I mentioned in my last post that my wife and I were deep in the throes of making sure our kids stay busy this summer. From a two-week summer road trip to a Saturday afternoon at the natural history museum, we want them to have a memorable summer. At the same time, we want our boys to be always learning. How might you get your students ready to learn all summer long?
1. Book Exchange—Encourage interest in fresh reading material by hosting a classroom book exchange. Have each of your students bring in two grade-level books they’ve read and no longer want. Then host a book exchange. You can either allow the students to choose their books or you could have a random exchange. Either way, your outgoing class has reinvigorated their home libraries with some new material.
2. Let Them Do the Planning—Many families go on trips during the summer. Encourage your students to solve the logistical hurdles themselves. Have them write instructions for packing, devise directions for travel, and select destinations to visit. Whether these are real or fantasy vacations, your students will get valuable practice in real-world problem solving and research. How long will the trip take by car? By plane? How many miles will be traveled? How much will admission to that faraway museum cost for just one person or for the whole family and crazy Uncle Bernie?
3. Yes, Go Somewhere Educational—Another fine research project for your students is planning for a trip to a museum or historic site or park. Encourage students to plan this sort of trip during their summer. Most national parks in the United States offer Junior Ranger programs. These self-guided programs help young people learn more about the park than they would by merely reading some signs and walking a simple pathway. State and local parks as well as museums have programs and events that also deliver a broader experience for the visitor.
4. Send Along Some Brain Builders—As crazy as it might seem (sort of like sending an astronaut into space with her scrapbooking supplies, just in case she has spare time), send home some packets of worksheets and other skill builders for your outgoing students. While it may not be top-of-the-list, doing schoolwork during the summer is a great way to relieve boredom on a rainy day or a long car ride if you make it fun with a clever cover sheet and silly words of encouragement.
You’ve got your own summer vacation coming and you’ll undoubtedly be doing some work that will matter to the coming school year. It’s not too much to think that your outgoing students will be working too. A little encouragement from you—their favorite teacher EVER!—will certainly help. Besides, I bet you’ll even use a few of these tips for yourself this summer.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archives