My oldest only has 3 days left of school and I have been trying to come up with some ideas to keep my three little ones busy this summer!! Seriously... they are hard enough to keep entertained and happy during the school year when they are gone half the day.... how are we supposed to do it when they are home all day?!?!? I'm mostly kidding... but you know what I mean, right?
One idea I haven't completely finished formulating yet is to have a theme day each day of the week.
For example:
Monday - Reading Day:
Go to the library and read some new stories. Create our own story books.
Tuesday - Water Day:
Play outside water games or visit the local park with a splash pad.
Wednesday - Math Day:
Play math games and do puzzles. Try new recipes (measuring everything of course).
Thursday - Science Day:
Do fun science experiments, learn about animals, take a road trip to the zoo, go bird or bug watching, etc.
Friday - Fun Day:
(not that the others aren't fun!!) A day for play dates, video games, amusement parks, etc.
{Somewhere in there I have to fit in all the dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, cooking, and everything else... hahaha!}
During the summer I will be posting some of the fun themed activities that we are doing so you can join in the fun too!!! I'm calling it my Summer Series -- though technically you could do these things anytime!
As part of my brainstorming I came up with this fun plant journal. Each week on our science day we are going to check on some daisy seeds that we have planted in germinating boxes. Right now they sit in the playroom.
Here is what the journal page looks like:
I planted the seeds this morning in germination boxes (purchased at Target). We will begin the journal today by taping one of the extra seeds (or maybe a couple) inside the box on the journal paper. Then each week on science day we will check on our seeds. My 6 year old can draw a picture and write a sentence or two about how it looks.
My 4 year old gets a different page to use for his journal. A bigger box for a picture and only two lines where he can write a word (or a couple) to describe what he sees.
This is a great way to keep the kids in learning mode. They can practice handwriting, spelling, patience, and have fun with the coloring. It also encourages vocabulary development as they compose sentences. We can also study the stages of plants as they grow and talk about the different parts of the plant as it emerges from the soil. The littler kids can work on writing their numbers as they write the week number on the top of the page.
I also created a simple cover for their journals. They can choose to decorate their cover or leave it as is.
Our journal will be complete the week our plants get planted in the yard. I figure it will last through most of the summer. Then the kids will have a fun book that they have created all about the plants they watched grow. Now I just have to hope my seeds work. I am NOT known to have a green thumb... or even a green pinky toe!!
Feel free to download your own pages and create a plant journal for your own kids!!
Have a great summer!!!
I like the idea of giving every day a different theme. I'm getting ready to start a flower bed with my daughter and the plant journal will be a great way to incorporate more learning and get her ready for preschool. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I hope she has fun doing it! :)
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