Summer time, family time!

Summer time is here! Unofficially starting with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day, families come together to enjoy the season of vacations, barbecues, and fun. Specifically, Fourth of July is a time in which families gather to celebrate America’s independence with fireworks! What better time to start engaging the family in educational activities than during this holiday? Below you can find great ways to keep the family engaged today and throughout the summer!

Enjoy a vacation…at home. Families do not have to go on vacation or send their children to summer camp to enjoy the season. Families can incorporate some of these activities to enjoy their hometown and bring summer camp home! Take a walking tour of your town (or design your own tour by researching online) to learn some local history. Visit and tour a local farm to discover what it takes to grow the foods you eat. Additionally, explore Camp Wonderopolis, NCFL’s FREE online summer-learning destination for learners of all ages! This year’s Camp, Symphony of Wonders, explores 42 individual lessons about music, through the lenses of science, history, culture, and more. Take Camp on-the-go with the free app, available on iOS and AndroidRegister today to strike up the learning!

Camp Wonderopolis app screenshot
Camp Wonderopolis app screenshot

Summer activities to keep the mind engaged. All season long, our Endless Bookshelf website is publishing summer learning tips of the day, specifically about activities to avoid summer learning loss (when students lose some of what they learned in the previous school year during the summer). These tips follow a weekly schedule with a daily theme such as Math Mondays or Fiction (or Nonfiction) Fridays. Head over to Endless Bookshelf today to begin the summer reading and learning fun!

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Father and daughter doing a Maker activity together using household items

Make cool things. “Mom! Mom! Mom! Can we make invisible ink?” While you have their attention, take advantage! PBS Parents: Adventures in Learning is a wonderful site full of nifty ideas (through art and culture, geography, history, science, math, and more) that brings parents and kids together. Make DIY binoculars, invisible ink, bubbles, or quirky things like Sesame Street Pom Poms—mostly from inexpensive or recycled materials—all the while learning and having fun together as a family!

These are just a few suggestions to keep learning while spending time with family and friends throughout the summer. Keeping a curious mind and engaging with others provides year-round opportunities for fun and learning. What ideas do you have for family learning this summer?