One of the arguments against year-round schools is that “kids need a break.” But isn’t it ironic that by the end of July, we see articles in newspapers or blogs on the topic of what to do when kids say they’re bored?
Schools often send home a summer reading list. But you can go beyond this with suggestions for inexpensive resources and science-based activities that parents (or other caregivers) can suggest for children or ones that they can all do together. Many teachers put these suggestions on their own websites or on the school website, in addition to sending notes home. The advantage of teacher suggestions (rather than generic ones in the newspaper) is that they can be tailored to a specific age group and connected to the school curriculum.
Get Ready for Summer from the Reading Rockets website has a “beach bag” full of ideas to include in your suggestions for younger children, including science-related ones.
Are there topics you couldn’t get to this year or ones that your students found especially interesting? Perhaps you could suggest some books or websites that address these topics for students to explore on their own. Use SciLinks to identify websites by topic and grade level. Or you could suggest books and websites related to the topics you will address next year, giving students the opportunity for a preview of coming attractions.
If you address a note to parents, here are some websites that have some simple science activities that adults and children could do together. Home Experiments and Kitchen Science Experiments have both demonstrations and experiments. Experiments from Science Bob also has lots of demonstrations as well as a section on “make it an experiment” with suggestions on how to extend the demonstration into an investigation. And The Exploratorium is always a good source for hands-on science activities.
You could also include links to local library and to nearby museums, zoos, and parks. Many of these organizations have free or inexpensive summer programs for children and families.
Several districts I worked also shared the teachers’ summer suggestions with daycare providers and community groups that ran summer activities or day camps for kids. Giving your local public library a heads-up would also be helpful if older students come in and say they have nothing to do.