Tag Archives: Summer Learning

Can’t Get to the Beach? Create Your Own at Home!!

Posted on June 23, 2010 by ecossick| 5 Comments

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card! (2 comments will win!)

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Whether you’re headed to the beach soon and want to anticipate the fun–or you’ve already come home and want to recreate the experience with your little ones–I’ve got a great book for ya!

It’s called Sand and Water Play, by Sherrie West and Amy Cox. It contains easy, creative activities to do at home with a sand and water table, as well as fun ideas for creative play using household items like birdseed, shaving cream, ice cubes and rock salt. Activities include questions to ask during play, to reinforce the educational benefits of the activities. Recipes for homemade silly putty and bubbles round out the ideas and promise many afternoons of summertime fun–even without a trip to the beach.

To get you inspired, here are some questions to ask while children are playing with sand and water:

  • How does the sand feel when it’s dry?
  • What happens when we add water to the sand?
  • Now how does it feel?
  • What can you build out of the sand?
  • What tools can you use/find to move the sand around?
  • What items (rocks, small toys) can you hide in the sand?
  • What would happen if you closed your eyes and tried to locate the items in the sand?
  • What would happen if we filled a zip-top bag with water?
  • How does the bag feel?
  • Now, what would happen if we poked a small hole in the bag?
  • What if we poked several holes?
  • If we fill a bowl with water, what can we get to float in it?
  • What will sink?
  • Why do you think some things float while other sink?

Want a free copy? Comment on this post, and you could win a $20 School Box gift card. Since School Box carries the book for only $12.95, you could get a copy…and have money for some other fun gizmos and books, too!

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Posted in Academic Success, Free Stuff!, Parenting, Summer Learning, Uncategorized

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Summer Learnin’ Part 3: Bubbles in the Backyard!

Posted on June 16, 2010 by ecossick| 4 Comments

This is part 3 in our series on fun Summer Learnin’ ideas! Click here and here for part 1 and part 2.
by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Comment on this post to receive a $20 School Box Gift Card!!

Nothing says summer quite like…BUBBLES! So, pull out the kiddie pool and strap on the water wings. It’s time for a wet romp in the backyard, with the highlight being giant homemade bubbles! Below is our favorite bubble recipe, along with three fitting books about bubbles (to make it all educational, of course!).

First, here’s how to make some rockin’ homemade bubble stuff:

Homemade Bubble Stuff

1 cup water
4 Tablespoons dishwashing liquid
2 Tablespoons light karo syrup (or 2 Tablespoons glycerin)

Mix all of the ingredients together. That’s it!

For more bubble recipes, see bubbleblowers.com.

Now, it’s time to find a bubble wand. Be creative with household items! A few to try:

cookie cutters
funnels
fly swatters
a metal coat hanger bent into a circle (watch for sharp ends)
a silicone steaming basket
mason jar lid rings
a funnel
a potato ricer
the plastic rings that come around a 6-pack of soda

And, here are some of our favorite books about bubbles, to drive home those great text-to-life connections:

Pop! A Book About Bubbles. Available here at amazon.com.
Bubble Trouble. Available here at amazon.com.
Benny’s Big Bubble. Available here at amazon.com.
There you have it: everything you need for a fun-filled day of summer fun, with just enough learning thrown in to make you happy (and solidify your title as World’s Greatest Mom).

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Posted in Parenting, Reading, Summer Learning, reluctant readers

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Summer Learnin’ Part 2: Library Scavenger Hunt!

Posted on June 9, 2010 by ecossick| 1 Comment

This is Part 2 in our series on engaging (and easy!) Summer Learnin’ ideas. To read Part 1 (Fractions in the Kitchen), click here.

Comment on this post and you could win a School Box gift card! Two comments win each week.

by Elizabeth D. Cossick, M. Ed.

It’s hot. The kids are bored. And you’re at your wits’ end. You need a fun activity to pass the afternoon, and you’d prefer one that’s educational…and FREE, right? Well, we’ve got a ringer for ya. Take your kids on a library scavenger hunt! Here’s how it works:

  1. Print this list (click here for a printable version) of books and items to find at the library.
  2. Head to the library and help your kids scour the shelves for all of the items on the list.
  3. When they’re done, they can check out the titles that interest them.
  4. If they successfully find all of the items on the list, reward them by letting them check out a DVD, too. Now you have free entertainment for tonight after dinner!
  5. Leave the library, feeling proud of yourself for providing a summer learning opportunity…in air conditioning…for no cash. You go, Super Mom.

Do you like this idea? Do you have your own good ideas for summer activities? If so, e-mail them to editor@schoolbox.com. If we publish them on A Learning Experience, you receive a $35 School Box gift card!

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Summer Learnin’ Part I: Fractions in the Kitchen!

Posted on May 31, 2010 by ecossick| 6 Comments

Comment on this post to receive a $20 School Box Gift Card!!! (Birthday presents, anyone???)

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

So, the kids are out of school. NOW what do you DO with them??

How about brushing up their math skills while having a blast in the kitchen? Cooking is one of the best ways to reinforce abstract math skills like fractions, greater than/less than, counting and measuring. So, go preheat the oven and grab the kiddos. It’s time to make something tasty while doing some summer learnin’.

The first step is to involve your kids in selecting a recipe that they’re motivated to make. Let them have a choice. (Choice is the best motivator! That…and chocolate. :) Below are some great online resources for children’s recipes…followed by a great recipe for blueberry muffins, just to get your creative juices flowing.

  1. Kidshealth.org ~ Includes a recipe index for kids, including children with special dietary needs. There’s even an auditory component, so pre-readers can listen to the recipe read aloud as they cook.
  2. Disney Family Fun ~ This site lists scores of kid-friendly recipes, all with photographs!
  3. Childrensrecipes.com ~ Cute site with some really yummy recipes, including some made for the good ol’ Easy Bake oven!

Berry Tasty Muffins

Recipe adapted from Kidshealth.org

Prep time: about 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 c. oatmeal
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 c. blueberries, washed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. milk
  • ¼ c. vegetable oil
  • nonstick cooking spray

Utensils:

  • oven (you’ll need help from your adult assistant)
  • mixing spoon
  • 2 large bowls
  • fork
  • muffin/cupcake tin
  • paper muffin/cupcake liners
  • wire rack for cooling muffins
  • measuring cups and spoons

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

3. Mix in blueberries.

4. In another bowl, break the egg and use a fork to beat it just a little bit. Then add the milk and vegetable oil, and mix.

5. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl.

6. Using a mixing spoon, mix about 25 or 30 times. Don’t mix too much! Your muffin mixture should be lumpy, not smooth.

7. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly spray with nonstick spray. Spoon in the muffin mix. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way up.

8. Bake for about 20 minutes.

9. When muffins are finished baking, remove from muffin tin and cool them on a wire rack.

10. Enjoy your berry tasty muffins!

Serves: 12

Serving size: 1 muffin

Nutritional analysis (per serving):
136 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g fat, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 18 mg cholesterol, 344 mg sodium, 86 mg calcium, 0.9 mg iron
Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

This is part one in a multi-part series on Summer Learnin’ projects to do with the kids at home!

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Posted in Math, Snack Time, Summer Learning, Uncategorized

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Slimed!! A fun summertime chemistry project

Posted on May 29, 2010 by ecossick| 1 Comment

Comment on this post and you could win a $20 School Box Gift Card! Three comments will win this week!

In Dr. Seuss’s classic Bartholomew and the Oobleck, oobleck is a green gluey slime that gums up the kingdom.

While our recipe won’t be quite as invasive as Dr. Seuss’s variety, it will still provide hours of entertainment and giggles for your children this summer.

Here’s how to make it!

Ingredients:

  • water
  • corn starch
  • food coloring (optional)

Steps:

1. Mix 1 cup water with 1.5 to 2 cups cornstarch. You may want to start with 1 cup of water and 1.5 cups of cornstarch, then gradually work in more cornstarch to achieve a thicker oobleck. You can begin mixing with a spoon, but you’ll probably switch to using your hands after a bit to get a more homogeneous result…plus, it’s more fun! Mix for about 10 minutes.

2. Mix in a couple drops of food color if you want dyed oobleck. And then enjoy your gooey goo!

The Chemistry Tie-In:

Oobleck is neither a true solid nor a true liquid. It is a type of non-Newtonian fluid called a dilatant.

The Literary Tie-In:

Read the Dr. Seuss original, of course!

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Posted in Academic Success, Reading, Science, Summer Learning, reluctant readers

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Our Fave Mommy-and-Me Beach Reads!

Posted on May 14, 2010 by ecossick| Comments Off

by Elizabeth Cossick, M.Ed.

There you sit, sand between your toes, enjoying the sun, the surf…and the fact that you can finally crack a book! To help you achieve beach Zen this summer, here are our favorite lit. picks—as well as award-winning books and activities to keep your kids engaged (and learning!) long enough for you to get past the first chapter.

Mommy Lit.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

The basic plot seems trite: Girl steals best friend’s fiancé. But, with Giffin’s witty narration and relatable characters, you’ll actually root for the cheaters!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Told through letters written by a cluster of characters in 1946, this enchanting novel shares the story of Guernsey Island’s Nazi occupation.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

The latest from Kinsella (Confessions of a Shopaholic), this is the tale of Lara, a girl who is visited by a fun-loving ghost from the 1920s. Kinsella-style hilarity ensues.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

An uplifting and compassionate tale about a Mississippi town in 1962, whose racial tensions are blown wide open when Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan publishes the stories of the town’s mistreated black maids. Soon to be a major motion picture from DreamWorks.

Kiddie Lit. (and Activities)

Summer Express, $14.99*
Give children a head start in school! Each workbook includes 100 ready-to-go, fun-filled math and literacy activity pages.

Hot Dots Flash Cards, $9.99*
These electronic, self-checking cards are great for reviewing math facts. And they’re (gasp!) lots of fun, too.

Carole Marsh Mysteries, $7.99*
Each adventure mystery in this series is set in a historical place, making history and geography really cool for kids.

Science Kits, $9.99*
These award-winning kits bring science to life with exciting, educational projects that have amazing results!

*Featured products are available at The School Box.

This article appeared in the spring issue of Little Black Dress/Little Red Wagon Magazine, page 26. Click here to see the original article, along with a printable coupon for 20% off one regular-priced item! (Coupon good through July 1, 2010).

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Posted in Games, Parenting, Reading, Science, Summer Learning, comprehension

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Summertime Learning (A List for Parents)

Posted on April 21, 2010 by ecossick| 2 Comments

Share this list of fun activities with parents to keep kiddos learning (and enjoying it!) all summer long.

by Elizabeth D. Cossick. M.Ed.

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! (One commenter will win!)

Math

  • For real-world math practice, cook together! Cooking is one of the most concrete ways to conceptualize fractions. To make it fun, sit down with your children and a stack of cookbooks, and take some time selecting fun recipes together. Let your child measure the ingredients, while you guide them in discussing fractions (“Look! 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup = 1 cup!”) Cooking is also a great lesson in greater-than/less-than and volume.
  • For more real-world practice with math, go shopping! Seriously, money is a wonderful way for students to practice counting…and decimals! Count out some money together, and write it in decimal form with your child. Then, go shopping to teach monetary values. (Nothing teaches the value of money faster than good ol’ fashioned capitalism!)

Writing

  • Keep a family scrapbook/journal of your summertime activities. Keep it simple. Purchase an empty journal or spiral notebook, and then take a photo (or have your child take a photo) of some of the things you do each week (even if it’s just playing at the pool). Print the picture, tape it into the journal, and then have your child write a caption. (Children can dictate the sentence to you if they’re “pre-writing,” or they can write a single sentence or a whole paragraph, depending on age and writing ability.) At the end of the summer, you’ll have a fun keepsake of your many adventures…and your child will have practiced creative writing on multiple topics–without even thinking about it!

Reading

  • Make reading fun by reading a novel together that has a corresponding movie. Read the book together, and then, to celebrate, roll out some sleeping bags, pop some popcorn, and watch the movie together! Some book titles that have movies: Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlotte’s Web, Holes, Hotel for Dogs, Inkheart, The Chronicles of Narnia.

Summertime is a great opportunity to show students that learning is fun and relevant. You can learn wherever, whenever– it certainly doesn’t take four walls and a textbook!

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Posted in Math, Reading, Summer Learning, Writing, reluctant readers

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Books for Reluctant Readers, Part III: Fifth Grade

Posted on March 16, 2010 by ecossick| 1 Comment

Welcome to a new series on finding books for reluctant readers! This four-part series will be divided by grade level, from kindergarten through sixth grades. For books for K-2, click here. For books for grades 3-4, click here.  by Elizabeth Cossick, M.Ed.

Leave a comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 School Box Gift Card!

Fifth grade is the grade when I discovered my first true literary love: The Babysitter’s Club. For the next three years, this series would provide my staple reading material; I seldom went anywhere without a copy in hand! The list of books below will hopefully provide the same love-at-first-read experience for a fifth-grader in your life. (Tip: This might be a good list to share with parents or send home for recommended summer reading, as well.)

Favorite Titles:

Jack Black and the Ship of Thieves by Carol Hughes

Perloo the Bold by Avi

Wild Man Island by Will Hobbs

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulson

The Janitor’s Boy by Andrew Clements

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques

Flight of the Eagles by Gilbert Morris

Door to the Dragon’s Throat by Frank Peretti

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

School Story by Andrew Clements

Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? By Jean Fritz

The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars Blue

Willow by Doris Gates

Jason’s Gold by Will Hobbs

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail by Elvira Woodruff

Call Me Francis Tuckett by Gary Paulsen

A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Because of Winn Dixie by Katie DiCamillo

Series/Authors:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

Trailblazer fictionalized biography series by Dave and Neta Jackson

The Seven Sleepers series by Gilbert Morris

Dear America and My Name Is America series by various authors

Star Wars and The New Jedi Order young adult fantasy series by Paul Davids and various authors

Any children’s books by:

• Katherine Paterson

• C.S. Lewis

• Gilbert Morris

Coming next in the series~ Part IV: Sixth Grade Book Picks

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Posted in Academic Success, Reading, Summer Learning, comprehension, reading aloud, reluctant readers

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Books for Reluctant Readers, Part II: Third-Fourth Grades

Posted on March 13, 2010 by ecossick| 4 Comments

Welcome to a new series on finding books for reluctant readers! This four-part series will be divided by grade level, from kindergarten through sixth grades. by Elizabeth Cossick, M.Ed.

Leave a comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 School Box Gift Card. One comment from this post WILL win!

There is a plethora of fantastic kid lit for children ages 8-10. In fact, I take it as a personal insult if I ever hear a child in third or fourth grades say that they hate to read. Nonsense! They just haven’t been introduced to some of these outstanding books, below. This list contains a book for nearly every personality and reading preference out there; I promise! (Tip: This might be a good list to share with parents or send home for recommended summer reading.)

Favorite Titles:

The King’s Equal by Katherine Paterson
Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant
Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Stuart Little by E.B. White
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Tucker’s Countryside by George Seldon
Chester Cricket’s New Home by George Seldon
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Clearly
Ramona Forever & Ramona’s World by Beverly Clearly
Skinnybones by Barbara Park
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
Because of Winn-Dixie by Katie DiCamillo
A View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Series/Authors:

Mandie series by Lois Gladys Leppard
Cul-de-Sac Kids series by Beverly Lewis
American Girl series by Susan Adler, et al
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobel
Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Cooper Kids Adventures series by Frank Peretti
Trailblazer fictionalized biography series by Dave and Neta Jackson
Any books by:
• Laura Ingalls Wilder • Bill Myers • Beverly Cleary • Andrew Clements

Next in the series~ Part III: Fifth Grade Book Picks

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Posted in Academic Success, Parenting, Reading, Summer Learning, Teaching, comprehension, reading aloud, reluctant readers

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Books for Reluctant Readers, Part I: Kindergarten-Second Grade

Posted on March 10, 2010 by ecossick| 7 Comments

Welcome to a new series on finding books for reluctant readers! This four-part series will be divided by grade level, from kindergarten through sixth grades. by Elizabeth Cossick, M.Ed.

Leave a comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 School Box Gift Card. One comment from this post WILL win!

I firmly believe that every child can and should love to read. If you have a reluctant reader on your hands, the key is to connect him or her to the right author or book.

Here are some great picks for your youngest readers:

I’ll Always Be Your Friend by Sam McBratney

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobell

The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble

Hedgie’s Surprise by Jan Brett

Mr. Pine’s Mixed-Up Signs by Leonard Kessler

Poppleton Everyday by Cynthia Rylant

Series/Authors

Marvin Redpost series by Louis Sachar

Arthur books by Marc Brown

Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish

Cul-de-Sac Kids series by Beverly Lewis

Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Any books by: Dr. Seuss • Cynthia Rylant • Syd Hoff • Eric Carle

Next in the series~ Part II: Third-Fourth Grade Book Picks

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Posted in Parenting, Reading, Summer Learning, Teaching, comprehension, reading aloud, reluctant readers

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