We have just about one month left of our summer vacation. Then my sweet Lincoln will head off to the FIRST Grade. OMG. I will have a big First Grader. I’m not sure if I’m ready for this! Although he’s on summer break, he still has certainly kept up with his education. I don’t think I have told you guys about his required summer reading, and other required work. Okay, sit down for this one…
My 6-year old is required to read SIXTY books over the course of the summer. Yes. You read that correctly. That’s 6-0. Sixty. When I first received that email, I thought there must have been a typo. However, when Lincoln came home from school that day he said, “Hey Mom, I need to read 60 books this summer!“
Don’t get me wrong. I understand reading is super important, and we love to read. We read all the time. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in English! I think it’s just that “required” number, and the fact we have to log each book, that bothers me a bit. Reading is supposed to be fun, and I just don’t want my 6-year old to get burnt out…already…in First Grade. He loves school, and I’d like it to stay that way for as long as possible.
On top of his summer reading, he also has a math packet. It’s a review of the year and probably around 30 worksheets. Annnnd he also has a speech packet; which in all honesty I don’t mind. He needs to consistently work on his speech.
Personally, I feel kids learn best through play — it makes learning FUN!! I was so excited when Lakeshore Learning contacted me asking if we’d like a few of their fun educational products this summer!
I looked through their catalog and decided on a few items I knew my boys would not only love, but also keep them engaged in learning. Three items total. One specifically for each of them, and the other one they could play together. Here’s what we chose:
What Should You Do? A Game of Consequences – This game is SO fun! Players face daily dilemmas that deal with topics like honesty, bullying, manners, and more. Lincoln really enjoyed playing, and I loved hearing his answers! Some of the cards are tricky — where one answer might “technically” be okay and more appealing, but there’s another option that is better. Lincoln caught onto this right away. No tricking him!
Alpha-Bots – Choosing this item for Avery was so easy. This boy is in love with the alphabet! He will sing it all day long! I really need to get it on video because it’s so stinkin’ cute!! He also is so proud that he knows all of his colors, so I knew he’d love that these are assorted colors. And robots! What little kid doesn’t love robots?! You simply twist and turn the chunky letters (perfect for toddler hands!), and they’ll transform into robots!
He looks incredibly ticked-off that I interrupted him playing with his Alpha-Bots for a photo! Silly boy!!
And finally something they can play together:
Fishing for Sight Words! Don’t all kids love fishing games?! This is a fantastic, FUN way to improve sight-word recognition while playing! Lincoln has a bunch of sight words on index cards that we go through usually every other day or so. I’m going to be honest here…he gets SO bored doing them! When I spotted this game, I immediately thought it would be a fun new way to practice them!
And while my little Avery can’t technically play the game the way it is intended, he can certainly fish!! He’ll also recognize letters in the words. It’s never to early to start learning!!
I am so happy that Lakeshore is making our summer learning FUN! How are you keeping your kids educationally engaged during summer vacation?
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