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Summer Reading Programs for Kids

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It has been said that kids can “lose” some of what they learned during the school year if they don’t practice those skills while on summer vacation. Summer reading programs can inspire kids to read books during the months when school is out. Your child could benefit from participating in a Summer reading program. Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program This Summer reading program began in May and will end on September 5, 2017. Children need to fill out a Summer Reading Journal (which can be printed from the Barnes & Noble website in English or in Spanish). Kids must … Continue reading →

Learning Social Skills in the Summer

Nothing has plagued the homeschooling movement more than the idea that a child, who is not immersed in a traditional classroom setting, would be deficient in social skills.  In fact, some families have shunned the idea of educating their children at home because they feel the choice would turn their kids into social outcasts. This is a complete fallacy. There are a myriad of opportunities for homeschooled children to learn how to get along with their peers, though, summer often provides the most varied choices.  Some of the most popular include: Camps:  Some homeschool co-ops organize their own summer camps, … Continue reading →

Make the Most of Summer Travel

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Whether you homeschool year-round or take time off during the summer months don’t let the season of sunny days fly by without a few fun lessons. Family road trips are the ideal vehicle for hands-on learning.  Rather than allow your kids to blow travel time watching movies, playing video games or annoying their siblings have them master geography using colorful flashcards or practice math facts using your vehicle’s odometer and mile markers along the highway. By involving the entire family in some interactive “car-schooling” your kids will have the states and capitals memorized in no time.  To test your children’s memory … Continue reading →

Cheaper Summer Camps

Stifling temperatures plus bored kids are not a good combination. Sending them to summer camp may be one option to keep them entertained and learning over the summer, but summer camp can certainly get expensive. If you are on a budget, you can look for cheaper options. Day Camps If you do some research, chances are that you will find a number of affordable day camps for your kids. Everything from ice skating to soccer to theater. Check local businesses (dance studios will sponsor dance camps, gyms may have rock climbing camps, etc), local townships and boroughs (residents usually get … Continue reading →

Free Boredom Busters for Summer

Monday was the last day of school for our kids, and they “escaped” school, eager for some fun. While their friends all headed off the camp the very next day, it was left to me to make sure that each day had some new adventure planned, all while keeping house and working from home. Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources to help me. Our local community, for example, provides a number of free and low-cost activities. On Tuesday, the kids learned about cave painting and created their own art through a library program, and they also got to … Continue reading →

Take Them Camping

Summer is almost officially over. Labor day is just around the corner. Are you doing anything fun? As a single mother money is always tight but I still like to take little trips with Hailey. Everyone needs to get away and one final weekend trip to end the summer is always welcome. When I first got divorced I was scared to go camping alone. I’m not sure what I was afraid of but I had to bite the bullet and do it, it was really the only thing I could afford to do. Taking kids camping is always fun as … Continue reading →

Spice Up Summer Memories

Learning how to boogie board is a summer memory my young daughter won’t soon forget. It will be even easier for her to remember given the multiple page scrapbook layouts I created showcasing her attempts to ride to shore. As I mentioned in a previous post, it is not hard to spice up summer page designs given all of the amazing beach-themed embellishments available in stores and online. You can find everything from glitter sunglasses and 3D beach umbrella stickers to fake sand and die cuts in the shape of bathing beauties and breaking waves. Another way to jazz up … Continue reading →

Summer Reading Series: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Summer and learning. For most kids, the two don’t go hand in hand. Fortunately, if you disguise the lessons with a fun-filled feline adventure, you can likely avoid summer brain drain. That’s where Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons comes in handy. The eye-popping picture book written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean combines reading, math, music and slew of helpful life skills in a delightful tale featuring a laid-back cat with a passion for wearing button-down shirts. Thanks to Pete’s panache for crafting catchy tunes your kids won’t even realize they are getting schooled in … Continue reading →

Free Fun in the Sun!

It’s summertime. I am finally out of school for a few weeks and Logan and I are taking advantage of it! We have been playing and playing hard! There are so many things I want to do with him before school starts up and our time is limited again. But, as all single parents know, money doesn’t grow on trees, so we are forced to get a little creative with our fun since so many activities cost money these days. Logan loves to be outside. I’d love to be able to put him in all of the summer sports camps, … Continue reading →

Hands-On Summer Learning

Just because your kids are not enrolled in summer school doesn’t mean that learning should be put on hold until September. My 7-year-old has no desire to spend her summer days cooped up in a classroom; however, that hasn’t stopped her from gaining new skills since she bid farewell to second grade weeks ago. In fact, thanks to a slew of educational programs run by various organizations, my daughter is more enthused about learning than she has been in months. One of the highlights of her summer, the construction of a wood birdhouse, thanks to Home Depot’s Kids Workshops. The … Continue reading →