Summer is the perfect time for kids and families to get outside and explore, experiment, and try new things. Just talking back and forth, sharing stories, reading books, helping at fish camp, or playing games can help students build background knowledge and make new connections.
As a teacher, you can make summer learning even easier for families by providing tips, ideas, and links to resources. Here are some ideas from schools across the state:
- Arctic Light Elementary School in Fairbanks has a lot of military families. To help families new to the community keep reading over the summer, the school shares bus schedules, maps, and info about the community libraries and other resources.
- Chevak School held a family celebration in May with a suite of “busy hands” activities to connect students, families, and educators while also sharing summer learning strategies from reading to learning by doing at fish camp.
- The Kodiak Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association is planning to host a summer book club centered on the book The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better.
- Bristol Bay Borough School District has built thematic literacy kits that families can check out, complete with two books, related activities, and tips for families. Steam Baths and “Around the World in a Bath Tub” have been crowd favorites.
- Find these and other ideas on the Alaskan Families Read Padlet. We’ve recently added resources in Spanish. Families with older students might also want to explore what they can do over the summer to help their students prepare for life after high school.
Image: Families at Nunam Iqua School in Lower Yukon School District gather for a “Busy Hands and Big Conversations” event.