Would you like your son or daughter to learn a game that, studies have shown, will improve their academic performance? And is also enjoyed by just about everyone who has learned the game?
If you answered “yes”, then talk to your son or daughter about joining the Bigelow Bridge Club. This fall, Bigelow parent Jeff Lehman will be teaching participating students how to play the card game of bridge. Math teacher extraordinaire Sue Mortimer will be the faculty advisor.
The first club meeting is Monday, September 8 from 2:50 pm to 3:50 pm. Club meetings will continue each Monday that school is in session, for the duration of the school year.
Bridge is a game full of strategy and tactics. It is part science, part math, part reason. Bridge embodies cooperation, logic and problem-solving. Bridge can be played in social or tournament settings, and also online. In the past couple of years, youth bridge players representing Bigelow and other schools in New England have competed against each other at tournament venues in eastern Massachusetts and in New Hampshire. This fall, youth bridge activities are scheduled for a national bridge tournament to be held in Providence, RI.
Oh, about that impact of learning bridge on academic performance? Well, one study showed that young bridge players outscored their non-playing counterparts on standardized test scores by 39.31% in Science, 24.22% in Math, and 22.74% in Social Science.
The Bigelow Bridge Club lesson plans are designed just for youth. No more than ten minutes of each club meeting will be spent on formal instruction. The rest of the time will be spent doing what your children want most to do, play. Although bridge is a game of infinite nuance and sophistication, it is also a game of very few rules. As a result, your children will be playing bridge by the end of the first class!
Will your child enjoy learning bridge? Well, listen to this video and you will hear how much fun other youth have learning to play bridge, even traveling to tournaments and winning scholarships. http://www.youth4bridge.org/about/why_play_bridge_video.php
Please contact Jeff Lehman by phone at 617-332-2134 or by e-mail at Jeffrey.Lehman.MA@verizon.net with any questions.