Summer Learning

[nana053]

Originally Posted by icibiu

Over the summer I would like to have my son do some school type work, nothing too intensive but I do want him to stay in the habit and not let his brain get lazy.

In your opinion should I stick with only reviewing the stuff he's already learned or start working on first grade stuff?


What kinds of stuff do you do with your kids over the summer.

I think that the best thing to do over the summer with any kid is to use the time for hands on learning activities in something that he enjoys.

In all cases, this can help with the academics that were studied previously and new concepts if you choose good activities. The work does NOT have to be school type work.

1. Read - lots of books and talk about them. If he can write, have him write stories and read them to you. If he doesn't write yet, have him tell you stories and you can write them down and then read them to him or have him read them back to you. You can type them up too. If he likes to draw, he can illustrate them as well.

2. Get tangram puzzles, unifix cubes or other math manipulatives.

With the tangrams let him make different shapes. Read Grandfather Tang's Story as an inspiration. Amazon.com: Grandfather Tang's Story (Dragonfly Books) (9780517885581): Ann Tompert, Robert Andrew Parker: Books

With unifix cubes, allow him to experiment with making different patterns. There are books of patterns he can follow or there is this free pdf you can print and use. You can also let him make up his own patterns. This is a great math activity.

Amazon.com: Grandfather Tang's Story (Dragonfly Books) (9780517885581): Ann Tompert, Robert Andrew Parker: Books

3. Go to museums and talk about the exhibits. Learn science hands on at your local children's museum or natural history museum. There are lots of books on dinosaurs that children this age love. There are also plenty of kitchen experiments you can do.

physics « The Kitchen Pantry Scientist

4. Measure stuff. Bake cookies and measure the ingredients. Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and make one of their projects. They have Saturday workshops quite frequently and they are free and you get to keep what you make.

5. Learn about money. When you go to the store, have him give the cashier the money and have him figure out what change he should get. Or look at the unit prices and see if he can figure out which size of the product is the best buy.

6. Go to plays and music concerts especially if there are free ones in the park. Talk about the things he hears and sees.

7. Take nature walks. Map the walk. Listen for specific sounds. Look for rocks and pebbles and compare them. Look at leaves and see if you can tell what kind of plant they are.

8. Plant a garden. Look carefully at the seeds. See what comes up. Let him try the same seeds and experiment with the amount of sun and water they get to see what happens.

9. Go to your local library for their summer reading program (or check to see if his school has one - sometimes they are online). Barnes and Noble and other bookstores also have reading programs.

10. Get active. Bike, Hike, play. When you do, you can focus on something interesting to find. Go on a scavenger hunt using clues to read or picture clues for example.

Good luck!

[sarahdeanne]

You've got a lot of great suggestions on here especially the outings and nature study walks. I am homeschooling a Kindergarten/1st grader and I would echo the reading a ton and letting him pick items of interest. There are also workbooks I like called Kumon (math, reading, etc) that he can do optionally when he feels like it. Money and time are big ones to work on through out the day. Also a good set of picture encyclopedias with activities can be very fun. I agree that you should let him lead with his interests and his level of workmanship. If he gets ahead you can always work with his teacher to give him more of a challenge. Handwriting is something he will need lots of practice in and may be extra challenging with ADHD. I recommend a workbook called Handwriting without tears, again taken at his own pace. It makes me happy to give these suggestions so I hope some of them helped!

[NEOhioBound]

I would ask his teacher what areas he could improve on over the summer and what areas he could start working on to be familiar with once the school year starts. Good luck

[Cav Scout wife]

Originally Posted by icibiu

Definitely!! He loves to read, right now we're reading Diary of the Wimpy Kid and he loves the concept of the journaling so I plan on giving him a journal over the summer so he can practice his writing. I can't really slow down his reading level so I'll let him read whatever level he wants as long he can understand it.

I guess my main concern is math, it's his favorite subject and he likes to do little math drills. Should I keep reinforcing the stuff he already learned or move on the to the next level?

NEVER stop him from reading at higher levels. The better he reads, the easier things will be in the long run, and the better off he will be.

Originally Posted by NEOhioBound

I would ask his teacher what areas he could improve on over the summer and what areas he could start working on to be familiar with once the school year starts. Good luck

I do this with the kiddos and it works well, especially when they get caught up, they understand the next year easier.

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

ShopWright :: Frank Lloyd Wright Froebel Blocks and Gift Sets

These are pricey but I think they would be great for young minds.

I'd like those myself! I'd start with the Fallingwater house.

(Seriously, they ARE pricey but there are so many different things you could teach with them.)

[NYMD67]

There are some great workbooks out there, Barnes & Noble carries some, that are for each grade level. I have always bought one for the grade just finished and one for the grade they are entering.
I try to have my girls work on 1 page a day and of course try to keep up the reading or reading to them...

Their teachers also put together Summer packets for thr kids to work on. I know even their kindergarten teachers even did, they were more review than prep work for the upcoming school year.
Doing something is always better then nothing.

Someone else mentioned checking your public library, most usually have great Summer reading programs.

[Katiana]

I second Nana's suggestions, and can't recommend the summer reading program at your local library highly enough. My kids loved it, and did it through middle school.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

I'd like those myself! I'd start with the Fallingwater house.

(Seriously, they ARE pricey but there are so many different things you could teach with them.)

I know! I want to get them too! Maybe ebay?