Education for Life

Outdoor Learning at Home All Summer Long  The summer is a great time to have fun at home using Montessori principles. Here are some ideas to inspire your family’s summer fun. Summer Fun in the Backyard There is a lot to be said for slow days of exploration at home when the weather is warm. Enjoy your backyard. Play games. Blow bubbles. Run in the rain. Read books outside. Identify all of the plants in your backyard. Do you ever notice any animals in your yard? Look under rocks and garden stones. Look up in tree branches for trees. Do any animals live in these places? Make your own backyard guidebook. Your child can help to draw pictures. Older children may be able to help label them. If your child is not yet able to write independently, ask your child to dictate the sounds of each word, as you write it down. Summer Fun in the Garden Even if you only grow a couple of plants in containers, gardening with your young child is a tremendously gratifying and educational experience. In our fast paced culture, plants still grow at their time tested pace allowing a child to experience the wonder of nature and to begin to appreciate how much time goes into the growth of our food. Also, you might be surprised to see what your child might eat from the garden that she would never touch if served at the table. Keeping a garden journal is a fun way to incorporate academic skills into your child’s summer. Record when you plant seeds and seedlings, when you notice differences in your plants, when you harvest, etc. You can also record daily temperatures and rainfall, count the number of days between planting and sprouting, and measure the growth of seedlings to use some math skills in the garden.