Reading Activities
A Lifetime of Reading
--Encourage lifelong reading. Read with your
youngsters by taking roles in stories and acting out dramatic poems. Whenever possible,
tape record these sessions. Then listen to and enjoy these performances together.
Street Smarts--Put reading skills to practical use. Gather bus and
subway route maps and schedules to a special place in your area--the zoo, a museum, a
football stadium. Let your child plan a trip for friends or family. Figure out the travel
time required, the cost, and the best time to make the trip.
TV and the World--Connect current events to TV viewing. Post a world
map next to the TV set. Watch the TV news with your children and have them locate world
news spots. Keep reference books such as dictionaries and the world almanac close by. In
this way, children find answers to questions when their curiosity is high.
Writing Activities
Picture Stories
--Develop imagination and creativity. Have your
children select four or five pictures from magazines and newspapers, and put them together
to tell a story. Ask your children to number the pictures--1,2,3, etc. First, ask them to
tell the story with the pictures in numerical order. For variety, have your children
rearrange the pictures and tell a new story using this different arrangement.
Writing Instead of Talking--Exchange notes instead of words at
different times during the day--when getting up in the morning, at dinner, or at
bedtime--or whenever the noise level becomes too high.
Day-by-Day Calendar--Turn a large calendar--commercial or home
made--into a personalized family communication center. Have your children fill in the
blanks with morning messages, weather reports, birthdays, special activities, or notes to
the family.
Math Activities
A Trip to the Supermarket
--Plan ahead with the 3 R's. Ask your child
to choose a dish to prepare for a meal--a pudding, a salad, a sandwich. Have your child
check to see what supplies are on hand and then make a shopping list. At the supermarket,
let your child select the food on the list. First, your child decides which items are the
best buys and makes selections. Also have your child write the price of each item on the
list and if possible figure the total, checking the prices against the sales receipt.
On the Move--Sharpen math skills on trips. Use even short trips around
town. For example, at the gas station, ask your child how much gas you needed and the cost
per gallon. On the highway, ask your children to read the signs and check the different
speed limits. Then ask them to watch the speedometer readings and notice how fast or slow
the car is going. Have your children estimate distances between cities and check the
estimates on a road map.
Newspaper Math--Use the Weather section to check temperatures across
the nation and the world. This is good geography practice, too. Discuss baseball and
football scores and averages on the sports pages. Who are the high scores? What are the
percentages?
Social Studies Activities
A Closer Look
--Help your children become aware of family
responsibilities. Make a chart of family chores, including the name of the person
responsible, the days and time required, etc. Discuss ways to change or improve these job
assignments.
History Time Line--Record history at home. Stretch a roll of shelf
paper along the floor. Use a ruler to make a line about three feet long. (Use a separate
sheet for each child.) Ask your children to fill in the important dates in their own
lives, starting with their birth. Those familiar with U.S. history can fill in major dates
since the founding of our country. Display these finished time lines in a special place
for all to see.
The Foreign Touch--Travel abroad at home. Visit ethnic shops, food
stores, and restaurants in your community. Before the trip, have your children find on a
map different countries you will "visit." After the trip, encourage your
children to talk about what they have seen.
These activities may sound too easy to do any good. Make no mistake. They work.
They build children's interest in learning and this translates into achievement both in
school and beyond.
Think of these as starter activities to get your ideas going. There are opportunities
everywhere for teaching and learning.
Take a little time to do a lot of good!
Summer Home Learning Recipes
for Parents and Children Grades 4-5
"Parents and families are the first and most important teachers. If families teach
a love of learning, it can make all the difference in the world to our children."
Richard
W. Riley - U.S. Secretary of Education
Educational research has made it clear that parents who are actively involved in their
children's learning at home help their children become more successful learners in and out
of school.
Here are some reading, writing, math, and social studies Home Learning Recipe
activities. These have been developed by the Home and School Institute. Parents of fourth
and fifth graders find them to be easy and enjoyable ways to work with the school--using
materials they have at home to build their children's skills. Many of the activities focus
on talk--sharing ideas and feelings, providing information, and responding to the needs of
youngsters to grow as separate and responsible individuals.
