Summer is coming up and I know we are all excited about having more time with our kids. Being an educator, I actually get to spend the whole summer with mine. I also have to begin wondering how I am going to keep my kids entertained. If any of you are like me, I prefer not to have my kids sit idly all summer and not be productive. I also believe in the summer learning loss concept, where students tend to lose a significant amount of academic learning during the summer. So as I try to keep my kids entertained, I also try to keep them academically stimulated without sending them to “summer school.” The key is to place it in a fun environment where they are almost learning without knowing. I am going to share with you some ideas that might be helpful if you also want to keep your kids stimulated. I intended to organize them according to accessibility, cost efficiency, and in some cases parent tolerance; but, it may vary by location for some.

1. Good old fashion memory games, card games, board games.
2. Homemade experiments
3. Learning programs on television (play along)
4. Learning games on the computer, tablet or phone
5. Science games from the toy section of local store
6. Book clubs or summer reading clubs
7. Summer camps
8. Environmental excursions (parks, zoos, wildlife refuges).
9. Discovery learning centers on vacation

Here are a few things to remember about when learning occurs; it happens when it is tied to emotions (fun, happiness), when it is active (hands-on, real-world, real time), and when it is discovered (new ideas, out of comfort zone).  Keep these in mind as you plan your own activities. There are certainly tons of different ideas out there and more to be created!