Parent Power May 2001: Spark your child's imagination summer

Table of Content: May 2001	Next: A new Approach to Reading
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Helping you make sense of schooling today May 2001 • Vol. 3 • Issue 4 “Children whose parents spend time with them, reading to them, interacting with them, those children do well in school. The summer is the perfect time to do that,” said Becky Poppe, librarian at the Core Knowledge Foundation, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The foundation, started by education innovator E.D. Hirsch Jr., developed the ground- breaking Core Knowledge curriculum. Used by the schools and parents across the country, the idea behind Core Knowledge is that children must build on the knowledge they have acquired from one year to the next, much like a child would build a tower, stacking blocks upon blocks. The foundation’s books detail what should be instructed to children up to sixth grade, starting with What Every Kindergartener Should Know. If you are looking for ideas for this summer, these books are chock full of stories, lessons and activities for your student, divided into subject areas. Here are some other ideas for summer activities: READING AND WRITING Check out your local library for summer reading clubs that make reading fun by offering coupons and other incentives over the summer. Or create your own club. Bring along books to the pool or the park. Set aside time to read every day. If you have a child in early elementary grades, select a few classics such as Tom Sawyer that may be above his compre- hension level but will stoke his imagination. Read aloud to your child, even if they are older. Some suggestions can be found at www.cbcbooks.org, the website of the Children’s Books Council. Journaling not only can improve your child’s confi- dence in writing but it’s some- thing you can do together. Take along a notebook on your vacation and record some favorite moments. And speaking of vacation, time in the car doesn’t have to be wasted over squabbles for window seats. Books on tape and storytellers’ recordings are a fine way to introduce new stories. Storyteller Jim Weiss, produced by Greathall Productions Inc., has a wide selection of tapes ranging from fairy tales to mythology. HISTORY Provide an up-close look at history during your summer travels. “Kids get excited when they see things in the world that they’ve seen in books,” Poppe said. Will your trip this summer take you near a Civil War battle- field, a Revolutionary War land- mark or a stop on the journey of Lewis and Clark? Or perhaps there is something closer to home that you can visit that will make history come alive for your child. The “Resources to Build On” section of the Core Knowledge Foundation’s website, www.coreknowledge.org, has a number of grade-based sugges- tions on history books for chil- dren ranging from easy-to-read books on Betsy Ross to biogra- phies of Marie Curie. SCIENCE Summer is also a good time for getting out and exploring the world around us. Take your children on a hike. Visit the local nature center or aquarium for ideas and activi- ties. An outing at a plane- tarium or an evening of stargazing will help them understand the planets and constellations. Download ideas Spark your child’s imagination this summer W ith the approach of summer vacation, parents are faced with the prospect of filling up the long lazy days of youngsters who would otherwise be vying for the television or arguing for computer time. Take heart, summer doesn’t have to be a bore. Instead, look at it as one extended opportunity to learn.