The ABCs of summer learning!

Oh, summer. It’s alive and well! School is out, camps are in and pools are a hoppin! Days begin with slow mornings, sleeping in, bike rides to Refuel, and exploring our beautiful island. Hope you’ve had a chance to explore a slip-n-slide, the Daniel Island Park club pool slide, or even the Rip Tide Run slide at Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Park.

All of this sounds fun and should be, except for the “summer slide.” The dreaded concern that your child will fall back educationally throughout the summer months. Yep, it’s a thing. Just take a look at our local library and you’ll see it’s filled with students that rotate day in and out (my kids included) to make sure they don’t slide back educationally.

So, what’s a parent to do? As a parent and Daniel Island School teacher, I’d like to offer some words of encouragement. For starters, if you haven’t quite set up a routine and expectations, start today! It’s never too late to read or review your math skills (the two subject areas where teachers usually see the most regression) and yes, I’m talking about all grade levels here - even my middle school students and high school students need consistency and skill maintenance.

Here’s my ABC list to help keep your kids’ creative brains working (and retaining) while away from the classroom:

A - ACTIVE

Get outside, stay active and get your kids moving both physically and mentally.

B - BUCKET LIST

Create a family bucket list that will help create memories while feeling the success of accomplishment - I even add our summer “homework” packets on ours!

C - CODING

Most kids already know about code.org, but try a new coding app like Tynker Junior (ages 5-7), Scratch, Vidcode (3rd-12th grade) or my favorite for learning about anything - Khan Academy!

D - DIGITAL

Just know that not all learning has to be digital. Kids love paints, pens, sidewalk chalk and even shaving cream! Card games and board games will do, too!

E - ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS

Allow your kids to be their own boss by babysitting, mowing lawns, pet walking, or my kids’ favorite - washing mailboxes. They’ll build good work ethic, learn about money, and gain experience socially.

F - FARMERS MARKET

A perfect place to support local farmers while re-learning money skills! Take your kids to our very own neighborhood farmers market every Thursday at Center Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

G -GARDENING

We may not all have a green thumb, but remind your kids about our planet Earth, our need for farmers, food, water and the importance of gardening. Their curiosity will have you planting something in your backyard and your kids taking ownership and pride while making observations and predictions.

H - HISTORY

We’re surrounded by it! Let’s embrace it, enjoy it and relive it as we explore our own city. Our family favorites include Fort Sumter, the Charleston Museum, and Fort Moultrie!

I - INTEGRATE

I encourage you to integrate learning everywhere you go! Use road trips to read signs, maps, calculate miles, spell different cities names and learn about new places! Integrate, integrate, integrate!

J -JOURNAL

Give your kids their own notebook and allow them to draw, sketch, and write about their day, their adventures at camp, or their travels this summer. This will help them practice writing and allow them to be in touch with their feelings (cursive is definitely allowed here, too!).

K -KIWICO

Check out KiwiCo for some STEM inspiration. There’s a crate for all ages with monthly crates designed to spark your creativity, tinkering, and engineering! (kiwico.com)

L- LIBRARY

Our very own Berkeley County Library is located right next to Daniel Island School...Come visit, check out a book, and inquire about their summer reading program, as well as children, family, teen/tween and even adult activities. (BerkeleyLibrarySC.org)

M - MOON

M should really be for MATH, but it’s the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing! Have your kids research this historic event and the people who made it possible. Also, explore the solar system with the Sky View Lite app, and learn about the phases of the moon!

N - NUMBERS

They’re all around us! Discuss, look, create and make sure you’re not skipping out on your math skills. These include: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, equations, powers, area, volume, graphing, rounding, estimating, and more!

O - OUTSIDE

Don’t let you kids stay inside all day. Explore the great outdoors! Take a walk, ride on the bike trails, or step your feet in the sand and enjoy the sunshine!

P -POSTCARDS

Everyone loves getting mail, right? Why not sneak in a few writing activities with basic postcards. Not only are these fun, but they’re accessible wherever you go!

Q -QUESTION

Ask away! I can’t tell you what you’ll learn, or the dialogue and discussion that will evolve when you ask about each other’s day. Our family favorite is to share our PEAK and PIT at our dinner table!

R -READ

This one is easy.....but are you modeling reading? Is your household rich in print, books, magazine even newspapers? The Daniel Island News comes to your door every Wednesday!

S-STEM

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are key components of the 21st century. Check out Pinterest for loads of STEM fun, or my favorite on Instagram is @steamkidschallenge.

T-TECHNOLOGY

It can be a wonderful thing...in moderation! (See letter U)

U-UNPLUG

Challenge your kids to go “old school” and unplug completely for one full day!

V- VOCABULARY

Introduce a new word a day and try incorporating it in your conversations! Vocabulary will help improve reading comprehension and communication.

W- WORK

Keep routine and chores going all year long to help maintain responsibilities. Additionally, do some “homeWORK.” In my house, our kids complete two pages a day from Summer Bridge Activities workbook. This workbook reviews all subject areas and even includes flash cards and stickers! (summerlearningactivities.com/sba)

X- X-TRA WORKBOOKS

If you have them, why not use them? Extra workbooks are always coming home at the end of the school year. Let your kids review, or use them to play.

Y -YOU

You CAN do this!

Z - ZOO

Heading up-state anytime soon? Explore the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden and learn the importance of the lives and welfare of animals, conservation and care!

Allison Woods has been a teacher for 20 years. She’s spent the last seven at Daniel Island School (DIS), where she currently teaches seventh grade science. She lives on Daniel Island with her husband, Mike, and their two children, Charlie and Max, who also attend DIS.