Parent Magazine St. Johns May 2019 | Page 20

on the Internet. Keep a log of the results. Give rewards for problems solved. 12. Measure and mix. Put the kids in charge of desserts for the summer. Make sure they create some healthy choices like fruit pops or sorbet as well as delicious baked goodies like pies, cakes, and cookies. If they get carried away, let them have a neighborhood bake sale. AT 13. Go multi-media with books you read together. Take turns reading GRADES 6 TH + JUNE 3 - 28, M-F • 10:00a - 1:00p Performances on Mainstage June 28, 29 at 7:30p • June 30 at 2:00p TUITION: $450 GRADES 3 RD + JULY 1 - 11, M-F • 10:00a - 4:00p Performances in Black Box July 12, 13 at 7:30p • July 14 at 2:00p TUITION: $405 b u g z GRADES K-3 JULY 15 - 19 • 10:00a - 1:00p Showcase: July 19 • 1:00p TUITION: $150 MORE CAMPS AVAILABLE THROUGH AUGUST 2 INFO & REGISTRATION AT LIMELIGHT-THEATRE.ORG/KIDZFACTORY out loud or check out audio books from your local library to listen to before dinner or before bed. Once you finish the book as a family, watch the movie together. Compare and contrast the books and the films. See sidebar for suggested books that have been made into movies. 14. Keep a “How I Spent My Summer Scrapbook.” Choose a blank- page, over-sized book with ample pages for writing, collaging, collecting, and embellishing. Set aside time to work on “summer books” for a half hour every day at whatever time of day works best. Let kids decide whether or not to keep it private or share the results with the family. 15. Sign up for BrainPop. This educational website has over 1,000 short animated movies for kids ages six - seventeen, making it the perfect substitute teacher for your kids over the summer. Best of all, they can pursue topics that interest them. Check with your child’s school library to see if they have free access to BrainPopJr for K - Third Grade. Otherwise, a subscription is money well spent on entertaining enrichment. 16. Tackle a big creative project. Choose one that takes planning, creativity, and involving others like putting on a puppet show, writing a play, or making a movie. Let your child approach the project in his or her own way, and only offer to help if you are needed. Invest a little money in your child’s creativity and their imaginations will be buoyed by your patronage. 17. Visit friends and family around the world. Start with a list of friends and family you know all over the globe. Then once a week, take an hour to really explore that destination via Google Earth and by researching online information. Expand your geographic horizons further by video-calling your friends or family and informally interviewing them about the area where they live. Post a map on the wall and stick a tack in each location you visit virtually. 18. Think beyond the lemonade stand. Terrific lessons about business, sales, and marketing will be learned when you create your child’s version of the lemonade stand. Why not sell old toys, baked goods, or artwork as a lesson in entrepreneurism? You never know, you might spark a future interest in business. 19. Commit to a cause. If you child loves animals, see if you can spend 904.825.1164 www.Limelight-Theatre.org 11 Old Mission Avenue St. Augustine, FL 32084 some time volunteering at a local animal shelter. If she’s a regular fashionista, why not throw a summer fashion show to raise money for a local charity? Even a trip to your local food bank or letting your kids come with you while you give blood is a life lesson that keeps on giving. 20. Share your childhood favorites. Did you love to make friendship bracelets or collect comic books? Did your husband learn to play guitar 20 | S T. J O H N S parent M A G A Z I N E