Educational Summer Activities

Written by Nicole Dean

Summer will be here soon. Schools will release their young charges for a summer of fun. To keep their brains from going soft between school sessions, add a little education to their summer activities.

Send kids to camp when they are old enough. There are a variety of camps all across the country, Canada, and across the globe. These camps are set up for all ages as well. Depending on your child’s interests and skills, there is a place for them. Camps can be just for the day with programs that run all summer long. The child would bring their lunch and engage in activities all day and return home in the evening. There are also overnight camps that last for about two weeks at a stretch and kids bunk in with others at a campsite in cabins. The prices of meals are included in the camp fees. Academic camps take place on college campuses and the kids stay in dorm accommodations for the duration of the program.

Visit a children’s museum. Knowing that the interests of children are different from that of adults, children’s centers like Discovery Zone® are springing up all over the place. Children are allowed to touch the exhibits and participate in shows, demonstrations, and experiments. Science and art come alive for them. They can enjoy a day of fun doing pretty much whatever they find interesting. Prices vary per location and discounts may be offered for large groups.

Take swimming lessons. The summer is the perfect time to enjoy water activities. If they don’t know how to swim, visit your local YMCA and sign your child up for lessons. Swimming teaches coordination and strengthens the muscles of the back, abdomen, legs, and arms. If he/she can learn to become a strong swimmer, your child could be a lifeguard when they get older or play water sports.

Pack your bags. A summer activity I always enjoyed was traveling. Whether you travel within your own country or go abroad, there are plenty of interesting things to see and do. Give your child a camera and let them chronicle their trip on film. With each new area of the country that you travel to, stop at a visitor’s center and learn about the history of the state. There are many interesting places in the Unites States: the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Salt Lake, the Everglades, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, the Petrified Forest, the Smithsonian Institute, and many more. If you are traveling outside of the country, teach your children the procedures of international travel and how to travel with a passport. A summer vacation is a great educational experience.

Make a plan to build something this summer. Design and build a tree house, a shed, a dog house, or some other project where children can lend a hand. They will learn how to measure and cut materials, as well as how to put it all together and make sure that the finished project is sound. These skills will serve them well when creating school projects and troubleshooting problems with all sorts of equipment. You learn to apply mathematics when preparing to build an object. How much material will you need? How wide does it have to be to support weight? Is it a sound design? The children are having fun creating their tree house or Fido’s new home, but they are also getting a lesson in the field of architectural engineering.

Children don’t have to be stuck in a textbook all summer in order to keep up with studies. Make their school work come to life for them through hands-on experience. Keep them learning and interested through a variety of summertime activities.

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