School-Age Summer Ideas

[Josiegirl]

Not sure if this is a good idea or not but I'd LOVE to keep a running list of activities for older kids, for this upcoming summer? Either just written ideas, pinterest stuff or links or anything?? Sooo.....what do you think?
And certainly if we need ideas for the littler ones too, add 'em in!

1) Make collages, I saw a canvas covered with I Love you's, cut out of mags. or anywhere they found the letters or words. It looked amazing actually and could be an ongoing project. Could be any word(their name perhaps?)

2) Cooking, planning menus, searching your cookbooks for new recipes to try

3) Using every letter of the alphabet they could come up with words to describe themselves

4) Taking photo paper and draw on the glossy side with sharpies(supposed to be like a stained glass effect)

5) Using a variety of art media, they could create an art journal. I know my 7-12 yo girls would love this!

[Josiegirl]

6) Just remembered something we did last summer that was a hit! I got the idea here. We did a virtual vacation, traveling to states that each of the older ones had picked. We created projects and had food that was native to that area. Examples: Hawaii we made grass skirts and volcanoes, had leis and practiced hula dancing; Alaska we ate salmon, made northern Lights pictures and brought arctic animals frozen in ice outside into our water table; Colorado we made a paper mache Pike's Peak, dug in the sandbox for dinosaurs, tried on skis and snowshoes. There was a lot more but my memory fails me.

[childcaremom]

I am working in an afterschool program at the moment and mostly grade 3s - 6s.

Things they like:
1- science (we've done simple experiments, esp. ones where we hypothesize what will happen and then see if it is so)
2- card games (seriously, they could spend hours playing cards)
3- collages - cut out items, colours, words that describe themselves (truly the only 'art' project that they have ALL loved). This could even be an ongoing project that they come back to.
4- reading. Find out what series they are interested in and create activities off of that (eg: Percy Jackson series - mythology)
5- board games
6- engineering (give them a box of 'stuff' - create a challenge. eg: tallest free standing structure, create a bridge strong enough to hold a dinky car, etc)



I really like the idea of the virtual trip.

Depending on the age group, you could brainstorm ideas with them, then you could pick appropriate ones and make a bucket list, crossing items off as you go.

Do you have them now for afterschool? You could plan a garden, then seeds, then eventually outdoors, harvest, cooking with them, etc

Talent show

Theatre: they could write it, perform it, make the costumes, etc. Perform for the littles.

One thing we've done with our older ones is create a leadership program where those who are interested (and mature enough) help with the littles. So they would *assist* in leading a game, read to the younger ones, etc. Any age-appropriate helping that they could do.