Summer Learning Series: Sidewalk Chalk

Every child loves summer. Summer is a time for playing outside, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with your friends. Unfortunately, summer is also a time when kids lose a lot of what they learned during the previous year of school. As an elementary school teacher, it was frustrating to watch my students struggle at the beginning of each year with objectives that they had mastered the previous year. As a parent, I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to my children. This summer, I will be setting aside a little time each day for some fun learning activities for my kids.  Hopefully, they will have so much fun they won't be worried about practicing their reading, writing, and arithmetic! If you are interested in guest posting for this summer learning series, just shoot me an email at betweenthelines-kam at hotmail dot com.

A few days ago, the girls and I had some summer fun with Sidewalk Chalk.  And while they were engaged in the fun, I couldn't help but add a few lessons into the games.  You know me...always taking advantage of those teachable moments.  My girls wanted to play hopscotch.  So I drew them an Ultimate Hopscotch board so we could practice our addition and subtraction facts.  Before each turn, I gave the girls a math problem.  After they solved it, they had to throw their rock onto the corresponding number.  Then it was hopscotch as normal.

 After our fun hopscotch game, we decided to decorate for our upcoming 4th of July BBQ. I took this opportunity to teach the girls about the number of stripes and stars on the flag and their meaning. The sun glare made it hard to get a good picture, but we had fun creating it.

We continued our fun with a few good games of Four Square.  While I couldn't think of an educational twist to put on it, the game encourages coordination and good reflexes.  So...What fun games do you play with Sidewalk chalk?   I'd love some new ideas!  Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Summer Learning Series: Rhyme Time with Children, Cakes & Creations: Moments Of Joy

 Every child loves summer. Summer is a time for playing outside, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with your friends. Unfortunately, summer is also a time when kids lose a lot of what they learned during the previous year of school. As an elementary school teacher, it was frustrating to watch my students struggle at the beginning of each year with objectives that they had mastered the previous year. As a parent, I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to my children. This summer, I will be setting aside a little time each day for some fun learning activities for my kids. Clarisse from Children, Cakes & Creations: Moments of Joy feels the same way.  Today she is sharing a great way to practice rhyming and reading with our kiddos.  I know my 5-year old is going to love this.  Don't forget to swing by Clarisse's blog and check out all her fabulous ideas.  With all her ideas, your kids won't have time to get bored this summer!

Rhyme Time

I don't know if most people are aware of just how cheap I am, but I pinch pennies so hard Lincoln screams. We do not mind budgeting for fun stuff, but if we can make or do something for free, I'm all over that! So when I came across this idea, I knew it was PERFECT for us. It not only satisfies my need to be cheap, but it is fun and educational. This is not only something a child can grow into, but it can grow with them!
All you need are:  Paint swatches (courtesy of Lowes - I like theirs because they already have the squares in there!!!), Scissors, and a Permanant Marker. That's it.
I used about 14 of the large ones (with squares) and about 45 - 50 of the smaller ones

Step 1; Next to the squares (to the right of them) you'll want to write a word ending like "an", "ack", "op", etc,
Step 2; Bust out those scissors and cut along the white line separating the colors. I also trimmed the color's name off of the left hand side so that it was more aesthetically pleasing, and I made sure to leave a little bit of room between the square and the edge.

Step 3: On the small color swatches write the letters of the alphabet AND various letter sounds like "ch", "sh", "st", "qu", etc. I then trimmed the color names and numbers off of the color swatches so that we didn't have to look at them.

Step 4: Place the paint swatch with the square over the top of the letter and create a word like "can" change letters and you'll have "pan" or "ran" - see??? It's a great way to teach kids how to rhyme, and it helps them learn their letters and letter sounds!

To see another application of this idea, check out Multi-Colored Math.  This idea is easily adapted to fit your child's particular educational needs.

Summer Learning Series: Spelling with Cheez-Its

Every child loves summer. Summer is a time for playing outside, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with your friends. Unfortunately, summer is also a time when kids lose a lot of what they learned during the previous year of school. As an elementary school teacher, it was frustrating to watch my students struggle at the beginning of each year with objectives that they had mastered the previous year. As a parent, I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to my children. This summer, I will be setting aside a little time each day for some fun learning activities for my kids. Starting in June, check in each Tuesday if you are looking for some activities for your kids. I will be posting a few things we did the previous week to share. Also if you are interested in doing the same thing, I would love to have you Guest Post on Between the Lines.   Just shoot me an email and let me know you are interested. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com ) Let’s work together to help our children have a fun, but educational summer!

This week the girls and I did a fun little exercise with our Cheez-its. That’s right, I said Cheez-its. If you go to your local grocery store, you will notice that they have many different types of Cheez-its. Last week, I picked up a box of Scrabble Cheez-its. Every cracker in the box looks like a Scrabble tile with a letter on top. This activity can be done in many different variations depending on your child’s age. First, give each child a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and a pile of Cheez-its. For my seven year old, I told her to make ten words out of her Cheez-its. Every time she found a word, she wrote it on her paper so that she could use her Cheez-it letters again.

She had a lot of fun and got so excited every time she discovered a new word. Although she only wrote her ten down, she continued finding words after the activity was done. For my 5 year old, I altered the activity a bit. Since she can read most three-letter words, I gave her one word at a time to find. This was easier for her than pulling a random word out of her head, but she was still practicing her letter sounds and spelling words. After she found her words, she also wrote them on her paper (very proudly, I might add).

If you have a child that is just learning letters and sounds, you can simplify this activity even more. For the younger crows, write the words on the paper for them. Then have them search through the pile of Cheez-its and find the matching letters. If your child is more advanced, challenge them to find 4-letter and 5-letter words. This activity also works real well with Alphabits. When the activity is done, let the children eat their well-deserved snack!

                                                                                               

Camp: Part Two

Last week, I hosted a week long summer camp for my girls and their friends.  I've already talked about Monday and Tuesday, so today I'm going to finish up with a summary of Wednesday through Friday.  All in all we had a fabulous time.  I'm hoping that some of what I taught them or reviewed with will keep their brains in shape an ready for school to start in a few weeks.

Making Ladybugs out of Apples, Peanut Butter, Pretzels, and Raisins

Finished Caterpillars and Making Butterflies

On Wednesday, insects were our theme.  We started out by learning about different types of honey bees and how they live their lives.  They used a microscope to look at the different parts of the bee and to get a close up view.  They later used what they learned about parts of an insect to make an ant out of pretzels, marshmallows, icing, and mini M&M's.  Following along with the bees, we colored and cut out a hive with the letters -ee on it.  On the back of the hive we fastened a circle with letters on it.  We used the hive to practice -ee words, such as bee, fee, tee, tree, flee, etc. 

 We continued our insect theme, by using The Very Hungry Caterpillar to explore the life cycle of a butterfly.  We began by using clay to make an egg.  After the egg, we used a pipe cleaner, penne noodles, and circles cut out of construction paper to make a caterpillar.  Following the caterpillar, we used a Bendaroo to make the cocoon.  And finally, we used a butterfly pattern and Popsicle stick to make a flying butterfly.
During our insect theme, we also painted flower pots so we could plant seeds for the insects.

On Thursday, our theme was pizza.  I used the pizza theme to introduce fractions to the older group and review shapes with the younger group.  We used the Melissa and Doug Pizza, Veggie,  and Cake set, to practice our fractions in a store setting.  For example, a customer may order 2/5 of the French bread and the baker had to serve them the correct order.    This was probably the girls favorite game of the week. 
During pizza day, we made pretend pizzas out of foam shapes, as well as real pizza out of bagels and toppings.

Making Pizza Puzzle

Making a pizza out of shapes

On Friday, our main topic was money.  We learned the names and values of the penny, nickle, dime, and quarter.  We also learned the names of the presidents that live on those coins.  To practice counting and sorting of money, I had an egg hunt for the girls.  Each egg was full of different coins.  In teams of three, they raced to find their eggs, sort their money, and help me count the value.  We brainstormed reasons why we need money, how we can earn money, and why we should save money.  Six out of the nine girls thought the most important thing to save for was Disney World!  Two wanted to save so they could go to the beach.  And one wanted to buy herself a waterpark.  I wonder if the moms can figure out which their child chose?

Coloring a Penny While Singing our Penny Song

Practicing our Ballet Routine

Throughout the week, the girls also worked very hard to learn a ballet routine and earn money into their own piggy bank.  On Friday, they performed their routine for the moms and used their money to buy prizes out of the treasure box.  Thanks girls for a great week!

Camp: Part One

This has been a long, yet fun week.  I hosted a summer camp for my kids and some of their friends in my basement.  We learned, we played, we made a mess, and had fun!   The kids did so much better than I expected and I am so proud of all of them.  I figured since they all are such good friends, they would have a hard time concentrating on their activities, but I was wrong.  They usually got the loudest when their mom's came to get them.

On Monday, we focused on where we lived (read previous summer series post here) and on the food pyramid.  They  learned the different food groups and how to eat a well balanced diet.  They worked together as teams to sort bags of foods into their proper food group.  By the end of the day, everyone knew the proper piles the foods went in.  In between activities, the girls had the chance to view insects in a microscope and shells with a magnify glass.  They also enjoys playing with the cash register and selling food to their "customers".

 On Tuesday, we focused on colors.  We met Mr. Roy G. Biv (see previous summer series post here) and made rainbow out of Fruit Loops.  We also learned about the differences of primary and secondary colors.  The kids had a hard time remembering those big words, but they could remember which colors went in each group.  We used our homemade color wheels to help us mix icing.  The kids watched in awe as they saw that red and yellow actually make orange.  They used their different colored icing to decorate color wheel cookies.  The girls also made their own color books where they practiced writing sentences about a colored picture they drew. 

 Stayed tuned to hear about all the other fun activities we did this week!  What creative learning activities have your kids done this summer?  We are always looking for new ideas!  Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Summer Learning Series: Where I Live

Every child loves summer. Summer is a time for playing outside, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with your friends. Unfortunately, summer is also a time when kids lose a lot of what they learned during the previous year of school. As an elementary school teacher, it was frustrating to watch my students struggle at the beginning of each year with objectives that they had mastered the previous year. As a parent, I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to my children. This summer, I will be setting aside a little time each day for some fun learning activities for my kids. Starting in June, check in each Tuesday if you are looking for some activities for your kids. I will be posting a few things we did the previous week to share. Also if you are interested in doing the same thing, I would love to link up with all you creative moms out there! Just shoot me an email and let me know you are interested. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com)  Let’s work together to help our children have a fun, but educational summer!

“Where do I live?” is a big question. For my kids, they have now learned that they live in a house, on a street, in a neighbor that’s part of a town, that belongs to a state, that’s part of a country on the planet Earth. I know that’s a bit much, but they love learning new things. This week I am teaching a “camp” to some of my friend’s kids and we learned where we lived, but not to such a great extent.

The first thing we talked about was our address. We discussed the importance of remembering your own address and how the post office uses our address to send us our mail. After we all practiced our address we designed our own mailboxes. We used mini cereal boxes and construction paper.  On one side of the mailbox the kids put a sticker with their address and on the other a flag to use when they want to send out mail. Throughout the week the kids will be able to send mail to each other. Should be fun!

The next thing we talked about was our state. Since the kids I’m working with are between the ages of 3 and 6, we kept it simple. We learned about where our state was on the US map, where our town was on the state map, and our state’s capital, bird, and flower. We then decorated our state’s flag and glued on pictures of the state bird and flower. On the opposite side, we put a state map with a star for the capital.  They turned out real cute, but the pictures didn't come out well. 

The kids all had fun making them and telling me all the things they knew about where they lived. Picture nine little girls having a million things to say at once. It was kind of funny! Do your kids know about where they live? What tricks have you used to help them remember their address? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Summer Learning Series: Children Museums

Every child loves summer. Summer is a time for playing outside, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with your friends. Unfortunately, summer is also a time when kids lose a lot of what they learned during the previous year of school. As an elementary school teacher, it was frustrating to watch my students struggle at the beginning of each year with objectives that they had mastered the previous year. As a parent, I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to my children. This summer, I will be setting aside a little time each day for some fun learning activities for my kids. Starting in June, check in each Tuesday if you are looking for some activities for your kids. I will be posting a few things we did the previous week to share. Also if you are interested in doing the same thing, I would love to link up with all you creative moms out there! Just shoot me an email and let me know you are interested. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com ) Let’s work together to help our children have a fun, but educational summer! 

Children Museums are great ways to encourage learning during the hot summer months. Not only are they a great break from the extreme heat, but they also encourage exploration and discovery. This past week the girls and I traveled to a discovery museum in West Virginia. Although, it isn’t as big as the ones in Richmond or Baltimore, it is an excellent place to set the kids loose and learn.

This particular discovery center is broken down into different themed rooms. The first room the kids explored was the air and water room. Here the kids learned about the water cycle, rivers, waterfalls, and the power of wind. I think they all had the most fun playing in the water, but they also enjoyed using air tubes to make music and ping pong balls fly.

The second room the kids discovered was all about sight. There were various rainbow activities to explore, optical illusions, and light activities. The girls particularly loved the light exhibit. In this exhibit the girls would stand in a dark room and strike a pose. Then a light would flash and their shadows would appear on the wall for them to see. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture of their fun shadow poses because of my flash.

The third room they explore was themed around space, gravity, and magnets. They had a lot to explore, but the girls spent the majority of the time dropping golf balls down a long winding ramp. So fun and so loud! They also enjoyed the exhibit where they could create their own constellations. My eldest daughter made a constellation that spelled her sister’s name.

The next room was a big hit. It was themed around plants and minerals. The kids were able to plant their own vegetable and flower garden. After harvesting their crop, they were able to take it into the playhouse and cut them up and serve them. The room also was full of “jewels” that they could explore with magnify glasses.

The fifth room was themed around animals. The kids explored the life cycle of a butterfly, the foot prints of many local animals, and the life of a honey bee. In this room, they had a “hive” of bees working to make honey. The girls enjoyed using the magnify glasses to get a close of view of the bees at work. They even found the queen bee!

The sixth room was dedicated to birds and the animals of the sea. There were various eggs to examine and sea creatures to explore. They enjoyed pretending to sit in the giant nest and listening to bird calls. My youngest found an eye spy tube and sat content for quite awhile.

The final room was filled with live animals. The girls had a chance to watch the caretaker feed the fish, turtles, and birds. They most enjoyed discovering the salt water animals. On the outside of the tank was a list of all the animals, and they turned it into an eye spy game.

If you live anywhere near Inwood, WV, I suggest you check out the Nature center at Jay Dees Fun Center. If not, look up children’s museum in your area. If you are lucky enough to live in an area close to several, they have a hopper membership that is good towards 100’s of museums all over the country. This summer, we already have plans to visit three more (Winchester, VA; Richmond, VA; Baltimore, MD). Pictures will of course follow! Have you discovered any great Children’s Museum’s? What was your child’s favorite part? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!