Dear Parents,

Here is a list of suggested responses to the familiar phrases “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.” Most of these ideas will keep the mind sharp. Remember that if the brain is exercised daily it will stay in shape and be ready for 4th grade.

Ideas involving Reading/Language Arts

*Play games with your child. Board games, card games, and thinking games are fun alternatives to TV for the entire family.

*Have your child choose a recipe, then read the ingredients and the instructions as he/she helps you prepare it. This also gives math measurement practice.

*Encourage your child to read road signs. Show him/her how to read and use a map.

*Play thinking games in the car. Try Twenty Questions using characters, places, or objects from books your child has read.

*Get books on tape or CD to listen to when traveling in the car.

*Join the summer reading program at the public library.

*Practice writing the alphabet or messages in sand or dirt.

*Go on a newspaper scavenger hunt. Look for stories on various topics.

*Write a radio commercial for your favorite book. Tape-record the commercial. Use background music.

*Practice letter writing skills by writing to family and friends via e-mail or snail mail. An added bonus of snail mail is the chance to practice cursive. You can always write to me, too. I do check my e-mail over the summer.

*Use only one sentence at a time to develop as many relationships as you can in the following sentences.

  1. Because John was ___ he ___ through the park.
  2. Since Mary had always wanted a ___ she bought a ___.
  3. A ___ is a ___, only more so.
  4. The author thought the story was ___, but I thought it was ___.
  5. ___ is a useful definition for ___.
  6. The whole thing is called a ___ and we call one of its parts a ___.
  7. After Martha ___ her books she ____.
  8. One example of a ___ is a ___.
  9. When I ___, first I ___ and then I ___.
  10. You can solve a ___ by ___ or by ___.
  11. An interesting example of ___ is ___.
  12. When I compare ___ and ___ I find I like ___ better.
  13. A wonderful thing about reading is that each of us ___ and ___ differently.
  14. ___ Sue, a ___, enjoyed ___.

Ideas involving Math

*Drill all basic facts, especially multiplication and division!

*Play variations of “Concentration”. Instead of matching numbers try to find two cards with a specific sum or product.

*Play variations of “War”. Instead of the highest card automatically winning, multiply or add the cards and the person who gives the correct product or sum first wins the cards.

*Take your child to the store with you to practice estimation skills by estimating the cost of products you are purchasing.

*Make up story problems involving some of your daily activities.

*Do various measurement activities and compare lengths/distances/volumes in both standard and metric units.

*Complete the pages in the Simple Solutions book. Any student who returns the completed book to me during the first week of school will receive a prize.

Websites to check out

* (math games)

* (public library page for kids)

* fun with energy)

* (math fun)

* (math fun)

*

* (reading and math fun)

* (science games)

* (math fun)

* (math fact practice) This will be available for use until 8-14-16

Your child also has a “Rootin’-Tootin’ Summer” activity sheet with ideas.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer,

Mrs. Gina Johnson

The most important thing to do this summer is to enjoy the time you have with your children!!!!