Well, a lot has happened in the last few months with my oldest, Princess -- way too much to get into on the internet, but I'm trying to move on and focus on positive steps at least for Kitten who is finishing up 2nd grade.She made some significant improvements during the school year, and I want to prepare her as much as possible for entering 3rd grade. If you'd like to join me in keeping the school-year momentum going, maybe you'll find a tip or two to help you plan out your own summer of learning!
- Get organized. Isn't this at the core of every project? I started a folder to collect brochures, printouts from websites, and monthly calendar for June-July-August so I can write out our plans. Once the calendars get filled in, I'll post them on our refrigerator or family bulletin board. If folders or binders isn't your thing, simply create a Pinterest board to hold your ideas. Here's mine!
- List Target Areas, Needs & Interests. This seems like a no-brainer, but honestly at this stage of my life I need all the reminders to stay on task that I can get. I started a list with 4 columns: Kitten's personal interests, educational weak spots, attention stallers (points I know where she typically loses focus) and attention grabbers (pointers to pique her interest or physical activities to give her the physical stimuli she needs to get her brain focusing again). I have this list taped inside my folder as a visual reminder that I need to stop and think about HER and what will help her learn best.
- Create a Writing Center. I think everyone can benefit from scheduled time to write, not just school-age children, which is why I loved this project. Teri at www.acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com created this adorable Writing Center. I purchased her downloadable PDF for just $3 that included all the components to print, cut & paste onto a standard trifold board. I wanted something smaller for home use, so I copy/pasted her pieces onto a Word document and reduced the images before printing. I glued two hanging files together (cutting off the hanging part) to create a smaller trifold display, covered with leftover scrapbooking paper, and adhered all the Writing Center pieces. (Watch future blog posts for before and after photos of a 6-pack beer carrier that I'm turning into a writing basket to go along with our Writing Center.)
- Enroll in an online educational program that includes guided lessons, fun activities, and tracking of completed assignments. I found this one* and spent a great deal of time reading reviews and hopping around their Parent Forums before signing up to test it out.
- Create a "Summer Bucket List" -- I'm working with Kitten on coming up with a list of activities that she and I want to do together this summer. From her perspective, "these will be just for fun," but I am stacking the list with activities that will subtly reinforce math, language arts, science, or creative expression. LOVED the idea of creating a visual display of your summer bucket list like this one.
- Introduce new habits. Taking a look at teens Princess and Bud, it didn't take much thinking for me to see room for improvement in my child-rearing skills. Not that I need a major overhaul in parenting, just some tweaks here and there. So I identified a handful of character traits and qualities that we need to work on, and "self-motivation" is at the top of the list. My summer folder includes notes and visual reminders that I'll use both to remind me to stay focused and guide her towards more independent action. There are a few others that I'll introduce over the summer leading into the new school year.
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| Idea & printables available from www.acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com |
I know a lot of parents like the laid-back ease of summer, but it's been my experience with each of my kids that they desperately need and enjoy some structure. It also helps with the transition when summer comes to an end and they return to school.
What about you? What do you have lined up to keep your kids learning over the summer?
What about you? What do you have lined up to keep your kids learning over the summer?
* Disclaimer: Time4Learning has invited me to try their online curriculum for 30 days in exchange for an honest review on my blog. My opinion will be entirely my own, so come back and read about my experiences. Visit them for information about lesson plans, homeschool portfolios or writing your own curriculum review.
Sounds like you have a great plan for the summer. I need to do the same thing. We have used time4learning.com on and off for years. It is time to start my youngest to work with the program. I can't wait to hear what ya'll think of the program.
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