Keep kids learning during the summer while still having a ton of fun!
Educational Day Trips:
Aquariums, museums, nature walks… view my list of local field trips for inspiration.
Take it (math) Outside
Create obstacle courses, draw chalk game boards and make up a game, draw a chalk grid with numbers or lay down a few hula hoops and toss bean bags, keep score, add totals, and or estimate how many times it will land in a certain number. Shoot squirt guns and measure how far the water can reach, jump off a swing and measure that distance. Figure out who has the best average. The possibilities are endless.
Make a Mess
Relax and don’t stress over mess. Let the kids play with paint or cut up cardboard to make their own creations to their hearts content, without anyone hovering, worrying about all the clean up.
Free Time
Give them plenty of unstructured time to get creative. For school kids that are used to their entire days being structured, it may be hard at first to find engaging activities, but leave that T.V. off and eventually the whining that they’re bored will stop and you’ll start to see creativity blossom. You may even be amazed at what they come up with! Especially if you have tools for fun readily available, we always have plenty of books, craft supplies, pulleys, magnets, cardboard, duct tape, and more. The inventions never cease around here!
Ask Your Child What He/She wants to Learn that they Don’t Normally Have Time For
Be Inspiring
ART, SCIENCE AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR BUDDING INNOVATORS
I just found out about these Bay Area Innovative Summer Camps that are fantastic! Not your average camp, the purpose is not only to have fun and learn, but to create lifelong learners and innovators! Were these designed by me?
Galileo Summer Camps
Galileo camps teach pre-K – 8th graders to be
innovators who explore, create and fail without fear. Galileo is a
summer camp experience kids love, that has a deep and lasting
educational impact parents appreciate.
• Nebulas: pre-K to K
• Stars: 1st and 2nd graders
• Supernovas: 3rd to 5th graders
Galileo introduces rich, riveting new themes to inspire budding innovators.
This year features four fresh themes, each adapted for three different age groups. The themes are created together with Galileo’s fabulous curriculum partners at Klutz, The de Young Museum, The Tech Museum of Innovation and The Chabot Space & Science Center.
• Adventures Down Under: Art & Science of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea
• Galileo Road Trip: Art & Engineering along Route 66
• The Incredible Human Body: Art & Science of Being Human
• Leonardo’s Apprentice: Inventions & Art of the Renaissance
*You can find more information on each theme and activities by age range on the Galileo site.
Over 40 Bay Area locations.
For the big kids:
Summer Quest 5th-8th Grade
Kids can explore their budding passions and dig deeper into what they love.
Each week of summer camp is a deep dive during which campers explore and express their own personal vision as part of a community of innovators.
Whether the major is new or familiar, the opportunities for innovation are endless.
I love the idea that you included asking what your child wants to learn that they normally don't have time for, this encourages them to try new things as well as feel actively involved in the decision. Thanks for the sharing!