Water Fun

It's hot outside- so get out the sprinkler and water table and have some fun!  Give the kids squirt guns and have them squeeze the triggers (great hand/finger strengthening and eye-hand coordination).  Put containers into a water table and have them pour water back and forth.  Squirt them with water guns and watch them run (gross motor).  Outside water fun is great fun for everyone.

Looking for something to do with all that bubble wrap?  Paint with it.   Simply apply paint to the bubble wrap and push a piece of paper on top of it, pushing down all over the paper to get the paint on it.  You can use one color, or many different colors to make a picture.  Give it a try!

Rainbow fish art

Here's an easy but super cute and fun one... Color a fish with water based markers, then use a squirt bottle to wet it (that's the fun part), then glue a piece of tin foil on it for a shiny scale!

Try this craft with your kids.  Make a duck using a paper plate and construction paper.  They can either paint or color the body and older kids can draw and cut out the circle head.  Snip the tail to make "feathers".

Summer home work

School is either out, or soon to be out, for kids.  Summer is a fun, relaxing time, meant to recharge everyone's batteries after the long, difficult school year.  It is important for kids, and adults, to take this time to have fun in the sun and socialize with friends and family.  Go to the pool or park; go on vacation to your favorite destination and just RELAX!  Have a great summer, everyone!
That said, we want to remind everyone that, although summer is supposed to be fun and relaxing, kids can loose almost 1/3 of their knowledge over summer break if not properly stimulated.  Older kids need to read every day.  Go to the library and let the kids pick out the books they want to read.  It does not matter if the book is a step below their reading level, as long as they enjoy it and read it.  Children who can not yet read may enjoy going to the library for story time (most offer these). Parents should read to younger children every day.  Preschoolers should be encouraged to practice their coloring and tracing, as well as cutting skills.  Don't be afraid to give a preschooler children's scissors to cut with (under direct supervision, of course).  Like I tell the parents of my preschool clients- I am not aware of any preschooler cutting off a finger with a pair of children's scissors.  Have the preschooler color with chalk on the driveway.  Allow him/her to help when you make dinner.  Older children can do the measuring when making dinner, or, if old enough, maybe they will make the family dinner (with supervision).  And, don't forget the math skills over the summer.

So, while summer is supposed to be a time of fun and relaxation, it is also important to spend a little time each day practicing what they learned this past year, so don't start next school year already behind.
Enjoy your summer!

String art

Have fun painting- use string to make stripes on a zebra.  Just dip the end into paint and swish it across a picture of a zebra.  Looks cool, and kids love to paint using string.

Glue dot idea

Here is an idea to teach kids how to make a glue dot. It seems that most kids squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze a glue bottle until someone makes them stop.  Children have a difficult time understanding how to just make a dot.  Try this- put hole page hole protectors onto a paper and tell the kids to put dots inside the holes.  May take a few times for them to completely grasp the idea, but it gives them some tangible way to understand the idea of a dot.