Summer Learning Fun

May 27, 2010 > 1 Comment

While our family does year-round school, I do like to make it a little more relaxed and with a little more fun to it once warm weather comes around. Here are a few things that we’ve either done so far or have on the list for this year.

My 2 older children have just this week started their own blog. This will replace some of their daily writing requirements. They are excited about getting started, and being excited about writing is a good thing!
We allow them a bit more computer time in the summer as well. We generally don’t want to create an appetite for “playing” on the computer, but to view the computer more as a tool. We’ve noticed that when they are allowed to play games, they have no desire to actually learn important aspects of a computer, such as photo editing, Microsoft Word, programming, typing, etc. However, in the summer we do allow them some fun play-time on the computer when their required school work is finished.
Here are a few great places to let your children have fun and learn:
- Picnik – online photo editor – I pay the small monthly fee to get the premium service. I find it well worth the money to have the extra features. I am amazed at how much time the children can spend on just editing pictures!
- 20 Questions - You know the popular hand held electronic game 20 Questions? You can play it online – FREE! Some may argue that it’s not educational, but it does make you think! Thinking is your brain exercising! I’d say it’s much better than playing a mindless video game where your thumbs do all the work!
- How Stuff Works – Another website where your children can spend hours searching, well…how stuff works!
- Fit Brains – Several free brain games. The graphics are fun and children won’t even realize their brain is exercising. OK, maybe not, but it will be fun exercising!
- Book Suggester – If your children have a favorite book or books, enter the title and it will give you many other titles similar to the book you entered that you may enjoy as well. It also includes readers suggestions as to what books you might enjoy.
Free printables are another great way to buy an hour of two of entertainment. There are hundreds of websites with free coloring sheets and activities. Here is one: Coloring Book Fun, for more do a Google search – free coloring pages.Another cool printable idea is paper dolls. Paper Dali has several historical paper dolls you can print and your child can color and cut out. We pasted the dolls onto card stock, then cut them out. They have enjoyed playing with these immensely…so much so, I’ve had a hard time getting them to leave them alone to do their daily tasks!