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School is out Wednesday, May 26, according to the Nodaway Valley calendar on the website. Boy, it seems like yesterday I watched kids walk by on the first day of school last fall.
Parents, grandparents, and friends can support children’s learning in very easy, nice ways over the summer. Here are some ideas.
Reading
Schedule a regular “go to the library” time so your child has access to books.If you don’t have a library card, you can get one when you make your first visit. Then read together and talk about what you read.What do you see on this page? What do you think will happen next? Do you like this story? Do you like the pictures in the book? If the child is older, schedule time for you to read together in the same place. Then talk about your books together after 20 minutes or so. What is your book about? Who is your favorite character? Where does the story take place? Do you like it? Tell me about an exciting part. Be sure you’re having fun and enjoying the reading together. If you can’t get to the library because of your work schedule, maybe someone else could do that part for you. Or you could allow your older kids to ride their bikes there alone. But still, talk about books together!
Fontanelle Public Library Hours
Sunday and Monday: Closed Tuesday: 9:30 am-5:30 pm Wednesday: 9:30 am-6:00pmThursday: 9:30 am-3:30 pm Friday: 11:30 pm -5:30 pm Saturday: 9:30 am -11:30 am
Greenfield Public Library Hours
Monday-Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Literacy starts with language development, so be sure to talk to your children. Go for a walk and talk about what you see. Read signs when you’re driving or ask the kids to read them to you. Tell a story from your childhood and then ask your child to tell a story from their childhood. Take your child to the grocery store with you. If they don’t read, show them how you figure out what you need by reading labels, looking at the pictures on the products, etc. Watch a movie together at home or at the theater. Ask your child about his favorite scenes or what he didn’t like about the movie. Ask how the child would tell another person about the movie and then make arrangements for that to happen. Cook together. Read the directions together. Ask your child to explain to you what the directions mean. If they don’t understand them, you explain what they mean and how you know. They will love to get a glimpse into your thinking. Conversations are easier when you’re doing something together! Talking is the precursor to reading. There is much to learn from conversations!
Summer Math Activities for Younger Children
https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/school-age/summer-math-games/
https://blog.mindresearch.org/blog/summer-math-activities-for-kids
Count things! Cars, rocks, leaves, steps - whatever you are near. Count it. Compare things! Leaves, rocks, steps, cars. Which is bigger? Why? Measure things! Food, distances, speed, and more.
Math Activities for Older Children
Talk to students about tipping in restaurants and for other services. Ask them to determine the tip when you go out. Have them estimate the value of the groceries in your cart and then see how close they are to the total when you check out. Ask them to keep track of how they use math or see other people using math for a few days and then share it with you. You could do the same thing and then see what you have in common.
Whatever you do this summer, please have a good time spending extra time with your children. While sometimes it’s overwhelming, it will pass so quickly. ENJOY! Happy summer!