6 Summer Learning Activities
How can you encourage learning activies, promote problem-solving, and boost confidence in a fun way during summer breaks? Whether you are a parent or a tutor, bridging the summer gap with summer learning activities for kids is probably something you have wondered about. Where do you find summer learning activities that are more fun than a big workbook? How do you engage students in practical activities that are meaningful and fun? How do you avoid the “summer learning slide” and the “I’m bored” complaints? Look no further! Here are 6 educational summer learning activities to help parents and tutors offer educational enrichment in addition to plenty of time to read books. 6 Summer Learning Activities Real World Projects (project-based learning – design a pet-sitting business or ice cream shop or a mini golf course or social media for national parks) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shelly-Rees/Category/127822-PBL-Project-Based-Learning-352924 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Digital-Divide-And-Conquer Digital Escape Rooms/Scavenger Hunts https://www.tailorjoy.com/digital-escape-rooms/ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lindsay-Bowden-Secondary-Math/Category/Scavenger-Hunts-384810 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Digiline-Co/Category/-TREASURE-HUNT-CARDS-658675 Reading Contests/Book Clubs https://www.tailorjoy.com/backyard-book-clubs/ https://www.tailorjoy.com/summer-reading-log-printable https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse/free?search=summer%20reading%20challenge Visit your public library Field Trips (virtual or in-person) https://freedomhomeschooling.com/virtual-field-trips/ Life Skills (cooking, laundry, car care, grocery shopping, etc.) https://www.tailorjoy.com/10-life-skills-for-the-launching-years/ Start a family business (sports lessons, tutoring, kids cooking, yard work, car detailing, etc.) https://www.tailorjoy.com/business-basics/ There are so many…
Teachers Pay Teachers Review
What quality educational resource do you wish you could add to your teacher or tutor toolkit? Teachers Pay Teachers, an online marketplace, is a powerful educational resource for teachers, tutors, and parents powered by educators. Instead of a few supplemental activities that only go with one particular curriculum, imagine the whole teacher supply store, your favorite teacher’s file cabinet, data-driven best practices resources, creative ideas, pretty things, suggestions for every topic under the sun, and the homeschool curriculum conference all in one place! That is Teachers Pay Teachers in a nutshell. What is TPT? I discovered this online resource while teaching elementary school and it became even more useful when I started my tutoring business. I knew how to teach the topics, but I was willing to purchase some fun original educational resources or extension activities for my summer school lessons. With over 9 million resources, this is a treasure trove for buyers and sellers of original educational resources. Teachers may need to fill gaps in the curriculum, post anchor charts, or create warm-up material. There are lesson plans, games, flashcards, room decorations, speech therapy activities, assessments, special education resources, seasonal themes, worksheets, projects, foreign languages, ESL, task cards, classroom…
Cure Senioritis in 4 Steps
When was the last time you got a case of senioritis? What is senioritis and how can you cure senioritis? Senioritis is defined as a decrease in motivation and academic performance at the end of the senior year of high school when the college acceptance letters and final exam exemptions begin arriving. We all know that it’s much broader than that and senioritis strikes older and younger students alike. Even teachers and parents can get a case of the “I don’t care anymore” attitude when the summer vacation or job change is just around the corner. Spring fever is a similar attitude where students lose focus in the classroom because they can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the longer days. They have a “let’s just get this done quickly” mentality. Here are 4 steps to cure senioritis and spring fever and finish the school year strong, plus more resources for additional reading. Go outside This is a game-changer. Did you know that spending 20 minutes a day outside will make you healthier, more productive, and lower your stress level? Whether you are the student, the teacher, or the parent, take some time to go outside each day. Put a…
Collecting Useful Tutoring Resources
Looking for tutoring resources to use with clients? Need online tutoring resources? Just getting started tutoring? Only have materials at one grade level? Want resources for summer learning or homeschooling? Don’t worry! I’ve got tutoring resources, freebies, and tips for organizing your resources. Invest in quality materials Whether you are just setting up your tutoring business or you are looking for more materials, invest in quality materials you can use for multiple clients. Investigate the internet for low-cost or free tutoring resources such as worksheets, printable reference sheets, online review games, and tutorials, but also be willing to invest in your business and your clients. Sometimes paid products can save you time and money and are worth the investment. Look at online market places like Teachers Pay Teachers or Etsy or use search engines like Pinterest. Did you know that TPT shops all list at least 1 free resource? Invent a reference system Invent a list of tutoring resources by subject or grade level for quick reference. Old school was a tall file cabinet. Now it’s a slide in your Google slide deck or a basket of supplies for your tutoring desk. However you store them, I suggest keeping…
How to make kombucha at home with 3 ingredients
How do you feel about the rising prices of kombucha? Get a scoby, some tea, and some sugar, and for a fraction of the cost you can make kombucha at home with 3 ingredients. Kombucha and other fermented foods continue to rise in popularity although they have been around forever. The prices are also on the rise which is what made me look into making kombucha at home and how I discovered the ultimate resource. Learn how to make kombucha at home In my quest to learn how to make kombucha at home, I came across The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea by Hannah Crum and Alex LeGory at my local library. Of all the resources I found, this one has been my favorite and the most helpful. Each one of my questions, from recipes to fermentation time, has been answered by the Kombucha Mama. It truly is the “one go-to resource for all things kombucha.” Learn to troubleshoot and branch out From brewing techniques to flavor combinations to troubleshooting, to how to travel internationally with your scoby (helpful for my future plans for international scoby hotels startups), to highlights of…
Start Watercolor Painting in 7 Steps
When was the last time you picked up a paintbrush? How to start watercolor painting Brushing transparent watercolor paints onto a fresh white piece of paper and watching them slowly blend towards a design has been more rewarding and easier than I imagined. Start watercolor painting in 7 steps. The supplies and timeframe are minimal. It’s a hobby that you can easily do with just a little free time yet the rewards are big. Imagine spending a few minutes painting a birthday card for a friend rather than spending the same time driving to the store and buying one, or making personalized framable art for your family at Christmas. I do not think of myself as especially talented when it comes to art, but I do have particular art styles that I gravitate towards. I stumbled across the work of Emily Lex and discovered she had watercolor paint workbooks and an online course. I was intrigued. I purchased them and got started a few weeks later. I love her spot illustrations! Keep reading to see a photo of some tiny cards I made during the first few months of my journey. The course was particularly helpful to a novice like…
Benefits of Sustained Silent Reading
When was the last time you read silently for enjoyment? Whether your child has a love of reading or not, there are many benefits of sustained silent reading including developing a love for books and an increased ability to maintain silent reading for the length of time needed for end-of-year testing. Plus, reading takes the reader on adventures and increases knowledge. It’s never too late for someone to become a reader. In my experience, reluctant readers spend more time practicing test-taking skills but not enough time practicing sustained reading for the length of the end-of-year tests. They lose stamina part way through the test and things go downhill from there. Our culture is quick and on the go and when a reading passage is more than a page long, students groan. If it’s several pages long, they tune out after the first one or just skip to the questions and then spend time hunting for answers in a passage they never read, missing the nuances of the test and the complexities of comprehension. Does this sound like a child you know? Whether it is called DEAR (Drop Everything and Read), SSR (Sustained Silent Reading), Quiet Time, or DIRT (Daily…
4 Games for Multi-Step Direction Practice
How often are you frustrated that your child cannot remember all the things you asked them to do at bedtime or breakfast? Skills for Following Directions Multi-step direction practice can positively impact the skills needed to follow directions. Executive functioning development begins at a young age and continues into the 20’s and 30’s. Executive functioning skills, simply put, are the ones that work together to help people process and follow directions to complete simple and complex tasks in daily life. These skills include working memory, attention, planning, and time management. It is very normal for children to have difficulty remembering multi-step directions, especially if their attention is focused elsewhere including another task they are working on. There are a few activities you can do to make a game of improving a child’s ability to follow short verbal multi-step directions such as getting ready for bed or following the steps to complete an assignment in the classroom. Verbal Directions Some verbal directions are simple (hang up your coat and wash your hands) and some are more complex (for your homework agenda – your test is on the 19th and your book report is due the following Friday). Playing games to…
4 Strategies to Achieve Goals
Why is it so hard to achieve New Year’s Resolutions? I recently read this headline “Studies Show 91 Percent of Us Won’t Achieve Our New Year’s Resolutions. How to Be the 9 Percent That Do Four Strategies That the 9 Percent of Successful Goal-Achievers Do Consistently Well” and immediately wanted to read the productivity article on how to achieve goals. Not only have many people already given up on their goals, but it’s a chronic problem EVERY January. So how do those of us who set reasonable and realistic goals achieve them? If we want to declutter our house or change our eating habits this year, how do we set ourselves up for success? According to the article by INC, these are the four strategies to achieve goals. Set specific and challenging goals Set goals you want to pursue with relentless drive and passion Get a support system Focus on smaller goals to hit your big goal It makes sense. Make good goals. Be passionate about your goals. Get some accountability. Divide your big goals into smaller, achievable ones. Whether you made New Year’s Resolutions or not, you probably have some goals you’d like to accomplish in the next year…
10 Read Aloud Books for Babies
What is your earliest memory of read aloud books? It’s never too early to start reading to your kids or grandkids, but you may not know where to start. Here are a few tips on how to read books to babies and a book list of 10 read aloud books for babies. Some of my favorite book memories include my mom reading aloud to my kids on vacations and my daughter asking for books at her baby shower. Reading is such an important skill to model and teach. Children who are read aloud to have a head start on learning language skills and vocabulary. It is important for little ones to hear the language and the rhythm and rhymes of read-alouds. It helps establish routines, emotional learning, and bonding. Babies’ attention span might only be a page at a time but do not give up the practice of read aloud books for babies. How to read books to babies Choose books that have large and simple pictures of familiar items. Books designed with stiff, thicker pages are easier to handle at this age or can be propped up at tummy time. Books that are vinyl or cloth are also good…