Friday, June 26, 2015

Summer Learning Around Fremont

Summer Learning Around Fremont
Building vocabulary is an important part of developing literacy skills.  Research indicates that students who enter kindergarten with a large working vocabulary are more likely to be successful readers and learners.  One of the best gifts that we can provide our children is the gift of language.  As adults in the lives of children, it is important that we are taking the opportunities to build vocabulary with our children at every age.  Engaging your child in conversations, reading out loud with them, and allowing them to see you in learning and reading activities are wonderful ways to build the learner in your child. 

Below are a list of opportunities and activities that you can engage your child with this summer.  Have fun!

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center-
During your visit of the Hayes Presidential Center, talk to your child about their favorite part of the grounds.  Allow them to describe their favorite area to you using descriptive words and see if you can guess the location. 
Did you venture into the museum or the house?  How many steps did you encounter?  Were they steep, curved, narrow, or wide?  Adjectives allow our language to develop by adding descriptive words to our vocabulary.  This activity will help you explore a gem of Fremont.  It will also help you build vocabulary around history using descriptive words. 

Visit a local park-
Local parks offer many free options for entertainment from a location to play Frisbee or read a book or to a place to fish or hike.  Once you walk and enjoy the park, think about how you can return to the area and explore something new.  What was an exciting part of your visit?  Which park did you like the best; Walsh Park, Conner Park, Roger Young Park, Creek Bend Farms?  The North Coast Inland Trail is a wonderful opportunity to travel the county.  You can travel from Bellevue to Elmore; a total of 28 miles.  Did you hear a train?  Did you see an animal?  Were you able to identify any foliage?  This activity will keep you physically active and help you build vocabulary around nature and locations. 

Penny Hike
Take a walk or bike ride around the city.  Bring a coin with you.  At each corner, flip the coin.  If the coin lands on heads-turn right.  If it lands on tails-turn left.  If it rolls-go straight.  As you venture around the neighborhood, talk with your child about who you know in the neighborhood, what forms of transportation you see, and identify any businesses that you have around you.  Label what items may be for sale in the business.  Is this a place you would like to be employed in the future?  This activity will help you build the vocabulary around businesses, vehicles and transportation, and will help begin the conversation of future career options. 

Birchard Public Library
How best to build vocabulary than to surround yourself with good literature!  Birchard Public Library houses many titles and has access to many more.  There are free programs for all ages and opportunities to explore something new with each visit. 

Ohio Department of Education provides some additional summer learning.  Try some of these online activities.