The summer vacations are here and you know that it won’t take long
before your students are ready for action. There are some things that
you can do that won’t cost a fortune and will provide your family
with fun activities.
Star gazing
Take a drive out of the city and pack a blanket or some camping chairs,
a picnic dinner and your smart phones. Download an app to help you identify
constellations and then head out to a picturesque natural setting. You
can enjoy the setting sun while snacking on your picnic dinner. Once the
sun sets, hold your smart phones up to the heavens. Your GPS will track
your position and help you identify the constellations and stars that
you can see. You can download apps for stargazing
here.
International food festival
Take out an atlas and ask your students to show you where different countries
are. Pick a country to explore each week. You can play a game to find
a country like pin the tail on the country or each sibling gets a turn
to pick a country. Then find recipes from each country that your students
can help you to cook. Cooking is a great life skill for students to master
while reading recipes helps them to practice their reading skills. Following
recipes is great practice for lab work and its fun too! This is a great
way for students to learn about other cultures and cuisines.
Blanket forts
This is a great activity for a rainy day which you are never too old to
enjoy. Think big by converting your living area to an indoor fort city.
Furnish your indoor blanket fort with comfortable cushions and a picnic
dinner. Plan activities that will keep older students engaged like board
games, or bring your laptop in and watch a movie. You can also tell scary
stories or listen to audio books.
Trivia night
This activity takes some preparation, but if your students are old enough,
it’s a great way to keep them busy. Invite a couple of families
for games night. Pick a couple of students to be the game masters. They
must compile general trivia questions over a set number of categories
like sports, history, literature, pop culture etc. They should also create
answer sheets for each round (5-8 rounds work best). Families make up
a team and get to answer questions in each round and the family with the
most points wins the game.
You don’t have to go on vacation to have a good time in the summer;
just a little planning will ensure an action packed summer that’s
fun for the whole family.
