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Productive Activities to Do During the School Holidays

Routines are best for creating an atmosphere of learning in the home. Continuing regular routines through the holidays can be challenging but keeps kids engaged in learning and focused on a routine that will help them keep good habits and is the least disruptive to your student’s schedule when they return back to school.

Here are 10 activities that you can do at home that will keep your students engaged in learning throughout the Holidays.

1. Finish up any unfinished learning

   1. Students will continue to have access to their online learning systems throughout the holidays. Students can take this opportunity to get caught up with their assignments or get a head start on learning for after the holidays.

2. Go on a Typing Adventure using Typing Agent in Classlink

   1. This app has typing lessons and it has much more than just learning to type. There are games, adventures and digital citizenship lessons. To get started just choose the activity you would like to know more about.

3. Read - So many places to find e-books to read in Classlink

   1. Epic Books! In Classlink

      1. Just remember that Epic is only available during school hours unless you subscribe to Epic at home.

   2. Fort Vancouver Library eBooks through the Overdrive and Libby apps in Classlink

      1. Overdrive app for Kids or Teens - Each of our students is issued a library card to check out digital books. To find your library card, search your student’s gmail account for FVRL. Check out these instructions for logging in to Overdrive.

      2. Libby for Overdrive App is a more user friendly version of Overdrive. Students will need to log in with their library card number (found in gmail) and password (the year they were born).

   3. Home Choice Academy ebooks library- Yes! We have ebooks that you can check out from HCA on your chromebook. Follow these instructions on how to check out ebooks from HCA.

   4. K12 Users can read in the Big Universe Library located in the K12 Learning Management System. To access the Big Universe Library, students log into K12 and click on resources in the sidebar menu on the left.

4. Field Trips

   1. In Person field trips in our area - This website from the Homeschool Mom is chock full of field trips in the Vancouver Areas.

   2. When you can’t go on and in person field trip or would like to go somewhere far away. Check out this list of sites from WeAreTeachers.

5. Digital Arcades

   1. iReady - Log into iReady from Classlink. Along the bottom menu, click on games.

   2. Typing Agent - Log into Typing Agent from Classlink. Click on the Games button.

   3. Stride Learning - The Stride Arcade in K12 is full of games that will propel students forward in Math and Language Arts. Follow these quick to follow instructions to access the Stride Arcade in K12.

6. Learn a New Language

   1. Visit these websites and learn a new language:

      1. Duolingo

      2. Babbel

      3. BBC Languages

7. Volunteer

   1. Check out this list of volunteer opportunities from the City of Vancouver

8. Improve Physical Health

   1. Get up and exercise daily

   2. Challenge yourself to do the following:

      1. Do 15 pull-ups in 30 seconds

      2. Do 50 push-ups in 1 minute

      3. Do 60 sit-ups in 1 minute

      4. Run a mile under 7 minutes

      5. Hold a plank for 2 minutes

9. Develop Healthy Habits

   1. These are possible habits to develop over the holidays:

      1. Daily Reflection

      2. Reading for 15 minutes before bed

      3. Keep a gratitude journal

      4. Get and Keep a regular sleep schedule

      5. Drink more water

10. Connect with Family and Friends

    1. The holidays are the best time to visit with friends and family members that you don’t spend much time with during the school year.

       1. Send them a card

       2. Make a visit date

       3. Send a text or email to show them that you’re thinking of them.