Summer fast approaches – the days are getting warmer, the end of school is near, and it’s a great time to get outdoors and have some fun. But don’t let your child’s learning slip. As the days get longer and school lets out, it’s more important that ever to find ways to keep your child learning and growing. Set aside time for reading, practise math skills in the grocery store, and work writing activities like list making, notes, and journaling into their daily activities.
Sharpen your pencils and get writing with National Pen Pal Day on June 1. Sending a letter is a great way to show someone you are thinking of them and keep in contact with family and friends who live far away. Your child can practise their letter writing by corresponding with a pen pal, whether they write a friend, grandparent, or even you! Letter writing helps children practise their writing skills, both in forming letters and putting together thoughtful sentences, and summarizing events and writing to form. You can help your child improve their letter writing skills with our graded Writing workbooks.
Take some time to get outdoors with Gardening Exercise Day on June 6. Gardening can be a physical challenge with weeding, digging, raking, and more. Get your children involved in gardening to help them get some great outdoor activity in while also helping to beautify your outdoor space. You can also turn your gardening time into a mini lesson about plants. Discuss what plants you are including in your garden, what they need to survive, and why activities like weeding and watering are so important.
Celebrate your best friend on June 8 – National Best Friend’s Day. Our friends are so important to our lives, and this day is the perfect day to show your friends how much you love them. Have your child think about their best friend and brainstorm activities to do that they both would enjoy.
Try this Friendship Necklace activity:
Pasta Friendship Necklaces
Materials
String (cut to necklace length, about 30 inches)
Tube pasta (make sure your string can fit through)
Food colouring
Vinegar
Plastic bags
Paper towels
Instructions
1. Put some of the pasta into a plastic bag. Make as many bags as you want colours of pasta.
2. In each bag, put a few drops of food colouring and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
3. Shake each bag until the pasta is completely covered.
4. Dump each bag out on to paper towels and allow the pasta to dry.
5. Once the pasta is dry, your child can make their friendship necklaces using the string.
If your child can’t get together with their best friend, consider making some of the pasta and string into a take-home necklace kit and have your child give it to their best friend. Then each child can make the other a friendship necklace and exchange when they can get together.
Are you ready to go fish? June 18 is National Go Fishing Day. Whether you’re dropping a line in a river or shuffling our Go Fish flash card deck, summer is the perfect time to do a little fishing. If you go out on the water, make sure to talk to your kids about boat safety, the importance of sustainable fishing, and spend some time having fun.
It’s the day for dads on June 19! Your child can celebrate Father’s Day by doing something special with their dad. Play a game in the park, write a Father’s Day poem, or cook Dad his favourite dinner. You can also arrange a movie night and watch one of Dad’s favourites.
Make this fun custom candy jar for your dad.
Custom Father’s Day Candy Jar
Materials
1 mason jar
Ribbon
Construction paper
Scissors
Markers and pencil crayons
Dad’s favourite candy
Instructions
1. Get some of Dad’s favourite candy at a bulk food store or grocery store.
2. Make sure your mason jar is clean and dry, then fill it with the candy.
3. Make a fun “Happy Father’s Day” gift tag. Cut out a tag from the construction paper, then write a message to your dad on it and decorate it.
4. Use the ribbon to attach your tag to the jar. Ask a parent to help you cut a hole in the tag to put the ribbon through. (You can also use a hole-punch if you have one).
5. Give the candy jar to your dad!
You can use different size jars and decorate with other craft supplies like glitter, stickers, or paints.
Looking for a cool summer treat? Celebrate National Vanilla Milkshake Day on June 20. Children can easily help you assemble a quick and delicious milkshake. Plus, add food colouring to make each shake unique and fun. Sure, the day says vanilla, but you can also add other flavours or toppings like chocolate syrup, whipped cream, or crushed peanuts to take your milkshake to the next level.
On June 21, you can say “let there be light!” and you’ll get a lot of it. In fact, June 21 is the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. It’s also National Daylight Appreciation Day. Appreciate some sunlight with this fun sundial activity.
Home Sundial
Materials
12 rocks
A stick/rod
Open, grassy area with plenty of sunlight
Paint
Instructions
1. Paint the numbers 1 to 12 on the rocks you’ll use to mark each hour and leave them to dry.
2. Choose an open, flat area to set up your sundial. Plant your stick or rod into the ground, making sure it stands up straight.
3. On each hour, place a stone to mark the edge of the shadow cast by the stick. Use the stone with the number “8” to mark 8 a.m., etc. Try to get as many hours as possible to form a complete sundial.
4. Use your sundial each day to practise telling time.
You can discuss with your child the movements of the sun across the sky from east to west, the tilt of the earth, and how they affect how the sundial tells time as the seasons change.
Now that June has begun, it is an excellent time for your child to start one of our Super Summer Learning workbooks. Designed for the summers between Kindergarten and Grade 1, Grade 1 and Grade 2, and Grade 2 and Grade 3, these workbooks help your child keep their reading and math skills sharp by completing a couple of pages per day. Each week ends with a fun activity you and your child can do together.
July is bringing the summer, which means it’s time for Canada Day, French fries, family celebrations, and some science fun in the sun.
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