Sowing the Seeds of a Solid Summer

Reading reflexes

• Model reading for pleasure alongside kids if possible—kids may not see adults reading as much as they could!
• Share info about the local library and its summer programs for kids and teens.
• Emphasize that reading is reading is reading. Kids can explore audiobooks, online publications, comic books and graphic novels.
• Learn new words! Visit https://www.wordnik.com/word-of-the-day

Mathemagicians

• Have kids consider the math in cooking and baking.
• Play counting and strategy games—some local libraries even have games available for check-out.
• Practice music: counting beats, making instruments, or singing along.
• Free Khan academy tutorials can provide extra practice for math lovers.

Self-care skills

• Flow and creativity: Find the flow to get creative juices flowing—up to 500 per cent more productive than usual. A flow state is one in which the mind is so engaged in its activity that time seems to melt away, among other psychological hints. Here’s an overview of the neuroscience behind the phenomenon. Students might capture this through artwork, athletics, or simply mowing the lawn.
• Personal finance: No time like the present to learn the ins and outs of spending and saving.
• A new hobby: Free time in summer is the perfect opportunity to try something new, be really bad at it at first, and slowly get better over time.
• Metacognition: Get kids thinking about their own thinking. Tracking how ideas and practice effect how we learn is the process of metacognition, and it might be the next great superpower to set humans apart from artificial intelligence.
• Volunteering: Kids can build and support their communities, too!
• Time management: It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Time management in the summer might sound like a buzzkill, but simply making the case for packing all the summer stuff into the precious weeks between June and August may connect the concept for even the most stubborn teens. We’re burning daylight, here.