Can I just say that this summer was a BLAST!!! We did camp at the university, an exceptional program with academics three days a week, lots of field trips and an opportunity to develop/practice social skills with other children and counselors. She loved the experience. I think she believes the university is her other school.
Remember when you had to write the dreaded "How I spent my summer" essay? Well here's how we spent ours. First, we made time/found time to review the entire math curriculum - speed addition and subtraction twice a week (3 minutes for each). It really is not as difficult as it sounds. Once I figured out what I wanted to work on for the summer, I simply located the resources, made my tracking sheet and kept a log of what we did. Next, and I think this is a pretty novel idea, we added field trips that were tied to the math, science, or social studies content. There's so much we can really do to complement our children's learning & development - I wish they would have given me a handbook. I believe that parents who want to do more would probably do more if they only knew what to do.
Remember when you had to write the dreaded "How I spent my summer" essay? Well here's how we spent ours. First, we made time/found time to review the entire math curriculum - speed addition and subtraction twice a week (3 minutes for each). It really is not as difficult as it sounds. Once I figured out what I wanted to work on for the summer, I simply located the resources, made my tracking sheet and kept a log of what we did. Next, and I think this is a pretty novel idea, we added field trips that were tied to the math, science, or social studies content. There's so much we can really do to complement our children's learning & development - I wish they would have given me a handbook. I believe that parents who want to do more would probably do more if they only knew what to do.
I'm figuring it out and creating new things as I go. My most successful creations for this summer were - field trips that supported science and social studies; introductions to science experiments; and the speed math. In fact, the speed math was not my idea - I saw a camp counselor doing it with the rising 1st graders. They were reducing the time each week - started at 2 minutes and working their way back. WOW!!!
Summer is a time for fun - It's painful to watch adults who suspended learning early in life and now are struggling to find job alternatives. The facts we learn in science come to life in the museum, when we take a walk, even on the animal channels.
Childhood is about memories...for us, this summer was about creating memories that we could enjoy as fun and draw from as we advance to a new grade. So how did I spend my summer? Reacquainting myself with 1st grade science and social studies and finding real world activities and experiences that made the content and the skills (map reading, understanding diagrams etc.) meaningful.
Along the way, we played with Legos, learned about constructing a building, looked at the weater, were amazed by animals at the museum and enthralled by the first flag as we listened to the Star Spangled Banner at the museum. I know how I spent my summer. How about you? Your turn to write "How I spent my summer......."
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