summer activities
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Planning for Summer with Elementary School Kids
I’ve been hard at work at planning for our summer fun (and learning), but before I share what this year’s plans look like, I wanted to share how I put everything together last year. Here’s the post on how I organized all of it! If someone asked me to choose ONE word to describe myself it would definitely be the word “planner.” I truly love to organize my thoughts, lay them out on paper and fill in any missing pieces. It helps me feel in control and gives me the structure that I need. When it came to figuring out what our summer will look like, I started with daily…
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Goodbye Summer!
I’m definitely looking forward to the structure of the school year (and I might be ready for pumpkin spice season…), but it’s always hard to say goodbye to summer! I put together a really easy craftivity that you can use in the classroom to help children focus on the very best parts of their summer as you all move into fall together. It would be the perfect activity for a last day of summer party, just like the one I shared on Wednesday. Click HERE to download the Goodbye Summer Sunshine Freebie!
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Last Day of Summer Party!
I’m happy with any excuse for a party! This one is a little bittersweet – so ice cream felt like the perfect theme. A “last day of summer” party is a great way to help children mark the end of one season and move into the school year with a positive attitude. This can also be a really powerful tool for the classroom. If you have students that have been with you all summer and they’ll continue to stay with you throughout the school year, this can help make that mindset change from summer to the school year. It’s also a great way to say goodbye to children who were…
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Making the most of your last summer days
We’re down to our last couple of weeks of summer and I’m trying to be really intentional about soaking up summer. This time of year seems to fly by, so slowing down a bit to really lean into our last summer days feels like a gift. Here’s what we’ve been doing to make that happen: I’m also planning a special celebration for the last day of summer – as kind of a send off – so check back for those plans later this week!
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Camping Activities for Preschool
One of my favorite units to use in the summer is camping! It’s something that my family loves to do together, and I know that the children get so much more from my passion for this subject. Here are some of thecamping activities for preschool that are available in my TPT store:
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Easy Camping DIY
We enjoyed a nice long camping trip last weekend and I’m still working through all of the laundry! I had to share this little DIY before I forget – Simple bug catchers. These are such an easy way to keep kids busy and encourage exploration. Before we left I was looking for a quick project that my girl and I could put together for all of the kids that were camping with us. I wanted something that we already had all of the supplies for, would actually capture interest, and wouldn’t take up a lot of space. Catching lightning bugs is always a favorite camping activity, so this was a…
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All Things 4th of July!
The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays, which is likely because of how close it is to my birthday. I love to go all in when it comes to red white and blue – and this includes in the classroom. I can’t believe that we’ve already made it to this point of the summer! Last week I shared a ton of patriotic resources, but If you’re planning for this week and next week here are ALL of the 4th of July posts that I’ve every written (you know, for inspiration): Children’s Books for the 4th of July 4th of July Bingo 4th of July Fruit…
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Plan with me!
I usually like to sit down on Friday afternoon or sometime on Sunday and look over my calendar for the upcoming week – this week it didn’t happen until Monday morning, but it’s summer right?! Summer weeks look a lot different in my planner than a typical week during the school year. There are a lot more moving pieces and ever-changing plans in the summer, so having it all written down is so important. Take a look at what goes into planning a summer week: Some of these plans were put in my calendar before my girl broke her arm, so we’ve had to do a bit of shuffling in…
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Summer Update!
We’ve officially been following my summer plans for a month (you can read more about those here), so it felt like time for an update. This is the first summer that I’m home with my daughter everyday, and having structure and materials in place was really important to me. So far it’s been super helpful! We keep things really flexible, and won’t always get to everything on our list – but I think that’s the difference between summer and the school year. There has been one major snag, my girl broke her arm last week, so we’ve been modifying a lot. Of course it’s her right arm, so we’re currently…
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Summer Field Trip Ideas
I love to GO – just about anywhere. Staying in the same environment for too long makes me a little stir crazy, and I can often see that in little ones too. During the summer, I especially make it a point to enjoy all of the wonderful opportunities to explore our community, and also to go a little further away than we might during the school year. It helps me to have a master list of all of the places that we love to visit so that I can mix up the indoor and outdoor experiences, and also find little trips that fit our budget best. Here’s what that list…
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Organization on the go!
