Summer is here and how many of us continue to keep up some learning with our kids? It’s easy really. My kids are at a couple weeks of day camps and the older is going for one week at an overnight camp this summer. We are also planning a couple of short family trips and just some weeks of downtimes with no concrete plans.
So, what are ways to continue learning without making it seem like a chore?? This is what we do on low-key days…
1. Take at least 15 minutes – half hour of reading.
2. 10 minutes of Kumon for my younger one is a must actually everyday.
3. Some visual art (I’m an artist so it seems to be a natural interest to my boys) – older one likes to draw and the younger one likes to paint. So, we’ve started sifting through books for visual inspirations and plan on working on a fresh canvas next week. Our last one was inspired by a book my 7 year old had read at school. He decide to recreate the cover on a large canvas that now hangs in his room.
4. Lego whenever they are inspired.
5. Computer or video games (their choice)
6. outside time/friends time
WAIT..I know…yes, I’m fine with computer/video games. That’s when I get on here to write to you, after all. But there are great options out there that are fun and educational.
TVOKIDS recently launched two free education game APPS and my kids had a chance to “test drive” them last week at their head offices. Hop, Frog, Hop! and Ribbit, Frog, Ribbit! were designed in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) to increase a child’s capacity to learn.
Formal research was conducted on the two games and were found to help improve a child’s working memory – a brain function essential to learning across all subject areas and in particular math.
“In a crowded market for kids apps, TVOKids‘ rigorous game development process and formal research set us apart and allow us to create resources like Hop, Frog, Hop! and Ribbit, Frog, Ribbit! that have a direct impact on our children’s learning,” said Pat Ellingson, TVO’s Creative Head of Children’s Media. “Our commitment to research is part of the reason TVOKids is considered the most trusted and most educational children’s media brand in Canada.”
The two frog-themed APPS are available for free download from iTunes on tablet devices.
The games are also available online at TVOKids.com – perfect not only for the home but also for road trips and the cottage!
The games feature colour frog characters and the games challenge players to match patterns or follow music note sequences that increase in complexity as the player improves. These fun and challenging memory games were created for children ages six to nine…but a great brain work out for all ages!
Perfect for those lazy days of summer down times and road trips!
So, do you try and continue some educational stuff with your kids over the summer and what do they do?
This post is written by me and is based on my experience. It is not sponsored nor have I been compensated. Sometimes I’m invited to events and will share the experience if it’s of interest to our readers.
Also check out our new release Splash Math summer review app for kids. http://bit.ly/OK607H
So good to see the images I took online, was a fun event.
I just want my eight year old to keep reading this summer – he needs to catch up with English, and I don’t want his French to ebb too far away over the summer either. I’ll try not to make it a chore, but he’ll need at least 30 minutes a day… we’ll see!!
I hope you and your boys have a blast this summer, Sonya!!