For many students in Southern Maryland, this week marks the last day for this school year. Some children have summer camps to look forward to or family vacations. Others have long days of unstructured play that may test their patience and leave them bored. Fortunately for the latter group, there are many things parents can do to keep their children entertained this summer.
The climate of Southern Maryland makes summer a perfect time to break out the wading pool, sprinkler or even just the hose for some kid cooling fun. For days that are not too hot, a giant bucket of sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, bubble soap and various sizes of wands, can entertain children for hours.
For rainy days, or when it’s just too hot to be outside, crafts can be a fun and creative way to pass the time. Modeling clay, paint, colored pencils and papers of different sizes and colors can be the catalyst that sets a child off on a creative venture. This may also be an opportune time for children to sharpen their scholastic skills with fun workbooks or computer programs. Several websites are both educational and fun, focusing on both math and reading skills.
If children are ready to get away from the house, the local library is a great place to spend some time. Not only can children pick out books to take home and read later but there are also DVDs to peruse, computers to play on, toys and puzzles for the little ones and summer fun programs like puppet shows and animal lectures to attend.
Besides the library, there are also local museums, parks and beaches to add variety to summer outings. Offering a range of activities throughout the summer, from home crafts to a day at the beach, will keep children happy and busy until the beginning of the next school year.
For educational fun online, please visit: http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/index.html
Or http://www.primarygames.com/reading.htm
