Greetings and welcome to almost summer vacation at the Omschool! Teacher Omi and Opi (<---) here with some some educational summer vacation tips. Summer vacation means different things for kids and parents. Students rejoice in the holiday. Parents worry how time away from school will affect learning. The problem is compounded when children already struggle academically. Summer school is an option, but not very popular with kids. Tutoring is costly. Working parents or work-at-home parents lack time to tutor. How can you ensure that your child retains what he learned in school? Here 26 tried and true summer enrichment activities from A to Z. I've included fun homework ideas to practice, retain, learn lessons. Use for homeschooling families, charter public and parochial school kids. Perfect for all ages and content levels.
A is Ask for help. Do you have a friend or relative willing to spend half an hour every few days helping your child with school work? Senior citizens are especially good at helping kids learning those pesky times tables, encouraging the reluctant reader or explaining difficult science concepts.
B is borrow. Schools and libraries lend textbooks, workbooks, games and teaching supplies. Check out museums for activity kits you can borrow. Also B is for build. Help children set up outdoor work stations (very Montessori!) where they can build bird houses, bat boxes even simple furniture. Or build Legos.
C is Create. Sing. Draw. Paint. Build. Dance. Sew. Cook. These tasks are the 'to-do' list for genuine
educational development. Also C is for community resources. Check out municipality websites for local events calendars.
D is Discipline. Maintain a summer routine. Schedules help children organize, prioritize and
experience success.
E is Exercise. The brain functions best when the body is active. And summer is the perfect time to get outside and play!
F is Fix (repair, replace, remodel). Give your child several household items that need to be repaired.
Provide tools, demos and safety instructions. What better way to discover how things work than to
take them apart and put them back together?
G is Garden. Tending plants is an educational curriculum in itself. Gardening is healthy, therapeutic,
relaxing and interactive.
H is Hire an older child. Contract that child to assist with reading, writing and math practice. This is win-win for large multi-age homeschool families.
I is Investigate. Examine. There's a world of information in every flower and butterfly wing. Take a look.
J is Join a group. Local communities offer hundreds of activities for children. Summer reading
programs, museum activities, nature hikes, tours, sports clinics, day camps, art venues and more.
K is Keep a journal. Students who journal develop writing and critical thinking skills. Illustrate, too.
Drawing encourages and inspires the reluctant writer.
L is Listen. Parents habitually talk to children more than they listen. If you are an active listener, your
child learns to be a good listener and speaker. It improves reading and writing too!
M is Make new friends. The new kid on the block, the lonely old lady next door, even a little brother.
The lessons learned in making and keeping friends are invaluable.
N is for No Technology Times. Dedicate time to turning off phones, computers, video games, TV, even Alexa. This includes parents too (unless work requires it of course). Encourage kids to do real, active, hard copy activities!
O is Organize. Success in school requires organization of time and resources. Give your child opportunities to practice organizational skills. Our grandson Silas loves Legos so he was given plastic sorting containers to organize his millions of Legos.
P is Play. Dr. Maria Montessori said that 'Play is a child's work.'
Q is Question. Teach your child to ask questions. Ask detail questions, not 'yes-or-no' questions. Why? How? What do you think?
R is Relax and rejuvenate. You and your child have worked hard all year long. You both deserve and need some down time. No one can pour from an empty cup.
S is Serve. Volunteer. Do kind deeds for others in need. Helping others is a life lesson.
T is Teach by modeling. Ask your child to 'teach' you. Be a good student. Listen and ask questions. This is an excellent way to assess what she is learning.
U is Understand. Be patient with your child and yourself. If your child struggles in school, it doesn't mean that either of you is a failure. No two people learn in the same way; accept your child's individual style.
V is Visit. Take field trips. Go lots of places. See new things. Experience your world. You can't explore too much!
W is Write. Let students write poems, mysteries, essays, reports, ghost stories, jokes, silly stories,
graphic novels, cartoons, create a neighborhood newspaper. Write letters to extended family!
X is Explore and Examine. Every community has untold resources. Explore the history of your town, the local wildlife, area businesses, interesting people...You'll be amazed at what you learn.
Y is Yard Sale. Going to yard sales and having your own yard sale is excellent practice in handling money. Build math skills in an interactive hands-on activity.
Z is Zip to your local library. Check out summer reading programs, Internet resources, educational speakers, classes and more. Your library is one-stop shopping for summer enrichment activities.
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