Sizzling Summer Learning Ideas for Kids
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #118 - June22,
2013
Let’s make
sure our children stay bright and mentally active throughout the summer. And let's
make it fun at the same time. Here are just a few ideas to try. Many of these
activities link to online resources. In most cases, however, the activities can
be completed even by those without Internet access. The activities that do
require Internet access can be printed and distributed to children or accessed
and printed by parents at most public libraries.
1. Read
aloud The Paper Crane by Molly Bang. Then introduce the art of paper folding by
printing and following the instructions for How to Make an Origami Crane.
2.Help
children use pencils, drawing paper, and rulers to create, decorate, and fill
in their own summer calendars.
3. Create
musical instruments from materials found around the house. Need help? Enchanted
Learning provides instructions for such Musical Instruments as a rattle, box
guitar, maraca, and rain stick.
4.Teach kids
to cook with the step-by-step lessons and recipes at Cooking With Kids
The site
also includes measurement reminders, safety tips, and suggestions for involving
kids in the cooking process. Children
can also make history books books come alive by trying out recipes from
Colonial days, the Civil War, and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
5.Print a
grid of dots from Connect the Dots by Math Cats and invite your child to make
an original tessellation. http://www.mathcats.com/
6.Read aloud
a selection from Candlelight Storybooks or your own favorite myths or fairy
tales. Discuss the stories with your child. Then invite your child to choose a
favorite story, and together make a diorama depicting a pivotal moment in the
tale.
7.Staple
together pieces of plain paper or use a notebook to help your child make a
cartoon flip book. Kids draw a sequence of cartoons and simulate motion as they
"flip" through the pages. (Note that the first image in the series
should be at the bottom of the stack of pages, and the illustrations should
progress from bottom to top.) How to Draw Cartoons or The Complete Cartooning
Course by Steve Edgell, Brad Brooks, and Tim Pilcher, offer simple instructions
for drawing cartoon figures.
8.Learn
about national parks from the comfort of your own home, and encourage your
child to complete online activities and become a Web Ranger. Materials are
grouped by age and include cool awards and a membership card. http://www.nationalparks.org/connect/npf-kids
9.Take a
virtual CampusTour of colleges and universities your student might be
considering. Tour the schools' grounds, look at maps, view videos and photos,
and request information about those institutions of higher learning. If you
don't have Internet access at home, take your tour at the local library.
10.Kids
rarely have the opportunity to design their own rooms to best suit their
individual needs. Invite your child to devote some thought to ways to improve
his or her living space. Explore with your child Kids' Room Decorating Ideas to
find ways your child might individualize his or her room without spending a
great deal of money. Then have the child draw the layout of their
"new" room. The following questions might guide kids as they consider
the possibilities:
Other than sleeping, what do you do
most often in your room? Play games?
Work on a computer? Listen to music? Do
homework? Entertain guests?
What furniture or other items do you
use most often? What do you use least often?
What kind of storage do you need? A
dresser? A bookcase? A clothes hamper? A desk?
What do you like best about your room?
What do you like least?
How do you want to change your room?
11.Turn
plain white carnations or fresh-picked Queen Anne's Lace into dramatic colored
creations by Coloring Flowers. Using just food coloring and water, flowers can
be changed from white to any tint, usually in just one day by leaving the stems
in colored water. Colors deepen over time, and kids will enjoy modifying the
experiment to see what unique combinations they can make.
12. Take a
fun trip to the zoo and keep children engaged with this packet from Oopsey
Daisy (free download): http://www.4shared.com/web/preview/doc/2XbXKber
This is just
meant as a starter. I’m sure you can all come up with a myriad of fascinating
projects and activities to keep the thinking and imagination of your children
working and growing all summer. Have
fun!
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