Remember Learning doesn't have to take place in a classroom. It can happen right in your own living room!
Get ready, get set and learn!
June 2, 2006
Preparing for Summer Fun!
What will you do when your house is full of kids this summer? Today we'll pass along ideas for a couple of activities to keep the kids busy while you hang onto your sanity. Today's activities come from the book "Welcome to SPR: Student Pressure Relief" – written by local authors Jackie Dalleo and Jennifer Pasi.
"Fact" or "Act"
Gather all of the kids in your home together. Start by asking the one of the kids a question about a specific topic. For example – "Trina – what is the capital of Pennsylvania?" Now Trina has a choice. She may either answer the question (if she knows the answer) or pick a "silly act" from a hat. So – Trina – do you want to answer the question or should I draw an activity from the hat for you to complete? (Trina answers the question). Some silly acts you can have kids act out (should they not know the answer to the question at hand): quack like a duck; walk like a gorilla; moo like a cow or sing a short song. If the child chooses to do the act instead of answer the question, she can select someone else to answer the fact.
"Guess Who"
This activity is great for getting kids to work cooperatively – it encourages personal interaction between kids. All you need are strips of paper and a pen or pencil. Give each child a strip of paper and instruct the child to write one thing on the paper that is special about their family or about a special trip they have taken. Collect all the pieces of paper and place them together in a container. Then, pick one of the strips of paper and read it aloud. Have the kids try to guess who wrote the info on the sheet of paper and then encourage verbal discussion about the "experience."
For more great activities from "Welcome to SPR: Student Pressure Relief" – written by local authors Jackie Dalleo and Jennifer Pasi visit our web site!
June 9, 2006
School's Out for Summer!
As students set out on summer adventures, parents sometimes need a "life preserver" -- a list of activities to share and enjoy with their children during all of those months when kids are out of school. Here are a couple of summer ideas to help get you started!
Create a rock collection:
Rocks tell the story of the earth. A good rock collection will contain samples of various types of rocks – various shapes, sizes and colors. As you go about your day-to-day activities this summer, encourage your child to collect rocks along the way. Here is a great web sites that can help you learn more about starting your own rock collection – and identifying the rocks that you find: pubs.usgs.gov/gip/collect1/collectgip.html. As you collect rocks, why not take a special trip to the library to find a variety of books – all about rocks. Remember that summer reading is important for your child!
Plan with your child a family activity day. Decide how much money to spend, and help your child research events and activities in your area and choose an affordable activity the whole family can enjoy. Remind your child to be sure to allow enough time for the activity, and to remember to include food in the day's plan. (The online Planning a Party guide will help.) Don't forget to bring a camera and take lots of pictures. Your child can mount and label each photo and create a family scrapbook of your special day. You might provide the questions below to help guide your child's thoughts as they plan this special day.
• Describe the event or activity your family will attend.
• Will everyone in the family enjoy this activity? Why do you think so?
• What do you need to arrange ahead of time? Will you need to purchase tickets? Pack a lunch? Make reservations?
• What supplies or materials will you need?
• What costs will be involved?
June 16, 2006
Father's Day
Here's the history behind what we celebrate as "Father's Day." Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.
Kids sometimes think that dads don't like Father's Day presents as much as moms like Mother's Day presents. Not true!!
Make a pencil/pen holder for your dad's desk or work bench! Take your everyday frozen juice cans and glue all types of pasta shells on with tacky glue. Spray the pasta with glitter and you've made a pen or pencil holder!
June 23, 2006
Summer Traveling
Are you taking a vacation this summer? Maybe you're just driving to another nearby town to go camping. However or wherever you are traveling – make the experience a learning experience. Of course you can have your child keep a journal about their trip. You could have them do Internet research about where you are traveling before you leave on your trip. Why not work in a little math and geography in the process. Have your child use longitude and latitude coordinates to locate your vacation destination. It's easy. Visit our website for a link to two great worksheets that will help your child determine "Where in the U.S or Where in the World You're Vacationing!"
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_vacation_states.shtml
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_vacation_countries.shtml
The worksheets provide the coordinates. Have your child use a map to find the answers to the vacation spots – then plot out your own vacation location!
Create a Summer Sarcophagus
Turn a plain, old, empty shoebox into a sarcophagus this summer. Work with your child to first decorate the box. Then throughout the summer, help your child collect "relics" to remind them of things they did over the summer months: a rock collected on a Presque Isle beach, a label or wrapper from something the child liked to eat or drink over the summer, lyrics from a favorite summer song – I even knew a child who once kept a band-aid from a nasty bike fall in his summer sarcophagus. And – when your child is asked what they did over summer vacation in the fall, they'll actually have an answer for their teacher!
June 30, 2006
Make your own Horseshoe game!
Summer is a great time for outdoor games. Now you can help your child make their own horseshoe game!
Materials
popsicle sticks
large pop bottles (or any bottles)
markers
Lay the Popsicle sticks out as shown in the diagram. Glue the sticks where they overlap to create the horseshoe shape. Each team should make two horseshoes. Let the teams decorate their own horseshoes. Be sure they are color coded so that you can tell which team they belong to!
Fill the pop bottles with sand or water to stabilize them. Set the distance between the bottles based on the age and skill of the participants (5 ft for very young children, up to 15 ft or 20 ft for older kids). Each team alternates throwing their 'shoes'.
Scoring:
3 points - for any shoe that rings the bottle
1 point - for any shoe that is within 6 inches of the bottle (or touching it).
Length of the Game
Set a point limit before starting such as the first player that gets 20 points wins.
OR
Decide that the game will last for 5 innings.
Notes
Be sure to check that the shoes can comfortably ring the bottle with some clearance, before the glue dries. However, the opening of all shoes should be the same distance.
To make sturdier shoes, make glue a second layer so that each shoe is made from 6 Popsicle sticks.
Get ready, get set and learn!
June 2, 2006
Preparing for Summer Fun!
What will you do when your house is full of kids this summer? Today we'll pass along ideas for a couple of activities to keep the kids busy while you hang onto your sanity. Today's activities come from the book "Welcome to SPR: Student Pressure Relief" – written by local authors Jackie Dalleo and Jennifer Pasi.
"Fact" or "Act"
Gather all of the kids in your home together. Start by asking the one of the kids a question about a specific topic. For example – "Trina – what is the capital of Pennsylvania?" Now Trina has a choice. She may either answer the question (if she knows the answer) or pick a "silly act" from a hat. So – Trina – do you want to answer the question or should I draw an activity from the hat for you to complete? (Trina answers the question). Some silly acts you can have kids act out (should they not know the answer to the question at hand): quack like a duck; walk like a gorilla; moo like a cow or sing a short song. If the child chooses to do the act instead of answer the question, she can select someone else to answer the fact.
"Guess Who"
This activity is great for getting kids to work cooperatively – it encourages personal interaction between kids. All you need are strips of paper and a pen or pencil. Give each child a strip of paper and instruct the child to write one thing on the paper that is special about their family or about a special trip they have taken. Collect all the pieces of paper and place them together in a container. Then, pick one of the strips of paper and read it aloud. Have the kids try to guess who wrote the info on the sheet of paper and then encourage verbal discussion about the "experience."
For more great activities from "Welcome to SPR: Student Pressure Relief" – written by local authors Jackie Dalleo and Jennifer Pasi visit our web site!
June 9, 2006
School's Out for Summer!
As students set out on summer adventures, parents sometimes need a "life preserver" -- a list of activities to share and enjoy with their children during all of those months when kids are out of school. Here are a couple of summer ideas to help get you started!
Create a rock collection:
Rocks tell the story of the earth. A good rock collection will contain samples of various types of rocks – various shapes, sizes and colors. As you go about your day-to-day activities this summer, encourage your child to collect rocks along the way. Here is a great web sites that can help you learn more about starting your own rock collection – and identifying the rocks that you find: pubs.usgs.gov/gip/collect1/collectgip.html. As you collect rocks, why not take a special trip to the library to find a variety of books – all about rocks. Remember that summer reading is important for your child!
Plan with your child a family activity day. Decide how much money to spend, and help your child research events and activities in your area and choose an affordable activity the whole family can enjoy. Remind your child to be sure to allow enough time for the activity, and to remember to include food in the day's plan. (The online Planning a Party guide will help.) Don't forget to bring a camera and take lots of pictures. Your child can mount and label each photo and create a family scrapbook of your special day. You might provide the questions below to help guide your child's thoughts as they plan this special day.
• Describe the event or activity your family will attend.
• Will everyone in the family enjoy this activity? Why do you think so?
• What do you need to arrange ahead of time? Will you need to purchase tickets? Pack a lunch? Make reservations?
• What supplies or materials will you need?
• What costs will be involved?
June 16, 2006
Father's Day
Here's the history behind what we celebrate as "Father's Day." Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.
Kids sometimes think that dads don't like Father's Day presents as much as moms like Mother's Day presents. Not true!!
Make a pencil/pen holder for your dad's desk or work bench! Take your everyday frozen juice cans and glue all types of pasta shells on with tacky glue. Spray the pasta with glitter and you've made a pen or pencil holder!
June 23, 2006
Summer Traveling
Are you taking a vacation this summer? Maybe you're just driving to another nearby town to go camping. However or wherever you are traveling – make the experience a learning experience. Of course you can have your child keep a journal about their trip. You could have them do Internet research about where you are traveling before you leave on your trip. Why not work in a little math and geography in the process. Have your child use longitude and latitude coordinates to locate your vacation destination. It's easy. Visit our website for a link to two great worksheets that will help your child determine "Where in the U.S or Where in the World You're Vacationing!"
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_vacation_states.shtml
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_vacation_countries.shtml
The worksheets provide the coordinates. Have your child use a map to find the answers to the vacation spots – then plot out your own vacation location!
Create a Summer Sarcophagus
Turn a plain, old, empty shoebox into a sarcophagus this summer. Work with your child to first decorate the box. Then throughout the summer, help your child collect "relics" to remind them of things they did over the summer months: a rock collected on a Presque Isle beach, a label or wrapper from something the child liked to eat or drink over the summer, lyrics from a favorite summer song – I even knew a child who once kept a band-aid from a nasty bike fall in his summer sarcophagus. And – when your child is asked what they did over summer vacation in the fall, they'll actually have an answer for their teacher!
June 30, 2006
Make your own Horseshoe game!
Summer is a great time for outdoor games. Now you can help your child make their own horseshoe game!
Materials
popsicle sticks
large pop bottles (or any bottles)
markers
Lay the Popsicle sticks out as shown in the diagram. Glue the sticks where they overlap to create the horseshoe shape. Each team should make two horseshoes. Let the teams decorate their own horseshoes. Be sure they are color coded so that you can tell which team they belong to!
Fill the pop bottles with sand or water to stabilize them. Set the distance between the bottles based on the age and skill of the participants (5 ft for very young children, up to 15 ft or 20 ft for older kids). Each team alternates throwing their 'shoes'.
Scoring:
3 points - for any shoe that rings the bottle
1 point - for any shoe that is within 6 inches of the bottle (or touching it).
Length of the Game
Set a point limit before starting such as the first player that gets 20 points wins.
OR
Decide that the game will last for 5 innings.
Notes
Be sure to check that the shoes can comfortably ring the bottle with some clearance, before the glue dries. However, the opening of all shoes should be the same distance.
To make sturdier shoes, make glue a second layer so that each shoe is made from 6 Popsicle sticks.
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