Book Bonanza
Take a trip to the library! Help your child sign up for a library card (if she doesn’t have one already). Find out what events are coming up—lots of libraries have storytime or crafts planned! Encourage older children to ask the librarian for help making summer reading lists, and then check out 1 or 2 books on the list.
(Fun Fact: Libraries from 5,000 years ago had collections of clay tablets instead of books!
Tally the Score
Go to a local sporting event, such as a baseball game, and bring a clipboard and paper. Show your child how to keep score by using a tally system. Count up the tallies. Who won the game? By how many points?
(Fun Fact: The Baseball Hall of Fame opened on June 12, 1939.)
It’s an Alphabet Picnic
Don’t just have a picnic—have an “alphabet” picnic! Invite family and friends…you can even send out invitations if you’d like! Assign each guest one of your favorite letters, and then ask them to bring items that begin with their letter. For example, if someone is assigned the letter “P,” he can bring peaches or pretzels to the picnic!
(Fun Fact: International Picnic Day is celebrated every June 18!)
Fun at the Supermarket
Let your child help you make a list of groceries before you go to the store. Work with younger children to cut pictures of food out of magazines or ads, and then glue them to your list. Bring the list to the store, and help your child check off each item as you put it in the cart. Ask him to count how many total items you’re buying. Ask older children to check the prices of items, and then figure out which costs the most—and which costs the least.
(Fun Fact: The first self-service grocery store opened in Memphis, Tennessee, on Sept. 6, 1916. Before that, people gave written orders to clerks, who then took the items from the shelves!)
Collector’s Corner
Help your child start a collection! Ask what she might want to collect. Some good ideas for first collections are rocks, shells, stamps, buttons, or coins. Encourage recycling by storing the collection in a reusable item, such as a yogurt or clay-dough container. When your child has at least 20 items in her collection, practice sorting the collection by different characteristics such as size, color, or shape.
(Fun Fact: The most expensive stamps to collect are worth more than $1,000,000!)
When I Grow Up…
Ask your child what he wants to be when he grows up. Then, try to set up an interview with someone from your community who does that job! For example, if your child wants to be a veterinarian, help him make a list of questions about the job. Call your local vet and plan a visit during which your child can ask his questions. (Most people will be excited to share information about their jobs!) Afterwards, help your child write a thank-you letter to the person you visited.
(Fun Fact: Most people in the United States work 2,000 hours or more a year!)
Hunting for Shapes
Go on a shape hunt! Before starting, review what each basic shape looks like with your child. Then, take a clipboard and paper and search your neighborhood for shapes. Are there rectangular windows or circular doorknobs on your neighbors’ houses? Keep track of the shapes you see. How many of each shape did you find? Which shape did you find the most of? (You can do a variety of other fun “hunts,” such as number hunts, letter hunts, word hunts, and so on.)
(Fun Fact: The most common shape in nature is the circle!)
Make a Shape Sandwich
At lunch, cut sandwich bread into different shapes. Make sure you have at least two of each shape. Ask your child to help you put the sandwiches together. Match the shape pairs and put your child’s favorite filling (such as cheese or peanut butter) in between.
(Fun Fact: The sandwich got its name from John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, an 18th century English nobleman.)
Count Your Steps
Go to a local park and find a large, flat, open space. A basketball court works best, but any flat surface will do. Choose starting and ending points, and then have your child walk between them using regular steps, counting each one. How many steps did she count? Now, have her walk the distance using baby steps. How many steps did she count this time? Next, try skipping. How many steps did she count? Can your child think of any other ways to walk? Ask your child why it took more baby steps than regular steps to cover the distance.
(Fun Fact: Ashrita Furman of New York walked more than 80 miles…with a bottle of milk on his head!)
Watch Them Grow
Before starting, get a small plastic sandwich bag, a few cotton balls, and 2 or 3 dry, uncooked lima beans. Help your child get the cotton balls damp (make sure they aren’t too wet). Place the cotton balls in the plastic bag. Put the beans on one side of the cotton balls. Tape the bag to a sunny window, with the beans on the side that faces the sun. Over the next week, observe the lima beans and watch what happens!
(Fun Fact: Lima beans have been grown in Peru for thousands of years. They get their name from the capital of Peru—Lima!)
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