School Is Out... Help!

Wow! School is out. No more homework. No more writing. No more projects covering your living room floor. But wait -- don't let the whole summer slip by without some kind of learning taking place. It doesn’t mean you have to rent a chalk board (do teachers even use those any more?) and teach a math lesson or anything that formal. I had a few more family-friendly and fun activities in mind.

As a teacher those first few weeks back to school in the Fall are so hard because it means trying to get those adorable students to start thinking about academics again. Here are a two suggestions that will help keep those minds active during the summer:

1.) If you are going on a trip this year, even if it is just a day trip around your area (lots of people are sticking closer to home because of soaring prices on gas and other items), have your child bring a pencil or color pencils (avoid crayons in hot weather they melt and cause a horrible mess), a notebook, and a disposable or inexpensive camera with them. I used to keep these items in a small backpack ready to go with us whenever we went anywhere. Have your child write a brief descriptive paragraph about each outing, and take a few pictures. At the end of the summer you will be able to put together a great “Summer 2008” book with pictures and your child’s own descriptions of what took place. My Kids still look back on these books and remember fun things from the past.

2.) Visit a local library or bookstore. Check their websites for summer activities. They usually schedule a lot of fun events that are free to attend. While you are there, you might want to consider purchasing a great children’s book, like Fuzzball goes to the Mall, to keep them reading and building their vocabularies while on vacation from school!

About the Author: Mom, Author, Teacher, and actress gives some fun and free activities to do with your children this Summer to keep them thinking.