These 8 Summer Ideas Help WA Kids Learn Without the Whine

Keeping kids learning during the summer months off school is a priority for WA State parents.

While being bored can often stimulate great creativity, finding ways for kids to constantly hone their skills during the summer months is helpful.

Luckily, family vacations are great for this!

 Take your kids camping and bring along books for tent reading and travel time.

1. Camping: Explore nature, bugs, reptiles, mushrooms, and all the things you can point out and learn about in nature's ecosystem.

2. Reading books on a road trip can save the parents from the never-ending "Are we almost there?" When kids can become engaged in a great book, they are learning and experiencing on many levels. Bring lots of interesting books with you when you spend time away from home. Whether you're on an airplane or a road trip, Books are a MUST. Try to bring real books and stay away from the electronics.

3. Teach your kids a new game. Chess is an excellent game to engage the brain of children. If you don't know how to play Chess, you could learn this game together. Card games could also be fun. Any game that activates learning and new ways of thinking.

4. Take a World Tour: Ask each child to pick a State or a Country to learn about and do the research on. Give each child time to study, then give a family "presentation" about what they learned.

5. Scavenger Hunt: Create a Scavenger Hunt for your kids or let them create a hunt for each other. This engages the brain and adds creativity and fun to their day. Make sure the hunt is within safe boundaries and is supervised.

6. Get in the Garden: Let the kids get dirty and plant seeds or starter plants. Growing their food is an excellent way for kids to use their brains to reap the best harvest. This could be turned into a contest. Who has the first plant to sprout? Or let them create flower pots for decor on the patio with their beautiful arrangements.

7. Model Airplanes or Model Cars is an excellent activity that engages the brain to put together these models and then paint them. There are plenty of models of every kind available for kids, from easy beginner to the very advanced.

8. Disassemble Something. Every kid's curiosity is piqued when they can discover how something is built. Find an old clock or an old kitchen appliance that no longer works, and let them take it apart and try to put it back together.

Spending time with family is a constant learning experience for kids.

Be sure and spend as much time together as possible before kids have to go back to school and have a fantastic Summer together!

WA Guidelines: When Can Kids Handle Being Home Alone