The Spartan Blog

 "Read, read, and read some more! The summer slip or learning loss can be a real thing and the biggest way you can help your child over the summer is to read daily with them! Whether they read to you, you read together, or you read together. Have them sit down each day and read something! This will first help them foster a love for reading and secondly help them keep their reading stamina that they worked so hard on all school year long! While reading, you can simply ask them some reading comprehension questions such as; What is the setting of the story? Who is the main character of the story? What problems and solutions did you see in this story? These simple questions can help them and you gauge their understanding of what they read! It doesn’t have to be for hours and hours of the day but 15-20 minutes each day will have a big impact and help prevent some of that Summer learning loss." - Marissa Smith, 2nd Grade Teacher

 "I often get asked "what should" or "what can we be working on during the summer." First, I want to say... do not stress about creating or buying a bunch of things. :) I love to keep it as simple and FUN as possible. My goal is that they love learning, so I try to incorporate it into normal, everyday life at my house. 

Some fun, simple, practical ways at home.

1) Read with your child! It doesn't have to be a ton...just wind the day down together before bed with one or two stories. There is even a Book-it program! As a parent, you can Google the Pizza Hut Book-it program, create a profile and track your child every day. They earn a free mini pizza on top of the fun time together! Woohoo!

2) Play board or card games with your child! I know this may sound silly, but so many amazing skills are learned through this. Patience, cooperation, teamwork, sportsmanship! Obviously, different games depend on age/ability level, but skip the extra screen time and have them pick out a game to play together. If you don't have any, let them pick one out at Walmart for a fun weekend activity!  

3) Limit screen time! The weather is gorgeous ... have them go outside and play! Fill a bucket or bowl with water and let them go to town. Or if they stay inside, use a bowl or bucket and fill it with rice, dry corn, and put spoons or smaller scoops/bowls to have them play with. Painters tape on the floor as a racetrack... use cars to "drive around. "Does NOT have to be a huge thing. Pinterest is full of fun ideas too! If your child is used to screen time, it may be rough at first, but stay at it! It will get better. 

4) Practice with scissors! Take your child to Walmart & let them pick a pair out. They can sit outside on the grass and practice cutting, you can put a blanket out with paper and let them go to town. Fold the blanket in and shake it into the trash when they are done. There are also some really awesome cut/paste activity pages on Pinterest too! 

5) Talk with your child- about any and everything! Again, this may sound silly, but as you drive to the store, play "I Spy" with different colors, point out shapes, and ask them questions! Point out letters on a cereal box and tell them what it is and the sound it says. 

Summer is supposed to be fun! Do not get overwhelmed by things you should/shouldn't be doing!  We are so looking forward to a great year together! Hope these helped encourage you! :)" -Cari Hyde, K4 Teacher 

"Don't allow your summer fun to lead to learning slide. Students can enjoy their break from the classroom and keep their skills sharp in fun, creative ways. Make a plan to incorporate learning into your daily/weekly routines. Have your child help around the house, make grocery lists, help with meal planning, play math games, visit the library & check out some books, do crafts, listen to audiobooks, serve others, write letters,  go on scavenger hunts, etc.  

Specifically:

Looking ahead to 4th grade, students need to know their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts 0-12 without using fingers or counting patterns. Please plan to include fact practice into your summer activities. Try flashcards, online games, dice math games, etc. Make it fun!" -Melissa Printz, 3rd Grade Teacher

"Here are some things you can focus on and do this summer to make sure your child is ready for first grade! Please continue to read with your child as much as possible. Challenge your child to read signs, menus, and more when you are traveling and spending time together. Please continue to review letter sounds and special sounds as well as sight (popcorn) words. In regard to math, look for everyday opportunities to practice counting, addition, subtraction, using analog and digital clocks as well as navigating days on the calendar. Most importantly, I pray this summer you will read the Bible with your child and review the lessons and verses we have learned. I appreciate you all and am blessed by you!" -Danae Dray, K5 Teacher