Whether you’re visiting another town, exploring your own ‘hood, or hanging out in the backyard, here are six super adventurous ways to incorporate literacy skills into your summer vacation.
- Learn About the World: Going on a trip? Challenge kids to pay attention to more than just the hotel pool and the theme park. Before leaving town, work together to make a list of questions about the place you’re going to visit. Or download mine! I created My Adventure Travel and Learn Pack to encourage my own kids to think as they travel. I want my kids to wonder about other places and notice what makes each spot unique and important. I don’t know about you, but sometimes we get so busy vacationing that we forget to slow down and think about where we are. Challenge kids to dig in and find as many answers as they can!
- Get Up Close: Grab a magnifying glass, a notepad and a pencil. Examine all sorts of everyday objects from up close. This is great for vacations too. The supplies are small and packable, and it makes a good leg-stretching activity at rest stops or parks. Describe what you see. Make a list of objects and categorize them according to their attributes. Find something you’ve never really looked at before. Write about it!
- Do it Yourself: When you’re at home, visit DIY.org and learn to do something new. Learn to make your own bow and arrow, tie cool knots or make jewelry by following the directions presented in DIY videos. When you’re finished you can share what you’ve learned. -Awesome practice for following and communicating step-by-step directions.
- Fix Something: Think of something that needs to be fixed and see what you can do to fix it. Is there a problem with litter at your neighborhood park? Make signs or get neighborhood kids to pledge to pick up trash when they see it.
- Break Something: Take something apart to see how it’s made. Make notes and draw pictures as you work so you can attempt to put it back together or explain it to someone else. Maybe a baseball or an already-broken clock?
- And last but not least, read an adventure! Summer is for vacationing, exploring and relaxing, and a good story can help you do it all from the comfort of your lounge chair or the seat of an airplane! Make a family reading plan that includes as many great adventure stories as you can possibly squeeze in before September. Some of our favorite adventures: Gregor the Overlander, Hatchet, City of Ember, Holes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and of course, Harry Potter! (Affiliate links) I also like these lists from The Jenny Evolution: 50+ Amazing Adventure Chapter Books for Boys and 50+ Great Adventure Chapter Books for Girls.
Happy adventuring!
If you’d like more ways to incorporate learning into your vacation plans this summer, check out the other posts in this Summer Learning series: