Time for a trip on a flying car?
Courtesy of a creative student...who turned the flower into a propeller. Love it.
Before term ended, I had several questions from class parents about what they should do with their kids over the break to ensure their kids don't lose everything they'd learnt over the term.
Personally, I think holidays should be for resting, recooperation and relaxation. So when I had to field questions about holiday work, I wasn't certain what to say. Sure, there were a couple of kids whose letters and sounds could benefit from consolidation but equally important was the need for the kids to return to school next term, rested, focused and ready.
Here are some suggestions that I'm sure the well-seasoned parents out there already do. These are mostly if you're around home for a 'stay-cation':
- Trips to the library or a bookstore - encourage the kids to look for their own books
- Reading with a relative - get them to listen to books being read; expands their vocabulary
- Journal entries about each day - writing skills
- Gallery visits - general knowledge/inquisitiveness expanded exponentially
- Day trip to the zoo or aquarium - general knowledge
- Going shopping - can be great for developing numerical awareness
- Cooking - great for building numerical awareness in measurement
- Craft project - like a puppet show (papier mache!), or creating your own book
- Gardening
- Sport in the park
- Junk craft - pick up a whole lot of odds and ends and use your imagination!
SHEET SHARE
If you're looking for something a bit more...directed, possibly in the first few weeks back of term, I also have some very basic number fact cards (click to download!) - nothing fancy, but develop their use into a game/competition with a chart and the kids who adore working with numbers (trust me, they do exist...!). Print on cardstock or paper then laminate, and zip lock/box for repeated use.
Happy holidays!
