Recently we got a notice about a parenting seminar at the elementary school. "What to do with your kids this summer." I figure we're pros by now and there's no reason to waste an evening. Stan urged and almost insisted. Stan was right. I went to the seminar and came home with more ideas than I could possibly use in a summer. It doesn't seem fair to hoard them all so here's a smattering to share with brothers and sisters-in-arms.
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| Pie made from farmer's market cherries |
Kitchen:
- bake and decorate a cake
- kids plan family meal and create shopping list
- have a tea party
- have kids pick foods to try at the farmer's market and plan a meal around what you bring home
Outside:
- watch the sun rise
- sit on the porch or by a window and watch a storm
- go star-gazing
- paint letters, words, and numbers with water and a paint brush
- use crayons and paper to make rubbings of tree bark patterns
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| Science experiment from last year. We love goop. |
Science:
- gather a pile of objects and have kids guess which will sink and which will float
- use ribbon, bubbles, kites to see which way the wind is blowing
- find sources of iron in the house using magnets. Do different magnets behave differently?
- make goop with corn starch, water, and food coloring
- try to sprout new growth from "garbage" food (carrot tops, potato eyes)
Math:
- take timed walks around the block. Practice telling time as you race to beat your family time.
- have kids throw a ball and then measure how far it went. How does that compare to the next throw?
- have child pick up 1+2+3+4 things in his/her room
- have child add up all the change in your pocket or purse
Service:
- bake for a family friend
- offer to help a neighbor with simple yard work
- write letters to elderly in church congregation or in a nursing home
- pick up litter in the neighborhood
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| Color experiments |
Creativity:
- make cards and send them
- give kids a list of words and have them write a story using as many as possible
- write a song together
- have child draw on paper with a white candle then paint over it with watercolors
- study the work of one artist and see if children can imitate the style
- place 1 or 2 drops of food coloring on opposite sides of a bowl of milk. stand back and watch them swirl. (this moves to science if you talk with the kids about why it works that way.)
Active:
- garden
- observation walks
- create an indoor bowling alley with empty coke bottles and a rubber ball
- hide a treasure, make a map, and send them on their way.
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| This is our dentist's office. |
Imagination:
- have child choose 4 to 5 pictures and then number them. The child tells a story using each of the pictures.
- take an imaginary space trip with your child
- visit ethnic shops, food stores, and restaurants. Look at maps to plan your trip, and use books to set the stage before you go and review the culture afterwards.
- camp out in the living room. tell stories by flashlight.
Processing Summer:
- make a poster or scrapbook from ticket stubs, program notes, etc as the summer goes on
- keep a journal with drawings and thoughts from each day or each outing
- use a large calendar to write messages, weather reports, or notes on activities
I hope these ideas help you and your children (not to mention me and mine) have blissful summer fun. Just a reminder, the vast majority of these ideas are not my own but came from a swath of parenting resources. I wish I could credit the creators but like much parenting brilliance, these ideas came without bylines.
