart over the summer. The rules are simple: participants complete roughly an hour of customized online assignments in core skills each day.  At the end of the week, the next animated webisode following Mae Merriweather and the Grayson Academy of Antiquities is unlocked. Each webisode contains hidden clues, puzzles, and riddles. Participants also get a decoder ring, compass, and other tools in the mail to help them decipher the clues. The first participant to complete the 6-week Challenge and guess the treasure’s location within a 2-mile radius gets to fly with a parent to the secret location, unearth the treasure, and take it home.

 

Allan and Heather Staker, the parents of five elementary and pre-K children, dreamed up Brain Chase in response to their concern about how to help their own children get ahead academically during the summer. Allan is an entrepreneur with experience in technology, filmmaking, and marketing. Heather is the senior research fellow for education at the Clayton Christensen Institute and national expert in K-12 online learning. They are both Harvard Business School graduates.

 

“We had our own kids in mind when we designed Brain Chase,” Allan said. “We were very deliberate about selecting the best curriculum, but we spent an equal amount of energy designing something that would be fun, something that kids can’t refuse. Summer break is supposed to be an adventure, so we designed the Summer Learning Challenge with that at its core.”

 

The exclusive animated story follows the adventures of Mae Merriweather and her friends from the Grayson Academy of Antiquities as they set off to solve the mystery of the disappearance of famed adventurer Tate Grayson and find the elusive Globe of Magellan. But participants soon discover that while Merriweather is a fictional character, her quest is real – an actual Globe of Magellan valued at $10,000 will be waiting in the ground for someone to claim it.

 

The weekly assignments focus on reading, writing, and math skills, plus six bonus subjects. For reading, participants choose from over 6,000 books in the myOn digital library and read for at least 15 minutes each day. The weekly math requirement is to earn 10,000 Khan Academy “energy points,” which the Khan program awards based on effort, not ability. For writing, participants submit a weekly journal entry, which credentialed Brain Chase teachers review online. The fourth task is a weekly bonus challenge. Three bonus challenges are offline, using supplies like a compass and decoder ring that Brain Chase sends in the mail. The other three are online, featuring activities on sites like Google Sky and the virtual Smithsonian. As students complete their work, Brain Chase sends parents weekly progress reports. 

 

Learning experts are excited about Brain Chase’s engaging and novel solution to summer learning loss. “Online learning helps students get ahead. Brain Chase is the perfect motivator during the summer,” said Susan Patrick, president of the International Association for K−12 Online Learning.

 

To register for Brain Chase or for more information, including the Season One Teaser, a behind-the-scenes video, and statistics about summer learning loss, visit brainchase.com. Sign up today through April 30, 2014 for the early registration rate of $149. After that, registration is $199 per participant. Contact info@brainchase.com for general questions. Follow along on Facebook at Facebook.com/brainchase or on Twitter @BrainChase. 

 

Brain Chase Productions was launched in 2013 by CEO Allan Staker and Chief Learning Designer Heather Staker. Based in Austin, TX, Brain Chase prevents summer learning loss among 2nd – 8th graders by offering a 6-week Summer Learning Challenge disguised as a massive global treasure hunt. The Season One Challenge begins on June 30, 2014 and features a gold-plated “Globe of Magellan” valued at $10,000. Brain Chase will release Seasons Two through Six, with new adventures, mysteries, treasures, and riddles, in subsequent summers.