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A Summer They Will Never Forget?
By Dr. Melanie
Johnson
Summer fun can be learning fun, too
The school year is quickly coming to an end, but educators
are fully aware of the toll a summer vacation can have on the lessons
learned during the school year.
Children who remain actively engaged in some sort of academic
activity throughout the summer have a far better chance of returning to
school prepared to build upon last year’s knowledge than those who had
minimal or no academic stimulation. Many children forget at least half
of the materials taught at the start of a school year.
The following activities are small review lessons that can be
incorporated into an activity as simple as driving to the ice cream
shop. They will enrich your child’s summer fun while allowing them to
remember what was learned throughout the previous school year.
Road trips
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Mind mapping – While taking short drives in the community (perhaps
to the grocery store), have your first through fourth graders draw a
map of streets and landmarks on each street. Ask third and forth
graders to apply a compass rose to identify the directions of each
street or landmark.
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Pattern games – During road trips or bike rides with your pre-K –
third grader, look for items that are squares (like buildings),
circles (door knobs), and repeat the pattern as long as you’d like.
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For grades four
through six, you might wish to try geometric shaped patterns, like
octagonal (stop signs) and rectangular (front door steps), and
repeat, as well.
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Memory game – Identify a landmark on every street, and repeat them
all from beginning to end at every stoplight or stop sign. Begin
with the phrase “On my journey to and from home, I see (fill in
the blank) as I roam.”
Food tips
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Whenever treating
your children with a snack at a fast food restaurant or an ice cream
parlor, allow your third through fifth grader to take a moment to
write down the prices of items before you get in line to order. Sit
at a table and allow them to add up all of the items with decimal
points. You might also wish to have fourth through fifth graders
multiply the sales tax to every dollar. Do not tell them the
answer. Allow them to be surprised at how smart they are when the
sales clerk gives the total price.
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Assign a task to
each primary color. Every time your pre-schooler chooses a colored
food snack (M&M’s, Fruit Loops, etc.). For example, if you choose
red, then you must dance three times, if you choose blue, then you
must say all of the letters of the alphabet. They will begin to
enjoy reminding you of what the color indicates. They will never
realize that they are reviewing what was learned in school.
Reflection
Finally, don’t forget to allow them to lie in the grass, view “cloud
characters,” and remember the joys of a school year that has passed and
a rejuvenating summer.
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