summer learning
15 Ideas for Keeping the Learning Fun in the Summertime
Imagine your child’s teacher sitting you down during conferences and telling you that your kiddo is about to lose 2 months in his reading ability, and 2.6 months of math skills—as scheduled. That’d be a jagged little pill to swallow. Let me then, as your new BFF blogger break the news to you: The average kiddo who scampers off to summer break loses 2 months in reading ability and 2.6 months in math skills. Annually. It is scientifically known as Summer Brain Drain. Research shows it is rampant in our schools. It’s a plague
Sizzling Summer Science Activities to Keep Your Kids Learning
I saw a report that said the average child sits in front of a monitor for over seven hours a day. No one wants to spend the summer with the kids in front of the television. Get out, enjoy the sunshine and do a little science. Here are some science activities to do outdoors this summer. Water Conservation in the Garden Backyard and container gardens are popular activities for families who want to save a little money and grow their own food. Garden centers now sell polymers called Water Jelly Crystals. The crystals start out as a small pebble and when soaked in water, absorb the water and grow. Place a handful of Water Jelly Crystals in the dirt under the roots of your plant in gardens or containers. To make a raised garden, we placed cinder blocks over turned up dirt in the garden. Mix a ha...
Summer Science Fun with Sun Print Fabric – WIN Your Own Packet
**CONTEST CLOSED. CONGRATS TO WINNER MARIANNE TOURON!** Summer is the perfect time to get outside and do a little science. There are so many experiments and projects to do with sun, dirt, bugs, rocks and more. Catching butterflies, watching worms, picking up polies, scouring for shells, studying rocks are all some of the simple pleasures of summer. I especially love experimenting with the power of the sun. From cooking a cake (trying) in my first solar oven in 3rd grade Girl Scouts, I have loved trying to find new ways to harness the sunlight. There are so many fun experiments to do with the sun, but I’ve recently discovered one of my all-time favorite activities for summer – Sun Sensitive Fabric. We all made nature designs on Sun Print or Sun Sensitive Paper in our youth. It’s still a ve...
