I have three boys in elem. school, with June through August off. They are 8, 9, and 10. I am looking for suggestions to keep them heads up and still ready for the next school year. I was wondering if - reviewing math 2x's a week writing in a journal for a couple minutes every day having computer game time library trips on Mondays "fun trips",(beach,zoo,etc.), every Friday sounds ok. I want them to have a fun but not a tremendously boring summer, and we live out of town in the country. I am going to enroll them in our town's summer reading library program, along with the trips there. I think this sounds alright, because they all need help with math, and writing in a journal will be their english, the library books will be their reading, and our trips together will be social studies and science combined, sort of. We aren't going to be spending hours a day on any academics, but I do want them kept up on math. thanks for any replies. you can also reach me at artbug30@aol.com..Thanks!
Hi Artbug30! I actually had a similar question - I am glad that I am not the only one looking for some suggestions. My son is 10 years old and has been in a special program for Emotional Support for the past two years. They are planning on putting him back in regular school next fall or winter. He has fallen so behind in math & reading, as well. I am always searching the web for fun activities to bring him closer to his grade level. He doesn't like to do school work, though and will fight me tooth and nail when it comes time to do it. I'll have to "trick him" into learning with a game or something! I am going to have him read at least 4 chapter books over the summer (we'll do it together) to improve his reading comprehension skills. Math - multiplication & division - is going to be a real problem. If you have any ideas, post them!! If I get any, I'll share them with you. Take care, -T
You are definately on the right track. I wish all parents cared so much. There are a lot of old traditional boardgames that help. Some ideas are Scrabble, Yahtzee, Monopoly. Chess and Checkers are great problem solving games. Trivial Pursuit requires reading and is thought provoking. Another idea is to make cookies. Have your child double the recipe before making it. They will have to work with numbers and probably fractions. Good luck!
Great plans! Don't forget that children of these ages are not too old to be read to. It is a great way to hook them into books which they may not choose to read themselves. Have a very brief chat about the book, characters, events, after every couple of chapters. Start with a book which is not too long, then progress. When I tutor, I spend a lot of effort to make the learning fun. For example, when practicing math facts, we play catch with a beach ball. I throw and simultaneously ask a fact. They can't throw back until they answer correctly. Mastermind is a great game for deductive reasoning and patterns. There is a kids version, too. I have played it this week with kids 10 to 13, though it is meant for younger kids. There are various rules which can make it more challenging. Those poetry magnet sets are great. Bookstores now have sets with large pieces. They are easier to use. Each magnetic piece has a word printed on it. You can write poems or short stories. Use a cookie tray for the magnetic surface. You can also play a game where each player gets 7 words and tries to make a sentence. Whoever makes the longest correct sentence wins the round. Discuss what makes a correct sentence when comparing (which word is the simple subject? predicate? complete subject/predicate?). Boggle is a great word game. My students love the math game Set available online or at teacher stores). I find a lot of great games at thrift stores or on sale at Target, etc. If you gather a good selection, then you can let your children choose the game - much better incentive than to tell them which to play.
riverdeep computer program http://riverdeep.broward.k12.fl.us use simple log on to try out the reading and math. it covers first-middle school skills.
I did the same thing with a neighbor that I used to watch in the summer. We would do her multiplication facts, read 1 chpt or short book, and practice handwriting. We would also play Boggle, Scrabble, Uno, Phase 10 and Skip Bo card games. Skip Bo is great because it's just counting forward and backwards from 12. Even your youngest could play. It's more fun with more people too. I would go pick up a cousin to tutor, my neighbor and I would play Skip Bo for hours....which was great because they were using strategies and counting. I told my neighbor we had to get our work done before we did anything fun... because she didn't want to do any of the work later, but was rewarded when a teacher complimented her on her handwriting and multiplication skills. Have Fun...Good Luck!!!
I just had an idea. When playing Monopoly (or any game with dice) pick a number you want to work on. Such as 3. Then, only throw one die and multiply that number by 3. It might take you a long way around the board, but it would be working with multiplication.
My son has lerning disablilites and gettin him to read is very difficult.One summer, my son (he was about 10 then)and I read the same book then discussed it in a very special notebook we made from a black and white marble comp book. I needed a book that held his interest and was about his reading level. We read Maniac Magee. It was great. Each day we had to read a chapter and then we "talked" about it by writing. If something was confusing I would explain it then. (Like: Could you believe Magee did that? I don't think he would ever get away with that in our neighborhood. What do you think would happen to him if he went to your school?) I would ask question too so it was easier to think about what to write. I never corrected spelling or handwriting because I wanted him to read and to write. What a difference that summer made. EXTRA BONUS: I learned alot about my son and what he thinks about issues.
Good question. A couple of suggestions. There are 5 free reading lessons here (scroll down the page) but check the level and content to make sure they are suitable: http://www.english-to-go.com/english/sample_lessons.cfm and there's a free lesson that changes every month or so: http://www.english-to-go.com/english/free_lesson.cfm (same kind as above) There are free samples of online reading here: http://www.selfaccess.com/sa/sa_home.php Click on the samples link. I can't seem to get the direct samples link. These are high-level subjects more suitable for for high school, I think. Hope that helps! Gavin
Hi, There are some pretty neat "unit studies" which incorporate many subjects around the "unit". You can pick these up at any teacher's store or homeschool book website i.e. Rainbow resources. Let your boys pick a subject i.e. aviation and go from there for some fun while learning. Tammy
