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May 20, 2007
Summer Activities
This month I’ve been doing workshops for parents about what to do during the summer vacation. The first few weeks are always fun. The kids sleep in, watch some TV, play with the dog, and just hang out. It’s great for a bit, but most of us parents know it doesn’t take too long before the question shows up. You know the question, the one that goes “What can I do?”
My four knew the answer was usually “Book or broom?” They didn’t ask again. I was either going to suggest they grab a good book to read or I’d find some work for them to do.
In order to avoid either the question or a pat answer, there are all kinds of activities you might consider engaging in to keep the kids busy. Now, you know me well enough to know, I don’t just want them to keep busy so they’ll stay out of my hair. I want the kids to be busy with something fun AND something to bring about some valuable learning. Reading a book works well for me and did for a couple of my kids, but not all the time and not with every child. So what else can you do?
Here are a couple of things you might consider and over the next few weeks I’ll add a few more:
Set up a tent in the backyard. Kids can “camp” overnight. They’ll need to plan food for the night and the morning, fix it and decide when to have it. Don’t forget snacks.
Bring flashlights for reading books and story telling from camp.
Star gazing works well on clear nights from camp too.
A summer garden is fun. Grow a few tomatoes, peppers and herbs and you’ll have your very own salsa.
A trip to a museum is fun for a little history. What’s in you neighborhood that was here 100 years ago. How many things can you find?
Those few items alone cover reading, math, science and history. You don’t have to read a textbook during the summer to learn something new, but doing a little learning in fun ways keeps children moving forward and putting what they learn into practical use. Besides it’s fun for both of you.
Posted by Dr Joni at May 20, 2007 11:09 AM
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