Avoid the Summer Slide: 8 Tips for Teachers!
The Summer slide is a Real Thing.
Unfortunately.
It’s that time in the summer where students’ brains flip the “off” switch and go into mush-mode. When they emerge in the fall, they’ve lost some of that academic progress that they made with you during the school year. (womp-womp)
It happens. And it’s not your fault. But - we can put into place a few preventative measures to help keep the summer slide at bay.
The thing is - I DO think students need a break. They do need to just relax and chill - just like their tired teachers do (pssst: that’s your reminder to take a break, too!).
BUT - we also can give students some fun opportunities for learning at home.
However, it’s learning that looks more like playing and exploring.
I want to share 8 things that student can do — that they will WANT to do — over the summer to keep their brains fine-tuned.
Set realistic expectations for summer learning
I know that it's nice to imagine students crafting epic stories or reading stacks and stacks of books, or want to spend hours at the library researching a topic - but it’s likely that they won’t. But - we don’t need them to keep up the same stamina that they had during the school year.
We just need them to fire off their brains for a few minutes each day. Just enough to keep their skills a little sharp, keep those neurons activated. That’s all.
Some kids will do more, but the majority won’t (and that’s OK, too!).
And, we also don’t want to put a huge burden on family to have to monitor and keep a strict schedule of academics over the summer. So let's set everyone up for success. Let’s provide students with a variety of activities that are fun and engaging, and summer-friendly.
Turn Reading & Writing into a Game
It’s all in the presentation. If we can make learning look like playing - students will be more likely to want to do the activity. So if we want students reading and writing over the summer, we gotta make it feel like play.
Story Wheels: Spin-a-Story
One way to do that is to provide students will a story wheel so that they can spin a story.
Here’s how it works:
You can create a paper spinner, like a game spinner, that has several sections. In each section you can have pictures that could spark inspiration for a story. For example, my story wheel has one section with a camping scene, another section has a beach scene, one has a picture of a kid flying a kite. Maybe yours has pictures of a local amusement park or something else your students would enjoy writing about.
Then - using a paperclip and a pencil, students can create a make-shift spinner and spin a story. Whatever picture they land on determines what type of story they will write. So, if they land on the picture of the beach, they can write a story about going to the beach. Give students some fun writing paper or a summer journal and you’re good to go.
2. Library Scavenger Hunt
Another way to make learning look like play is to send students on a library scavenger hunt. Here’s what I mean: I had a fun scavenger hunt sheet that prompted students to find different kinds of books at their local library. One part of the scavenger hunt challenged students to find a book about the rain forest. Another challenged them to find a book by a specific author or a book about a famous person. One part of the scavenger hunt even challenged students to find a book that identifies the biggest bird in the world. The important part of this scavenger hunt is NOT the topics and people that they find books on - it’s the experience of going to the library. You can choose any topic, person, or place for students to hunt for book about.
The scavenger hunt was the perfect way to get students into the library with a purpose. And — once their there, they can check these books out to read at home. It keeps them practicing their research and library skills and keeps them reading!
3. The “Read here… Read there… read Anywhere…” Challenge
Speaking of reading - we can make that a fun challenge, too! My third tip to avoid the summer slide is to encourage students to spice up their reading habits by challenging them to read in a variety of places. I would send students home with a sheet that encouraged them to read at the beach, or read at a picnic table, or in a tent, around a campfire, under a tree…ANYWHERE!
Each time they read in one of these places, they recorded it on their sheet. This activity reminds students that we can take reading with us everywhere! And, it motivates kids to keep reading throughout the summer. Challenge them to pick the most unique place to read!
Make it a competition among friends - who can read in the most unique or weirdest place?
Summer Math, Science and Social Studies
Reading and writing don’t have to steal all the summer fun. Here are some ways to incorporate other content areas as well.
4. Temperature Trackers
Another fun learning/playing activity students can do over the summer is to create a temperature tracker.
This one’s easy. I gave students to page with several blank thermometers on it. Then, I encouraged students to track the temperature one day a week, on the same day. Every Monday, for example, students would color in a thermometer with the daily temperature. Then, they would turn their temperature readings into a bar graph to see how the temperature fluctuated over the summer.
5. Track your Travels
Another thing that many of our students do over the summer is travel. They may go visit family or friends in another state, or go on a vacation. So - while they’re traveling, or even when they get back, have students color in the states that they traveled through on a country map. You can even have them total up the number of miles that they traveled (with the help of an adult, of course).
6. Daily Learning Bursts
This next tip is perfect for encouraging students to sneak in some quick learning activities daily. I would send home several activity cards with quick, bite-sized tasks that students could complete in just a few minutes each day throughout the summer.
Remember - in the summer time, we just need students to activate those brain cells a little bit at a time. We just need them them to fire them up for a burst of learning.
So, on these learning activity cards are quick activities like:
Find 5 objects in your house that are shapes like a hexagon (or other shape)
Recite all your multiplication/addition/division/subtraction facts for number 1-4, or 5-10 to an adult
Go outside and write down as many animals as you see in 30 minutes.
Quick, easy, fun, effective. Students can even put these cards folded in a jar and pick a card each day to complete.
7. Take-Home Learning Kits
The next summer tip takes a little more prep up front - but I’ve got 2 resources that make it super easy. My tip is to send students off into summer with math and science take-home kits.
Here’s how they work: In my take-home math kit are several math games that students can play all summer. These games review a variety of math skills.
All the game pieces and directions fit right in a Ziploc quart-sized bag (complete with a festive bag topper), making it easy to transport home and store all summer long so students can keep practicing some critical math skills.
Like the take-home math games, you can also send home some simple take-home science experiments for students to complete over the summer. These science experiments use simple, household materials.
For example, in my science kit I had 5 experiments (directions & observation log included). Inside the baggie I would provide them with as many materials as I could - materials like a balloon, a q-tip, a straw, string, etc. — all of which are materials used in the science experiments. And then, families would only need to fill in some other basic materials like a jar, water, etc…
The experiments were simple and easy to do and fun!
Take-home math and science kits are perfect for avoiding the summer slide!
8. Your Students to Summer Camp
This last tip is my favorite and I’m so excited to finally share about it!
If you’ve been around for a bit, you know that the main way that I support teachers is through my LINKtivity® interactive learning guides. If you’re new and don’t know what a LINKtivity® is, then think of it like a multimedia EDU-venture.
LINKtivities are digital explorations where students learn about a new topic through video, audio, graphics, text, photographs, and sometimes even interactive websites like Google Earth. They are incredibly interactive and engaging.
And, as we have gotten closer to summer vacation, the fun of learning through LINKtivities doesn’t have to stop when the school year does!
LINKtivities are an amazing 21st century tool during the school year for teachers to engage students through this multimedia learning experiences - but the digital nature of them also makes it ideal (& EASY!) to access at home as well.
So, this year, we’re launching once again our LINKtivity Learning Virtual Summer Camp Experience!
And this year’s theme is: Crazy, but True!
…a virtual summer camp experience where students can join in from anywhere, at any time. And - when they do, they'll tap into their curiosity and uncover astonishing facts about life, our world, people, and historical events!
Students love learning jaw-dropping (and sometimes gross!) facts about the world around them, so we've complied some fascinating facts into a fun interactive experience!
Crazy, But True Facts About…
Animals
Daring Expeditions
Disasters in History
The Human Body
Food
Gross Stuff!
And while they are busy exploring through video, audio, text, jokes, and more - they’ll be keeping their minds fine-tuned and sharp!
The LINKtivity Learning Summer Camp is a self-paced, 6-week summer learning program (although students can go at a slower or faster pace to suit their needs!). Each week provides learners with a new high-interest topic that kids will explore through an interactive LINKtivity.
They’ll explore the weekly CRAZY topic through a variety of multimedia features: video, photographs, audio, graphics, interactive digital features, and MORE!
Then, students are invited to take their learning off-screen (because we don’t want kids on screens alllll summer!) with additional related learning experiences that encourage them to go outside, create art, check out related books at the library, listen to podcasts, and even bake!
We've included over 40 extension activities that align with the content in the LINKtivities that students can complete throughout the summer!
No two weeks are the same - so your curious kids will always have something to look forward to!
Not only is it a great opportunity to share with your students, it’s also ideal for any kids grades 3-5! So, if you have your own children in that age category, we’d love to have them in Summer Camp, too!
A PEEK INSIDE LINKTIVITY LEARNING SUMMER CAMP:
CHOOSE AN EXPLORATION GUIDE!
Help your curious kids feel connected right away by allowing them to choose a camp counselor to explore with during each weekly theme.
They’ll meet friends like: Luke, Rahim, Kylie, Jasmine, Joey, Clara
Choose a Crazy Fact
Each Crazy, but True! LINKtivity has 7 crazy, but true facts! Students can explore one fact each day, or go at a pace that works for them!
With 6 Crazy, but True! LINKtivities, there is plenty of crazy fun to last all summer!
Dive deeper
With each crazy, but true fact, students have 3 areas to explore:
watch a video
explore pictures (with additional videos and fun facts!),
complete an extension activity (STEM projects, art, crafts, baking, outdoor fun, and MORE!)
Laugh a Little
Each Crazy, but True! LINKtivity has a jokes section just for fun to go along with the theme of the LINKtivity.
Take the Crazy Fun Offline
The fun doesn’t stop after the LINKtivity is complete!
When your curious kids are done learning about the weekly theme inside the LINKtivity, they can take their adventures offline with additional activities that encourage them to go outside, create art and STEAM projects, check out related books at the library, listen to podcasts, and even bake! 40+ extension activities are included!
WHAT DOES THIS VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE INCLUDE?
6 jam-packed and engaging LINKtivities, one for each crazy, but true theme (animals, food, daring expeditions, historical disasters, human body, gross things)
40+ extension activities to accompany the crazy, but true facts! Activities include things like: STEM activities, art, book exploration, podcast listening, writing prompts, crafting, and even baking! These activities are accessible directly from the LINKtivity which means NO EXTRA PREP for you!
Printable & Digital student summer scrapbook to accompany the LINKtivities and to collect all their crazy facts!
A family letter to help parents and families understand how summer camp works and how to get access to the resources from home.
SEE SOME OF OUR SUMMER CAMP LINKTIVITIES IN ACTION!
You can get access to the LINKtivity Learning Summer Camp in 2 ways:
Option 1:
If you are a LINKtivity Learning member (our all-access pass subscription option), you already have access to this summer camp experience (yay!) Simply sign in to your account, and look inside the “Summer Camp” category for all the details and materials!
If you want to become a member to get access to this summer camp AND our entire library of LINKtivity, you can start your FREE TRIAL here!
Option 2:
If you’re not a member, but still want access, we are offering this summer camp experience a-la-carte! You can get unlimited access to JUST the summer camp LINKtivities by purchasing a summer camp admission.
