What Are You Doing This Summer?

Congratulations on making it through this school year!

 

 

I don't know about you, but it usually takes me about a week of being a total slug before I'm ready to think about what's next. 

 

Then it's time to get going. What is next?

 

If you're working with children this summer, it's best to build community with some teamwork games! Check out this blog post: Working at Summer Camp? Or Summer School? How to Get Started!

 

If you're working with children this summer, it's GOT to be fun! Whether you're teaching summer school, tutoring, or working summer camp or day care, you've got to do something to get those kiddos to "buy in!" For most, themes are the way to go! The image below brings you to a blog post with many ideas for bringing a camping theme to your program. See Camping Week!

 

Another fun theme that has plenty of ways for summer learning fun, take a "trip" to the beach! Seashore Week!

 

 

Whether or not it's an Olympic year, you can have your own Olympics. Boy, do the kiddos love this one! Academic Summer Games: A Celebration of Learning!

 

 Looking for a little something to get you started? This post shares 6 different freebies that will get you going for summer learning fun! A Few Summer Dollar Deals!

No matter what your plans are this summer, there's no doubt that pampering yourself is in order!  Here are 5 things you'll want to think about doing this summer: 5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers

No matter what you're doing this summer, I hope that it is spectacular!

 

 

5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers

Summer Vacation! 

Some of you have been on vacation for quite a while!

Others just barely started vacation.

Wherever you are on your vacation, it's well deserved, and I hope you're enjoying it!

But there are a few things to accomplish before the summer is over:

1. Reflect

Once you've caught your breath, be sure to reflect on the past year. 

Think about your successes! What made them successful? What could make them even better? Will you try these next year?

Think about the things that didn't work this year. Why didn't they work? What could you have done to make them work? Will you try these next year?

What was the best part of the year?

2. Relax

You've worked hard and deserve to relax. Give yourself some down time where you don't have to think about anything!

One of my favorite ways to relax is to sit by a body of water and read, with my feet in the sand and a book in my hand! There are plenty of other ways to relax, too! What's your favorite?

3. Have fun!

It's quite possible that this can overlap with #2, but having fun is essential when you've spent the last 10 months dealing with a stressful job! Lunch with friends, dinner with the husband, or a water park with the family. Whatever is fun for you, it's the time to do it!

Be sure to include something that makes you laugh... it's healthy! A friend of mine refers to laughter is "Vitamin L!" 

Don't forget to take your Vitamin L!

4. Read! 

Summer is really the only time of year I can escape into a book. During the school year, I'm reading books to improve my craft or some other work-related non-fiction. If I try to read for fun, I fall asleep! It's time to escape into a book. I'd love to know about your favorite summer reads!

5. Think ahead!

Yes, it's not too early to start thinking about the next school year. Maybe not too much yet, but start thinking about what you might expect this coming year. Since you already reflected on this year with #1, it won't be too much trouble to start thinking about the future. 

Enjoy these well-deserved weeks! They'll be gone far too soon!

Working Summer Camp? Or Summer School? How to Get Started!

Are you going to be working with groups this summer? 

Perhaps you're working at summer camp...
or summer school...
or volunteering at the library summer program...
or helping out at a summer daycare?

No matter what type of summer work you're doing, getting started is possibly the most challenging part of the program!

You may have a variety of children. You might have a variety of ages. You might have some children who know each other. You might have a lot of children who don't know each other. You might have very young children, or you might have pre-teens, teens, or older!

No matter who you've got, before the real learning begins, it's important to help children feel comfortable with each other.

Whatever you do, don't put them on the spot or ask them to talk to someone they don't know right away. Some children love that, others can "handle it," but others will clam up and get nervous about the next activity they do with you. 

What we really want is to get them interacting without having to talk... at first! We might even do something that will get them giggling! 

Here are a few games that will get them interacting, possibly giggling, without traumatizing them! (With links to directions!)

Pass the Clap

Countdown

Musical Shoes

Cooperative Musical Chairs

Once they get comfortable with one another, it's time to try some games where they'll have to talk to one another:

Paper Bag Dramatics

High Low

Party Talk

Speed Chatting

Still looking for more? 

Check out this sample: Team Building Games and Activities Sampler.

If you're looking for more games, try the full set: 60 Team Building Games and Activities.

If you are teaching summer school, here are some fun summer-themed activities that focus on reading and math activities for second and third grade: Summer School Activities