Summer can be a great time to take all of the skills taught this year and use them in every day experiences. It is highly encouraged to work with your child throughout the summer to prevent the "summer slide". If you are unaware of "summer learning loss" you can find on the Internet lots of research which finds that students can lose 1+ months of learning if they are not engaged in activities in the summer to help support the learning they did this year. Below you will find links to ideas to help prevent the summer slide. Have a great summer!!!

• You can access your child's STMath and Raz-Kids account throughout the summer. If you need the links please click on the Technology page on this website.
• Reading with your child is a very powerful tool! The Oceanside Library has a summer reading program with incentives to help your child continue to read and learn through the summer. The Oceanside library website is: http://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/lib/kids/default.asp

Reading and Writing Ideas

• Watching TV with the sound off and closed captioning on is a great way for your child to enjoy their favorite show, while practicing their reading skills.
• Reading directions for how to play a new game is another fun reading activity.
• Helping with meals by having your child create a grocery list, finding things in the grocery store, and reading the recipe aloud for mom or dad during cooking time is a fun and great way to incorporate both reading and writing this summer.
• Follow this link for some great writing ideas for the summer: http://www.startwithabook.org/summer-writing#nature
• Get Active! Kids who participate in community service activities gain new skills, self-confidence, self-esteem, and lots of things to write about.
• Keeping a reading calendar with stickers can be a great way to keep your child reading! You can find one at this link for June and July https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/calendars

Math Idea

• Having fun with math concepts is what summer is all about. Here are some ideas on this site: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/diy-summer-math-camp/
• The car is the best place for spontaneous learning. Practice counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's to see how far it takes you to get to the next street light, your destination, etc. You can also play ISpy and find shapes, numbers, and all sorts of other math concepts.
• When your child is playing with their toys play with them and create number stories. "I had 12 cars, and then 6 more zoomed up to the starting line...how many cars are in the race?"

Science Ideas

• Summer and science go hand in hand. Here are some ideas of things to do this summer. Don't forget though to not just do the experiment, but always have your child talk about what they "notice", and have them predict and help explain "why". Science needs to be very verbal so children can develop their critical thinking and understanding. http://lemonlimeadventures.com/must-try-summer-science-activities-for-kids/
• Engineering and building is something we did all school year and is something I hope you continue to do with your child for years to come. My favorite way to incorporate it is through stories. Here are ideas for your child to problem solve and build over the summer using fairy tales:
  • Jack and the Beanstalk: Build an escape route for Jack
  • Chicken Little: Build something to protect Chicken Little in case the sky starts falling
  • Little Red Riding Hood: Build a basket to carry breakfast to Grandma
  • The Three Little Pigs: Build a house to protect the pig from the wolf
  • Any other favorite storybook you have! Find a problem in the story and have your child build and come up with a solution!
• Makerspace at home! To work on creating and engineering great ideas at home all you need is a box, tape, and cardboard! I find my tape at the dollar tree and use recyclables for cardboard!

Social Studies Ideas

• Thursday, June 14th is flag day. Spend the day work on making a homemade flag using construction paper or coloring pages to hang in the window.
• Look for information for the Oceanside 4th of July parade (it does not always happen on the 4th). Make a family trip to the parade and talk about the meaning of the holiday.
• Show your child a paper map and have them draw lines where the streets are. Have your child create their own city map with paper.