The official school year has ended. Children are no longer attached to a schedule of classes or assignments. That doesn’t mean that learning should end. Make learning a fun part of your everyday summer routine.
Summer reading can be fun. Join the library reading program and get great prizes for reading and doing activities. Use the book exchange at the summer lunch program to get access to a wide variety of books for student’s pre-K through fifth grade. Sign up for Watch Me Draw Summer Camp through Community Education. Check out the new literacy trail at the Mill Pond beginning July 8.
Learn about science through the natural world. Visit the Nature Center or one of the excellent parks in Austin. Stop and smell the flowers, climb a tree and look for new and different kinds of critters. Take a Science Explorers class or join the Junior Master Garden program.
Math is a skill we use every day. Give your child a budget to work with this summer and see how they manage it. Pick a stock out of the newspaper and pretend to invest in it. Calculate your earnings and losses during a time period. Let your child help you with the grocery shopping comparing prices and finding the best buy. Use measuring skills by letting them help you cook.
Summer is a time for travel and there is nothing like a trip to improve your map and navigation skills. Involve the entire family in summer travel planning. Find a location on a map. Calculate the best route and research the area using books or web sites. If you go on vacation, take lots of pictures and make a scrapbook when you return. Even if you don’t go to your desired location you can draw or print pictures of the area, activities you would do there and make a wish book of the places you hope to go and the things you hope to do.
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The best part about summer is the weather so take advantage of every opportunity you have to be outside and active. Family walks, impromptu water activities, games in the yard and bike rides create lots of wonderful memories for years.
Most of all enjoy your summer and the time you have with your children and families. The fall school bell will be ringing soon and you will wonder where all the time went.
