These activity calendar activities are provided from the Glastonbury School webpage.  If you cannot complete the given activity for a day, just repeat a favorite activity from another! 

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Dear families,

 

With summer fast approaching, we’re all looking forward to vacation! Between trips to the beach and the pool, let’s keep our math skills fresh!  This article from Harvard  offers the specifics of four ways to integrate math into the fun of summer.  Bedtime Math offers some great tips too! 

 

To summarize the study from Harvard, 

1. Highlight the math in every day activities. 
2. Read short math stories together. See my link to Bedtime Math!
3. Play math games.  Click here for some, arranged by grade!  Also see the box to the right for more! 
4. Find small ways to practice math at home.  

For skills review or basic practice, check out Khan Academy.  The skills are categorized on this site  by the domains (the mathematics categories) learned this year at each grade level.  Choose the grade level you just completed in order to keep those skills fresh.  There are several  wonderful aspects of practicing the skills on Khan Academy such as

* Doing the mastery challenges whenever they are made available (Note: The challenges pop up on a timed basis.)

* Gaining “energy” points: The more that you are on the website answering questions the more points that you earn.

* Earning badges for doing a certain number or type of problem, watching videos or doing mastery challenges. 

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Students of all ages might enjoy Greg Tang's Summer Math Challenge!  I really like his work, and he has many great games geared for building fluency at all levels.  This challenge is free, differentiated by grade level, and you have the option to register for a certificate and prize. 

 

Most importantly, look for opportunities to make connections between what’s happening in your daily life and the math your child is learning.   Regardless of your child's grade level, the kitchen presents countless opportunities to work on fractions.  Sharing a muffin? Slice it up and talk about the names of the pieces.  Doubling a recipe? Using a timer?  Setting the table? All present opportunities to talk about real-life math situations.  Look for authentic opportunities to estimate.  Going to the movies? About how much will the two tickets cost us? About how much change will we get back if I pay with a twenty?

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Bedtime Math, one of my top favorites for families  has some summer printables, a fun sticker chart to keep track of the days students do a bedtime math story (sign up for daily emails if you haven't already! )  and lots of great general tips for families.  

 

Planning to spend some time in the car? (Too much, perhaps?) Keep a pack of flashcards handy and run through  a set while you’re waiting.  Automaticity with the facts is a big factor of success in the math class.  Help your child to “hit the ground running” in September by having the facts be automatic.  Remember to reinforce the strategies your child learned this year.  Model your own mental math strategies and talk to your child  about their own.   Click here for tips for  addition/subtraction and multiplication or

 division. 

 For kids of all ages, games are  a wonderful way to reinforce math skills, while enjoying quality family time.   Beyond just adding the dice and counting out the moves, board games can target visual spatial skills, number sense, reasoning, logic and flexible thinking.  My family loves Blokus, which kids of all ages can play together. How about Yahtzee, Flip 4, Monopoly (great for rainy summer days!!) Mancala, Uno, Jenga…. the list is endless!! Try keeping a large puzzle out all summer long.

 

Best wishes for a safe and fun summer!

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Colleen Cummings

 

 

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