There’s something nostalgic about back to school time. I think it’s because we all remember getting ready for a new school year — …. saving those new shoes for the very first day so they’d be all shiny (at least until recess) …. getting excited to learn who would be in your class and who …
Kids Activities & Crafts
Welcome to our second year of the School’s Out: Top 10 Summer Learning series!
I’m joining 35 wonderful kid bloggers this week to provide TONS of ideas & activities for summer learning and fun.
We know that summer should be a time for kids to kick-back and be kids — but it’s also a great opportunity to let the kids explore interests that they may not have the chance to learn about during the school year.
In our house, summer comes in two phases:
Phase 1: The Honeymoon
A time when we all (parents & kids) are excited about no schedules, no school and long days together. We have a hand-ful of activities planned and a great summer bucket list of things we can’t wait to do — life is looking good!
We’re gearing up for our annual family vacation and this year we are heading for the ocean!
Woohoo!
Being from the dead middle of the U.S. means that we’re all pretty excited about spending some time near the big blue sea.
As we’re prepping for our trip, I’m keeping an eye out for some great ocean activities to do while we’re there. And we had some really cute ones that were shared during last week’s Discover & Explore Animals linky.
My kids love to learn how things work! You will frequently find them taking things apart or weilding a screwdriver to help Dad with projects around the house. And yes, we have had our own share of mishaps as a result of their explorations — but we’ve learned that those broken items are just a …
After a long winter, kids love to get outside and stretch their legs!
Let them get their hands muddy, get their feet wet and discover what happens to nature in the spring.
We always love to find easy science experiments that we can do at home! And when I mean easy, I’m talking the quick set-up with very few items type of science 🙂 Those types of experiments seem to be plentiful when you’re studying botany/nature (like our How does a Leaf Breathe? experiment) or physics (see …
We are not much of a TV watching family but when it comes to new movies, we love going to the theater together! I think the kids get more excited about the previews for upcoming movies than they do the actually film sometimes 😉 So if you’re wondering what great kid & family movies are …
I’m sure you’ve read at least a few of the research articles highlighting how beneficial music is in a child’s life. Music has been shown to boost memory, enhance learning and help kids to focus on a task.
Most importantly, music is something kids enjoy!
It entices them to dance, sing along and relax — allowing them to practice large motor skills, enhance their verbal development and enjoy the world.
My kids always ask for music! While they’re doing their chores, they play the radio. Both have requested to play instruments way before we thought they would be ready (but given their interest and the fact that we found the right music teacher, they have really enjoyed it).
And I can’t tell you the number of musical rhymes and memorization tips we’ve used to help them with their school work (I don’t think anyone in the world can say the ABC’s without singing it 🙂
We’re starting a new monthly series on the blog today — A Year of Simple Science Experiments! Each month, we’ll feature some fun science projects that can easily be done at home or in the classroom. These hands-on activities will give kids an opportunity to learn about various science concepts and practice their skills in …