During the summer, we have a much less structured school time, but I still do have the kids participate in "school" activities. This year, I printed up a packet of activities for them to do. The packet is divided up by subject and they are to choose 3 activities from each subject to do each month. Reading is the only exception as they only have to read one book (from the list) each month and do the related activities. Each subject, except reading, has more than 9 choices so they do not have to do every single thing on the list. Also, if they do something not on the list, but that is related to the subject, it can be substituted in place of one of the activities. Here is the packet I gave them this year (minus the religion section which is available upon request):
Reading
For this section only, you only need to choose 1 activity (book and all related activities) each month.
Read the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.As you read, be sure to visit this page: http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading23/number_the_stars.htm and answer the online questions for each set of chapters and do the corresponding activities.
Read the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. As you read, visit this page: http://www.mce.k12tn.net/chocolate/charlie/charlie_and_the_chocolate_factor.htm Do activities 1, 2, and 4 listed at the top of the web page as well.
Read the book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. As you read, visit this page: http://www.mce.k12tn.net/dogs/dixie/because_of_winn_dixie.htm and answer the online quiz questions for each set of chapters. You also need to do the following activities from the same web page: Make both of the recipes in the “Recipes” activities, Read about alcohol in the “Alcohol” activity,and Print and complete the Printable Crossword Puzzle.
Computers
***Do this activity first*** Visit the Girl Scout website and print out the Internet Safety Pledge: http://www.girlscouts.org/internet_safety_pledge.asp Read it over with an adult and then sign it. Be sure to always follow the rules in this pledge.The rules that deal specifically with Girl Scouting do not apply unless you are a Girl Scout.
Learn how to create a flyer using Microsoft Word. Learn these vocabulary words: font, clip art and italic. Learn how to change the font and to change the look of it by changing the size, changing the color, making it bold, changing it to italics, and underlining it. Learn how to insert and adjust the size of a clip art of your choice. Learn how to save what you have created. Make a poster for your bedroom or a poster for a party.
Learn how to write a paper using Microsoft Word. Learn how to use tab, spell check, how to set margins, and how to insert page numbers. Write a short story and submit it.
Start or continue a blog. Learn how to change the settings and layout of the blog. Learn how to create an “About Me” page and create one. Post at least one picture to your blog (after your parent approves it).
Learn more about using e-mail. Learn how to send the same e-mail to more than one person (called copying someone in), how to forward an e-mail, how to attach a picture or file to an e-mail and how to reply to an e-mail.
Learn how to run Spybot and AdAware to help keep the computer free from viruses and Trojans. Learn how to read the reports and fix any problems found after running these programs.
Keep track of any computers you see outside of your house for one week. Write down where you see them and how they are being used.
Find out about a job in the computer field. Find out what kind of education and experience you need to get this type of job.
Learn how to scan something onto the computer.
Go through the keyboarding lessons on this web site: http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/cjh/appliedtech/business/keyboarding/index.html
Writing
Write in your journal every day for 1 month. Talk about what happened in your life each day and how you feel about it.
Make an alphabet book for a younger child. Each page should have 2-3 pictures with the words carefully written underneath.
Write a story in your journal about your most recent vacation.
Write a story about a vacation you would like to take. Tell me about where you want to go, what you want to do, who you want to go with, and what it will be like when you are there.
Write a poem about your favorite thing.
Write 3 letters to family members who live far away.
Make up a book of family members to share with a younger sibling or cousin. Write their names under their pictures.
Write a book report about a book you have read. Visit this website to learn more about writing a good book report: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/hh/writeideas/articles/0,28372,634427,00.html
Write a story about what you think your life will be like in 20 years. Where will you be living? Who will be in your life? What is your daily life like?
Learn how to write all of the capital letters in cursive writing. Practice until you can easily write them.
Learn how to write all the lower case letters in cursive writing. Practice until you can easily write them.
Write a poem for someone you love.
Math
Learn the names of the parts of a fraction (numerator and denominator) and be able to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator.
Learn the 3 types of angles: acute, obtuse, and right. Learn the three types of triangles: scalene, equilateral, and isosceles.
Learn what a cube, sphere and cone are. Be able to identify 10 different shapes.
Learn how to find the perimeter of a square and of a rectangle. Find the perimeter of 3 items in the house.
Learn what pi is and memorize the first 5 numbers of pi. Be able to draw and identify the symbol for pi.
***Learn the multiplication facts for 0-5.
Learn the multiplication facts for 6-10.
Be able to identify a number family up to 1 million.
Learn how many ounces are in 1 pound and learn the abbreviations for ounces and pounds.
Find out how tall you are and learn how to write it using marks for feet and inches. Find out how tall 3 other family members are and write their heights as well.
Learn how many pints are in 1 quart and how many quarts are in 1 gallon.
Learn how many feet are in 1 yard and how many feet are in 1 mile.
Find examples of 5 graphs in newspapers and magazines. Be able to tell me what the data tells you.
Science
Be able to identify 5 different dinosaurs. Choose 1 dinosaur and write a report about it. Include pictures and tell me what it ate, where it lived, and at least 3 interesting facts about it.
Learn the names of the planets in order from the sun. Choose one planet and write a report on it. How big is it? What is the atmosphere like? How many moons does it have? Include at least 3 additional interesting facts about the planet.
Be able to identify 10 bones and 5 muscles in the human body by their scientific name. Be able to also show the general area of 5 organs of the human body.
Learn the parts of a flower and be able to identify them on a real flower. Use this web page to help you: http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts/ident_help/Parts_Plants/parts_of_flower.htm
Be able to identify at least 3 different types of clouds in the sky. http://www.carlwozniak.com/clouds/types.html will tell you about 3 types of clouds, but feel free to explore www.yahooligans.com to learn more. Make a cloud by doing this experiment: http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Meteorology/MET0003.html
Learn about animal adaptations by going on an E-Safari: http://fen.com/studentactivities/CCCNet/sciencelab/Animals/AnimalAdapts.html#Food First print the Safari Sheet and then fill it out.
Learn about worms and composting by doing the activities on this website: http://can-do.com/uci/ssi2001/soilandworms.html
Determine whether liquids are acids or bases by performing the activity here: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/physical9.html
Grown your own crystals by performing this experiment: http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/crystal.html Record what happens and what you see in a science journal.
Learn about mold and grow your own mold terrarium by following these instructions: http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/mold.html
Service
Provide 4 hours of service to family members living outside of our house.
Create a treat to give to 3 different neighbors.
Make bath sachets to share with women you know: http://lds.about.com/od/enrichmentmeeting/a/bath_sachets.htm
Make 5 cat toys to donate to an animal shelter. To make them: cut out 2 matching pieces of felt scraps about 6 inches wide. All around the edges, cut lines about 2 inches long, 1 inch apart from each other. Tie the strips together (1 from front and 1 from back) around 3 sides. Crumple up a plastic grocery bag and stuff it inside the pocket you have made. Tie up the remaining side.
Pick up litter at a park.
Collect cans and bottles that you find and return them for the deposit. Be sure to ask friends and families to donate their cans and bottles too. Then use the money you raised to buy school supplies for needy children at a local school.
Knit 5 washcloths or 1 scarf to donate to those in need.
Become a pen pal to someone living in a long-term care facility.
Make 10 cards for Meals on Wheels to include when they deliver meals to people.
Write a thank you letter to someone serving in the military.
Write a letter to a missionary from your area that is serving far away.
Vocabulary/Spelling
For this section, you will choose 3 themes each month to learn the meaning and spelling of 10 words. You will need to use each word in a sentence and pass a spelling test for each theme. The themes and words are:
Clothing: romper, suspenders, petticoat, apparel, attire, blouse, caftan, turban, fez, windbreaker
The Sun, Moon and Stars: astronomy, celestial, galaxy, meteorite, comet, Jupiter, Venus, astronaut, gravity, solar
In the Garden: trowel, nozzle, sprinkler, hedge, fertilize, compost, fungus, stamen, pistil, arbor
Bugs and Spiders: insect, arachnid, caterpillar, chrysalis, antenna, beetle, mosquito, cicada, mantis, hornet
Birds: albumen, sparrow, eagle, pelican, flamingo, cardinal, raven, talon, partridge,penguin
In the Kitchen: whisk, ladle, spatula, fondue, knead, yeast, thyme, chocolate, legumes, herb
Crafts: purl, knit, thread, bobbin, embroider, kiln, loom, weave, stitch, fastener
Shapes: square, triangle, circle, rectangle, polygon, pentagon, octagon, hexagon, pyramid, cylinder
Sports: aerobics, stretch, marathon, cleats, soccer, gymnastics, ballet, badminton, trampoline, canoe
Food: waffle, sausage, steak, barbecue, cauliflower, broccoli, wheat, almond, lentil, sundae
4th of July: Independence, parade, liberty, statue, patriotic, fourth, united, picnic, anthem, colony
At the Movies: theater, preview, feature, concessions, aisle, comedy, intermission, director, producer, character
Health
***Brush your teeth twice a day and floss once every day for 1 month.
Learn how to properly care for a skinned knee. How do you treat it when it happens and how do you care for it until it is healed?
Spend 30 minutes each day exercising for one month.
Plan and hold a fire drill for the whole family.
Conflicts occur when 2 or more people disagree about something. Write a short story about a conflict you might have with someone. Then write 2 endings to the story, one that tells the wrong way to deal with conflict and one that tells the right way to deal with conflict.
Make a list of 10 of your talents. Pick one and work on improving your skills in your talent.
Limit your computer, video game, and TV time to 30 minutes total each day for 1 month.
Make and serve a salad for the family that has at least 5 fruits or vegetables, one from each color family (white, yellow/orange, red, blue/purple, and green)
Make a book for a younger child showing playground safety rules.
Observe how acid eats away at your teeth. Get an empty baby food jar and put some egg shells in it (egg shells are made of calcium, the same stuff your teeth are made from). Pour in a bit of white vinegar (an acid, like soda) and cover the jar. Let it sit for a few days and then look closely at the egg shell. Do you see small holes and dark spots appearing?
Write about a time that someone broke a promise to you. How did that make you feel? Have you ever broken a promise? How do you think the person you had promised felt? What can you learn from this about being trustworthy?
Watch a movie or TV show and notice how the characters treat each other. In what ways were they respectful? How were they disrespectful? How do you think the other person felt when they were treated with respect? How do you think they felt when they were treated disrespectfully? Give some examples. What can you learn from this about showing respect to others?
Social Studies
Find the flag of any country other than the United States and use craft materials to make your own replica of their flag. You can use construction paper, markers, felt, etc.
Choose any country and make a recipe that is popular there.
Watch the PowerPoint presentation about the International Pencil. What did you learn?
Learn about the US Constitution. Fill out this worksheet: http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/learn-constitution/
Make a collage showing the difference between needs and wants. You can either cut out pictures or draw your own.
Learn about imports and exports on this web page: http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lesson=EM400 Complete activity #2 and answer the questions asked in the conclusion on the web page.
Learn about consumers and producers by completing the slide show and answering the questions here: http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/BusinessBuddies/eco002.htm
Learn the names of the 7 continents (North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica) and be able to locate them on a world map. Do the same with the 5 oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern)
Make a tin can lantern using the instructions here: http://www.education.com/activity/article/tin_can_lanterns/ Have an adult help with this project.
Research any invention you choose and write an essay about it. Who invented it? When did they invent it? Why did they invent it and what did it replace? Where was it invented? How was it invented/what materials were used?
Draw a map of your backyard. Do not forget the legend/key.
Language Arts
Work through all of the lessons listed under Grade 3 on this website: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/quizzes/index.html#three
Practice choosing the correct word here: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/its_there_quiz.htm (its vs. it’s, they’re/their/there)>
View the capitalization rules power point .
See your parent/teacher for the following directions worksheet. This is a timed 3-minute paper so be ready to do it when you ask for it.
Do the activity listed here: http://wps.ablongman.com/long_long_rw_2/43/11195/2866145.cw/index.html by choosing which answer does NOT support the topic sentence and then writing a short paragraph based on one of the examples. After you submit the “quiz”, you will have the ability to e-mail the results to your parents/teacher. Be sure you do so.
Learn how to determine the main idea of a paragraph by practicing on this website: http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/book_buddy/rosie/skill_pre.html
Learn about comparing and contrasting with this activity: http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/samoset/rcccon1.htm
Go through these 17 quick lessons and activities to learn the parts of a book: http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/e2topic.cfm?TopicID=317
Visit this website to learn about haikus: http://k12east.mrdonn.org/Haiku.html Write a haiku about any topic you wish.
An alliteration is a sentence where the first letter is repeated often, such as “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”. Notice how the “p” sound is repeated over and over. Write an alliteration of your own and draw a picture to go with it.
Learn about acrostics here: http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/acrossti.htm Write one about someone you love. Get a nice frame and put your acrostic in it. Give it to your loved one at Christmas or another holiday.
Domestic Arts
Learn how to sew a button on.
Choose a cake recipe to make from scratch. Make it one night for dessert.
Plan a healthy meal and make it for the family. You can make a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Be sure to include all the food groups.
Plan and hold a Family Home Evening/Family Activity Night.
Beans are an excellent source of protein and are low in fat. They are also inexpensive and therefore a great food to base meals on. Find a bean recipe and make it.
Create a decoration for your bedroom or another room in the house.
Create a piece of jewelry for either you to wear or to give as a gift.
Create an article of clothing from a stained or torn piece of clothing you already have.
Refurnish or repurpose something that is no longer being used. This can be something in your home, something from the side of the road, something given to you or something bought at a yard sale or thrift store. Be sure to have an adult's permission before altering it.
***Make your bed every morning for 1 month.
Art
Look at these paintings by Claude Monet (click on the picture to make it bigger): http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/later/ Write down the title of your favorite one and write why you like it. How does the picture make you feel?
Make a yarn painting. Click here for instructions.
Put on some music and just dance as the music moves you. Dance for 30 minutes. How did you feel like moving when fast music was playing? How did you move when slower music was playing?
Using a mirror, draw your self portrait.
Write your name in large bubble letters across a piece of paper. Divide the paper into six equal sections and paint each section according to the color wheel. You can only use red, yellow and blue paint to make all 6 colors. Here is an example: http://www.mrsbrownart.com/artwork/colorwheelname_800.jpg
Symmetry is when both sides of a picture or object are the same. Draw a picture that is symmetrical.
Using whatever materials you choose, make a puppet. This can be a sock puppet, a puppet on a stick, or any other type you choose. Then create a one-puppet puppet show to share with the family.
Make a texture collage make making several different crayon rubbings on a piece of paper. You can make rubbings of tree bark, leaves, flowers, the sidewalk, etc. Use lots of different colors.
Color a monotone picture of your choice. Choose one color and find various shades of it. Use only those crayons to color your picture.
Use fabric scraps to create a picture.
Choose a famous artist and write a short report about their life. Tell where and when they lived, what type of art they made, any special contributions they made to the art process, and name at least 3 of their most famous pieces of work.
Draw a still life picture of anything you choose: fruit, vegetables, flowers, stuffed animals, etc.
Music
Learn and be able to identify the bass and treble clefs. Practice drawing them as well. You can find samples here: http://www.largemart.com/read-music/notes-clefs.html
Choose a classical composer from the list here: http://www.lessontutor.com/musicgenhome.html and write a short report about them. Tell me when and where they lived, what type of music they were known for, anything special that they contributed to the music world and at least 3 major works they composed.
Learn the words to the entire first verse of “The Star Spangled Banner”
Learn the words to “America the Beautiful”
Learn the words to “God Bless America”
Change the words to a song you already know to teach others something about you or something you have learned about.
Watch a movie about music such as “Mr. Holland’s Opus” or “Footloose”.
Watch the musical “Oliver”. Choose 3 songs that you liked in the musical and practice singing them. Learn one of them well enough to perform it for your family. You can find the lyrics here: http://www.stlyrics.com/o/oliver.htm
Have an adult help you make a rain stick. The instructions are here: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-your-very-own-Rainstick/
Make some paper mache maracas. The directions are here: http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/mexico/mexican_maracas.htm
Spanish
Just as in the vocabulary, you will need to choose 3 topics each month and learn the words that go with that topic. You will be quizzed before passing a topic.
Clothing: hat (el sombrero), t-shirt (la cameseta), shoes (los zapatos)
Colors: white (blanco), purple (morado), orange (anaranjado)
Numbers: zero (cero), one hundred (ciento), twenty (veinte)
Family: brother/sister (hermano/a), cousin (primo/a), nephew/niece (nieto/a)
Food: meat (el carne), bread (el pan), fruit (las frutas)
Time: hour (la hora), year (el año), minute (el minuto)
Seasons: summer (el verano), fall (el otoño), winter (el invierno), spring (la primavera)
Days of the week: Monday (lunes), Tuesday (martes), Wednesday (miercoles), Thursday (jueves), Friday (viernes), Saturday (sabado), Sunday (domingo)
Church: church (la iglesia), saints (los santos), Jesus Christ (Jesuchristo)
Fruits: appla (la manzana), lemon (el limon), banana (platano)
Vegetables: lettuce (la lechuga), carrot (la zanahoria), spinach (la espinaca)
Rooms of the house: bathroom (el baño), kitchen (la cocina), bedroom (al dormitorio)
Animals: animals (los animales), dog (el perro), cat (el gato)
