With summer in full swing, many parents fear that their kids will forget the valuable educational lessons they learned throughout the school year. But, this doesn’t have to be the case. There is a way to allow your kids to enjoy the full adventures of summer fun, while also sneaking in some valuable lessons. Here are some wonderful summer lessons for kids!
Explore Different Creatures
As the weather improves, children have the chance to see various creatures in their natural habitats. Celebrate this by learning about various creatures and how they live and eat. One great way to commemorate this is to build a bird feeder. Another idea is to take your children on a critters scavenger hunt, while going on a hike. You could also visit a local farm or zoo and discuss various animal life cycles.
Lessons at the Beach
Use a beach day to create valuable memories and lessons for your kids. The picture above shows my daughter and I creating letters in the sand. If you have older children you can use sand castles as a way to discuss 3D shapes. Or discuss different soil and sand types. This will probably work best in between the action packed fun on the beach times, otherwise your kids may feel antsy.
Friction Experiments
Take advantage of the the nice weather to do some experiments with friction. Set up planks or ramps out on a porch, sidewalk or your driveway and have kids experiment rolling cars down the ramps. Use various materials to illustrate that friction can change the speed of the car. You could use some materials found outside, like grass or soil. Maybe you could even introduce your kids to the idea of friction using a slip and slide in your backyard!
Talk About Plant Growth
Get your kids taking about plant growth and life cycles by visiting a local botanical garden. Kids loving seeing the various colors and attributes of so many plants. Most gardens have a fun section for young visitors, so that your kids can take a break and play. You could design a scavenger hunt before hand, sending your kids to find various colors, insects, soil types and more.
Incorporate Math into Outdoor Fun
Allow your kids the full advantage of playing outdoors, but add in a mathematical element. This could be anything from hopscotch with various geometric shapes or addition problems, or a math water balloon activity. You could shout out sums and have your kids race to find the water balloon that adds to that sum. Whoever finds it, gets to launch it at anyone they wish!
What are your favorite summer learning activities?