While most children look forward to 2 months void of “teachers, books, or dirty looks”, learning shouldn’t stop once they leave the classroom in June. Children should always be given the opportunity to apply the complex learning that takes place in the classroom to practical, everyday situations. What better way of helping your children fully grasp the meaning of what they’ve been taught than by presenting them with the opportunities to experience them in a hands-on, non-threatening environment. Consider the following alternatives to supplement their learning experiences from the last 10 months as a means to enrich their physical, mental and social activities:
Book Clubs: Contact your local library to inquire about age-appropriate book clubs for your children. Library-run book clubs usually meet at least once a week, often offering children incentives to read additional books throughout the summer months. If the scheduled times don’t fit your weekly routine, consider starting your own book club with friends of your children. There might be books that your children may have wanted to read throughout the school year that they weren’t able to read amid homework assignments. You might even want to extend the book club to include parents of your children’s friends as a way to promote parent involvement and networking. Not only will your children benefit intellectually and creatively from the book discussions, but they will also be able to socialize with their friends in a positive atmosphere free of any doubt that their opinions matter.
Day Trips: If your weekly schedule allows, consider the many learning opportunities that are found in and around your town. While many children don’t graduate from elementary school without making at least one class trip to the local museum, consider other museums that offer varied presentations of culture and the arts. Zoos provide another alternative to help place what your child learned in a social studies or science class in perspective. Because spending money and children will always be synonymous, be sure to refer to websites and/or call ahead to inquire about free admission and discounts.
Capture Every Moment: In the midst of all your planned (and spontaneous) activities, don’t forget to bring (and use) the camera. While your children might have endless stories to share with their classmates about the summer, capturing these precious moments on film will help ensure that these memories will be revisited for years to come. Once you’ve processed your film or uploaded it into your hard drive, don’t ignore the priceless value of these pictures as they can naturally lead to the creation of a scrapbook album that can be completed by you and your children. Scrapbooking not only helps to reinforce the pride that children have for the events and people featured in the pictures, but it’s a great way to help your child exercise their creativity through journaling the stories behind the pictures.
One-on-One: Because the school year often doesn’t provide for intimate moments to spend with your children, use the summer months to reflect on what makes each family member special. Unlike many of the aforementioned activities that involve money, maintaining a meaningful relationship with your children is nearly free of charge: spark serious or silly conversations over meals (which can be prepared by every family member, of course!), plant a garden, play board or videogames or watch an hour of television together alternating between each person’s favorite shows. Lastly, share stories about what makes each of you laugh and cry. It might not be evident right away, but your children will indeed come to appreciate the teacher inside of you.
RESOURCES
- A Better Chance - www.abetterchance.org The mission is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.
- CLEO – Council on Legal Education Opportunities – www.cleoscholars.org In 1968, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) was founded as a non-profit project of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. In 1998, Congress passed the Higher Education Amendments Act, creating the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program, which they deemed be administered by CLEO.
- College Board – www.collegeboard.com The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations.
- Youth Change – www.youthchg.com/ Youth Change and Director Ruth Herman Wells, M.S. have been training youth professionals throughout North America for almost 20 years. We provide information-packed general session, on-site and recorded workshops. We also publish many books, ebooks, and DVDs, all designed to deliver the newest and fastest solutions for the "worst" kid problems.
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