Friday, June 1, 2012

How to Start Your Own Learning Time

Summer is here!
{Oh No!}
What do you do?
My favorite summer was when my mom sat down with us and made up a summer calendar.
She wrote down something each day she was going to do with us.
Lots of the activities were outings to free places nearby.
We loved it!
Everyday we did our chores, and then went on an outing,
or did something fun at home.
That year it didn't actually include going to Disneyland. :)
But this is the only summer fun picture of my family.
Here is a summer calendar with a jump start of ideas for you.
You don't have to do something each day, you could even do onece or twice a week. 
It will make you realize how fast the summer will fly.

To start a learning time, I often like to think backwards.
Meaning, I think of an outing I want to go on,
and then I think about how I can enrich their knowledge before we go to that destination.
This will work with any age group.
So if I wanted to take my kids to the zoo, I would teach them about different types of animals. (ie. reptiles, mammals, birds, fish, amphibians).
This is a picture of us mapping out where in the world different animals come from.

Then I would start with the one they know the most about, and dig a little deeper and teach them something they may not know.
I look for ideas on pinterest, or just plain old Google.

Remember it doesn't have to be expensive, or extensive learning,
just dive in!  Your kids will be way more interested in any outing, if they have a little more background knowledge first.

Here are some of the fun things we did last summer:
Made Home Made Ice Cream


If you need a jump off point,
check out my list of units page.
It's an organized list of all the themes and units I have done.

Here is my list of things to have on hand:
It's a little scraggly, because I just threw it together when I was talking to the women at my church.
These are just the things I love to have,
so no matter what comes to my mind, I can usually pull it off.

And the best news is, that you can find most of these things at the $1 store.  (Googly Eyes, Pipe Cleaners, Toothpicks, Glue, Water Colors, Glitter, Construction Paper and Popsicle Sticks.)
The only expensive thing, that is well worth it, is tempera paint,
which you can find at your craft store.

Happy Summer!

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