For students, summer is a time for fun and play. It is also the time when children’s learning slides. Research (Brace, 2002a) shows that during the summer students forget many of the reading and math skills learned during the school year. This “summer slide” requires schools and teachers to spend valuable time during the next school year helping students “re-learn” lost skills, and it greatly reduces the time available to master new skills and subjects.

A child’s ability to succeed in school takes a partnership – one that begins at home and continues in school. To increase learning and stop the summer learning decline, the Michigan Department of Education has developed summer literacy activities for preschool, prekindergarten, and early elementary students to practice at home.

These activities are being distributed on a pilot basis as part of our ongoing effort to help teachers teach and children learn. Activities are aligned with the Michigan Curriculum Framework, Michigan Literacy Progress Profile and the No Child Left Behind Act.

Visit this page to download free Literacy and Math activities from pre K – 3.

An old one… but still relevant.

A nonprofit subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, JASON connects young students with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science. Its core curriculum units are designed for 5th – 8th grade classrooms but are flexible enough to be adapted for higher or lower grades.

The JASON Project was founded by Dr. Robert Ballard, the scientist and oceanographer who, in 1986, discovered the wreck of the ill-fated RMS Titanic. Ballard’s breakthrough development of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) enabled scientists located far from a research site to remotely observe and record scientific phenomena otherwise inaccessible to them. Impressed by the many requests he received from students who wanted to learn more about his Titanic expedition, Dr. Ballard began to explore ways to bring the excitement of real scientific discovery into the classroom. In 1989, he established The JASON Project, a pioneering organization that uses multimedia tools and cutting-edge technology to engage students in scientific research and expeditions led by leading scientists.

You have to register to access all the materials. After registering, you can create a classroom and then assignments for students. Best of all, there are materials for download! And all for F-R-E-E!

Patty of Deep Space Sparkle says:

I believe art should be a part of every child’s day, especially young children, but school budgets don’t often support art programs. I want to share my best lessons with you, providing complete instructions, photographs of actual kid’s artwork and helpful tips. I hope this site inspires you to introduce, explore and teach ART to the children in your lives!

As an art teacher, I strive to introduce lessons that are easily adaptable for kids of all ages and abilities. My goal is to introduce as much variety in my subject matter as possible. Not every lesson can feature birds, flowers or butterflies (which are my personal favorites!) so I work hard developing lessons that feature different cultures, animals, architecture and geography.

Deep Space Sparkle promises out of this world art lessons and it delivers! I’m inspired already!

… my father.