Doing Summer Right 

The summer time is a wonderful time of the year. It gives a great chance to get outside and enjoy what nature has to offer. It is also a time of year that can easily use up time simply by watching TV or using screen time. As children’s brains develop, it is important to know that a significant amount of screen time is not good for brain development. If you find yourself allowing over an hour of screen time this summer, here is a list of activities that would be great for you to enjoy with your child or to just let them enjoy. If you do want to allow for some screen time, set a timer for 30 minutes and have your child turn off electronics when the timer goes off. 

Here is a suggested list of fun activities for the summer that do not encourage screen time and will allow for the growth and learning for your child.

Creative Arts

-Teach your child to knit, crochet, spin, weave, sew, etc.

-Make pottery at a local clay studio

-Have your child construct a fort out of cardboard.

-Teach your child how to operate a video camera. They could make movies with their friends.

-Encourage them to make up dances.

-Visit art museums in town.

-Have your child learn or make up a song that we could sing together at school in the fall. 

Language/Words/Literature

-Have your child interview family members and create a family newsletter

-Have read-aloud time. Have each person in your family read a set number of lines in a chapter book each day.

-Have your child find a crossword puzzle book from the bookstore that they can work on.

-Play Scrabble, Up Word, Boggle.

-Have your child start Pen Pals with members of your family. 

-Listen to books on tape when you are driving.

-Have your child read and write poetry. They could learn/memorize a poem a week.

Math/Numbers/Geometry

-Comparison shopping: have your child figure out price per pound, calling various stores, etc. When you shop at the grocery store, have your child take along a pad of paper and pencil; keep a running total of the cost of items you buy. Check your answers against the cash register receipt. 

-Keep statistics. Have you child graph when you go to bed, how much they read per day, how far they walk each day, how many ounces of water they drink each day, etc. 

-Work on a family budget with your child.

-Play Chess

-Have your child make up their own math problems for family members to solve

History/Geography

-Have your child do an interview of someone from a different country. They could write a great report on that person.

-Have your child pick a continent they would like to know more about, have them research it. You could use an index card. On one side, have them write a country of that continent. On the other side have them find the capitol city and their currency. 

Science

-Check out astronomy programs

-Visit the library and go through their science area. Pick one that has experiments that your child can do at home. 

-Consider getting science kits from Michael’s

Household Service

-Have your child help out more with household chores. Teach them how to do a new chore, such as laundry or ironing, or even mowing the grass.

-Cook together as a family.  Have certain people be responsible for different parts of the meal.

-Have your child be responsible for one or two meals per week. Plan the menu with them, make a shopping list, do the shopping and have them cook the meal.

-Have your children be responsible for making their own lunches this summer. This would also be helpful during the school year. 

Nature/Plants/Animals

 -Visit Ms. Torey at the DeVries Nature Conservancy 

-Go berry picking at a local farm.

-Make a botany map of your backyard. Place each plant in its place on the map and label each plant with its common name and scientific name. 

-Lear more about nutrition. For a week, have your child keep a journal of what they eat. Have them research to see if they are eating a balanced meal. 

-Go camping/hiking

-Visit the zoo

Enjoy your time together!

Sincerely,

Sara