My friends and I have been doing a seasonal scavenger hunt via Facebook for the past three years. It is a fun way to get out and explore our world, as well as taking notice of the small things in our lives. We also learn a little more about each other every year and it forces those who live away from us to stay in touch in a small way :)
Here is our list this year for inspiration in creating your own! Or feel free just to "steal" it - I don't mind :) Summer 2019 List 1. Last Day of school picture 2. Running through a sprinkler 3. Reading a book (or 2 or 3) 4. Having a picnic 5. Blowing bubbles 6. Eating Watermelon 7. Playing in the Rain 8. Laundry on the line 9. Roasting Marshmallows 10. Lightning 11. Colouring with sidewalk chalk 12. On a nature walk 13. At a festival/fair 14. Visiting a water park 15. Eating ice cream 16. At the beach 17. At the park 18. muddy child 19. giant leaf 20. Orange flower 21. Making a favourite summer treat (something you don't eat during the school year/not a popsicle) 22. Playing on a slip and slide 23. Face paint 24. Family game night 25. Bowling 26. Construction Zone 27. Learning something new 28. Going for a bike ride 29. Dirty Feet 30. big rock 31. waterfall 32. Rainy day activity 33. An insect 34. Swimming in the lake or river 35. wild animal 36. Something old 37. statue 38. rest stop 39. sleeping child 40. Something pink 41. Something blue 42. Flip flops 43. summer storm 44. Mowing the lawn 45. Riding a bike 46. Having a water fight 47. Writing a pen pal 48. Playing mini golf 49. Eating cotton candy 50. Something new 51. Picking berries 52. A fish 53. Going kayaking/canoeing/boating 54. Canada Day celebrations 55. Something yellow 56. Something orange 57. Drinking a slurpee/iced coffee 58. A sunflower 59. butterfly 60. rainbow 61. parade 62. A boardwalk 63. homemade popsicle 64. Playing hopscotch 65. Jumping rope 66. ladybug 67. Sparklers 68. At the farmer's market 69. train 70. license plate from far away 71. Visiting some place you've never been before 72. mountain 73. painted rock 74. bag of trash (aka clean up your neighbourhood/favourite trail) 75. Something purple 76. wet bathing suit 77. Sunglasses 78. geocache 79. Someone being silly 80. pine cone 81. Something cooked on the bbq 82. Something interesting you see on a walk/hike 83. Wild mushrooms/fungus 84. A bridge 85. Yellow flowers 86. Sunrise/Sunset 87. Playing in the pool 88. Lemonade 89. A family selfie 90. Something fuzzy 91. Something crafty 92. A feather 93. Souvenir 94. A starry night 95. Something that floats 96. Airplane/Helicopter 97. Sunscreen/Bug Protection 98. A picture of whoever normally takes pictures (and thus is never in the pictures) enjoying a family activity 99. Something cool not on this list 100. New school supplies Who will get all 100? Have an amazing summer!!
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Summer Slide is a phrase that describes the slide backwards that children make in reading and math skills over the summer. Basically, it is the old adage, "use it or lose it!"
Statistics vary as to how much knowledge is lost over the summer, but there are many ways to support our kids in our daily lives! Here are 5 things that I do with my kids over the summer: 1. READ, and read some more! Read out loud to them, have them read to you. Kids emulate what they see, so let them see you reading. Read signs at the store, on the road, wherever you go! Make sure you stop by the store and pick up your free Gingy bookmark. 2. Play Games - so many games promote strategic thinking, math & reading skills and even social skills. This summer, I am introducing Yahtzee and a travel game that we just got in store called Words. Some other favourites are Bananagrams, Mexican Train (Dominoes) and Scrabble! 3. Explore outdoors! Take a net to the lake, what creatures can you find? Look up plants with an app or go geocaching (a family favourite of ours) - so much learning and relaxation occurs in our woods, plus the fresh air and exercise are an awesome bonus. 4. Bake or cook - What a great life skill to learn! Reading, following directions, motor skills and math are just a few of the things that can be incorporated into an everyday need. One thing that I do is take away a measuring cup, and ask my kids how we can measure out the ingredients with the measuring cups that are left (fractions!) For example, if we need a cup of sugar, I'll take away that cup and have them figure out that they need 3 x 1/3 Cups or 2 x 1/2 Cups. 5. Traditional workbooks, flash cards, online programs and apps are another way to mix it up and keep it interesting! My kids love the Hot Dots we have at the store (and we have lots of options coming soon!) - they are a neat alternative to the traditional flash card. So many opportunities arise for added learning, we can help you find the games, tools, workbooks and story books to make this summer fun! If you have a favourite way to add learning to your everyday, share with us in the comments :) |
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November 2019
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