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School districts throughout British Columbia predominantly run according to a traditional school calendar. There are some schools that have adopted the year round school schedule that consists of a shorter summer vacation with more frequent, shorter breaks spread throughout the year. There have been arguments for and against both schedules, but the main focus should be how to ensure that students are getting the most benefit from both of these systems.

Traditional Calendar Schools:

Originally the school year was set up so that children were released from school during the springtime for planting season and again during the autumn months so they could help their families during the harvest.

The traditional school calendar was developed in the early 1800s with the thought that children need to have a break from school in order to maintain the joy of childhood and to prevent children from being over stimulated, which could result in mental disorders. In Canada and the rest of North America, a traditional calendar for most schools has remained in place even today.

There are some people who believe that having too long of a summer vacation actually causes students to forget what they learned the previous year, resulting in students needing the first few months of the school year just to catch up to where they left off.

The Thought Behind a Year Round School Schedule:

Some school districts have implemented year-round school schedules. The thought behind year-round schooling is that the school year would be broken up by more frequent breaks. This schedule enables students to maintain a more regular schedule throughout the year with 6-9 weeks of school followed by a 2-4 week break with an extended break of 6 weeks during the summer. Students who attend year-round school still have the same amount of vacation as traditional calendar schools.

On the one hand it is important that students have the adequate time away from school to take a break, relax, enjoy the flexible hours of vacation to explore new hobbies and engage in childhood activities that create lifelong memories. On the other hand, we don’t want children to lose valuable knowledge during those long summer months.

How to bridge the learning gap between school breaks?

How can educators and parents ensure that children get the best of both worlds? Kids need their time off and they also need the proper brain stimulation that enables them to retain knowledge and be ready to learn when school is in session.

Regardless of whether your child attends a year-round school or one that operates according to the traditional school calendar, there is still the question of what to do during school breaks.  Here are some suggestions for how you can make the most of your child’s school breaks and summer vacations.

Summer learning opportunities

At home summer learning opportunities include getting your kids involved in summer reading activities or creative science activities.  Winter break, spring break and summer vacation can be fun and relaxing and still include educational activities.

Summer camps and summer learning programs

There are a variety of summer camps in British Columbia that are available through most school districts for children of all ages. Find a summer camp that matches your child’s interests or focuses on subject areas where your child needs extra help.

Summer tutoring sessions

Another great way to continue your child’s education during the summer months is to have regular tutoring sessions with a certified teacher tutor. This way they are ready to jump back into school when they return from their vacation. Students who struggle with math in school can work with a math tutor during school breaks in order to catch up to where they need to be.

All families are different and what works for one family may not be possible for another. Keep in mind that today’s world is full of new things just waiting to be discovered. There are always ways to turn even small things into learning opportunities. However your child spends this summer, be sure to include some activities that will contribute to your child’s ability to learn in and out of the classroom.

Imagine reading activities like this with your kids:

The audience occupies two rows of mismatched folding chairs set up in the Jones’ backyard.  Parents holding babies and toddlers face a makeshift stage framed by two floor lamps holding up an old shower curtain.  “Ladies and gentlemen” comes a voice from behind the curtain.  We now present a Reader’s Theatre production of “Little Red Riding Hood”.

The performers step out from behind the curtain holding paper scripts. One is wearing a red tablecloth draped on her head and around her shoulders.  The others have handmade paper signs hanging around their necks with yarn which read Grandmother, Mother, Huntsman, Wolf, and Narrators 1-4.  The nine children stand together on the stage and Narrator 1 begins to read “Once upon a time…”

What is Reader’s Theatre?

Reader’s Theatre, simply put, is a way of reading a book aloud as a group. Children from all reading levels can participate in this fun and educational activity. Putting on a neighborhood play doesn’t have to be a huge, overwhelming production that requires memorization and acting skills. Kids can get together during one afternoon and prepare a fantastic Reader’s Theatre.

A Reader’s Theatre can be as simple as a few siblings reading a script for their parents in the living room before bedtime. They can also be as elaborate as a neighborhood production involving children of all ages. Simple costumes can be worn and a set or stage can be made if the children want to be extra creative.

However simple or involved this ready activity is, the main focus remains the same.

Reading activities using Reader’s Theatre is a way for kids to:

1.  Get excited about reading.

2.  Practice reading aloud with fluency.

3.  Have a non-threatening opportunity to practice speaking aloud in front of an audience.

4.  Learn how to read using proper expression and emotion.

How does Reader’s Theatre work?

1.  Choose a script or write a script using a favorite book. Each child participating will have a part to read from a script. There are pre-written Reader’s Theatre scripts available online at websites like teachingheart.net and timelessteacherstuff.com.  For older children ages 11 and up, writing a script of their own can be a fun project as well.

2.  Assign parts and characters to each child.  Kids can create signs for each reader to wear so it is clear who is playing each part or character.

3.  Each child should practice reading through their part many times. You should print out scripts for every reader and have each child highlight their own part on their script.

4.  Once everyone is comfortable with their own part, it is time to practice reading through the script as a group. The more the children practice, the more comfortable everyone will be when it comes time to perform the Reader’s Theatre.

5.  Children should practice using the proper tone of voice, volume and expression to match their character in the story. They may need some coaching from parents, a reading tutor or an older sibling.

6.  Optional costumes and sets/stages can be created for the performance. These are fun projects for kids to work on during their extra time in the summer when school’s out.

7.  Time to perform! Children can invite their parents to a neighborhood production of their Reader’s Theatre or choose to have a simple reading in the living room or at the dining room table.

Now it’s your turn to try a Reader’s Theatre!

A simple story and a few kids at home or a group of neighborhood kids are all it takes to do your own Reader’s Theatre!

Encourage your children to do a Reader’s Theatre of their favorite story. For young children, choose books that they can easily read through. For older children and adolescents, let them choose their favorite chapter from an intermediate or advanced book that can be adapted for Reader’s Theatre.

Your summer afternoon reading activity will now end like this:

The backyard is filled with applause as Narrator 4 pulls the shower curtain closed. Moments later the readers reappear on stage to take a bow, feeling proud for what they were able to accomplish in one educational, yet enjoyable and most memorable summer afternoon. 

Summer is a great time of year when kids have extra time to play outside and enjoy being young.  School is out for a few months, but that doesn’t mean that learning needs to be put on hold.  There are plenty of fun science activities that you can do with your children during the summer months that will keep them entertained and learning!

Outdoor science activities:

Wet and wild science experiment for kids: Water displacement

Finding out the volume of an object (that sinks) by water displacement can be an interesting summer science activity and it’s a nice way to cool off.  It can be tricky to measure the volume of irregularly shaped objects, but it is a fun and easy science experiment for kids to do.

1.  Fill a large measuring cup to a certain line.  Drop various objects one at a time into the measuring cup and see what line the water level rises to.

2.  Subtract the original water measurement from the final water level to determine the volume of that particular object.

3.  Now fill a container completely to the brim and place it inside of a dry container.

4.  Once you place the object in the water it will overflow.

5.  Carefully collect the spilled water and measure it in a measuring device to find the volume of the object.

Kids can practice writing a hypothesis or guess what objects they think will have a greater volume.  Choose objects that are different shapes like an apple and a banana.  Then your child can test out the various objects and see if their hypothesis was correct.  This is a fun way to do science and keep the wheels turning in those brains even when the kids are taking a break from the classroom.

Edible science activity: Homemade ice cream

Making ice cream on a hot summer day is something kids (and parents) of all ages will love to do!  All you need is a large coffee can, a small coffee can plus a few ingredients like cream or half and half, vanilla, sugar, an optional egg, rock salt and ice.  You can also add other ingredients like strawberries or chocolate to flavor your ice cream.  You will find a detailed recipe here and more about the science of ice cream here.

Before doing this “cool” science activity you should talk with your child about the science behind this experiment.  Getting the cream to solidify requires more than just a freezing temperature.   Adding salt to the ice actually causes the ice to have a lower freezing point.  With the ice below freezing it is possible to turn the liquid ingredients into ice cream!  So how does it work?

1.  Place all the ingredients in the smaller coffee can, place the lid on and seal it with duct tape.

2.  Put the smaller can inside the larger can and fill the larger can with the ice and salt.

3.  2 or more kids sit on the ground and roll the can back and forth continuously for about 10 min. (Everyone touching the can should wear gloves so they don’t hurt their skin with the cold temperature of the can.)

4.  Continue to roll the can on the ground until the cream thickens and becomes yummy ice cream! (About 10 additional minutes)

5.  Older children can also find a large hill to roll the can down rather than rolling it back and forth.

The amazing quicksand science experiment for kids: you won’t believe it till you try it!

Quicksand/Goop/Goo/Glop… its fun no matter what you call it.  Making quicksand or “Goo” out of cornstarch and water can turn a dull summer afternoon into a fun filled educational science activity.  When you mix cornstarch and water together it forms a consistency that can be both liquid and solid.  This science activity will make a mess, so find a place outside where the kids can dig their hands into the Goo and find out what happens!

1.  If you put your finger slowly into the substance it will sink in like quicksand.

2.  If you punch the Goo quickly it is a solid.

3.  Try holding some of it in your hand and make a fist.  This will keep the Goo solid.

4.  Now relax your hand and it will ooze out through your fingers like a liquid.

5.  You can add food coloring to the Goo to make it different colors. (Note: This can stain clothing.)

Making your own quicksand is entertaining, interesting, thought provoking and it’s science!  To find out more about the science behind making quicksand visit this website.

Make the most of your summer and try these outdoor science experiments for kids.  They will have such a good time. They won’t even realize they are learning during summer vacation!