Fun At the Shore

Have you ever been to the beach?  When my children were little we would go to the beach at Rocky Neck State Park in Connecticut.   It is a family friendly beach with very little waves.  My son Nick loved to dig holes in the sand.  We were always very careful not to let him dig too deep!  Sand is very unstable and we didn’t want him to get hurt!  Kate loved building sand castles.  She especially loved collecting shells to decorate her creations.

CATCHING CRITTERS 

Another fun thing to do at the beach is catch critters such as crabs and small fish, crayfish, butterflies, and the like.  We were always very careful to keep them only a short time before we gently set them free back where we caught them.  There’s nothing worse than seeing a stinky pile of dead creatures left behind by some thoughtless humans.  Please be respectful of our critter friends.

DIGGING IN THE SAND

Digging in the sand is always fun as you pretend you’re hunting for treasure!  However, if there’s a lot of trash at the beach, that’s no fun.  Do your part to keep the beach clean—don’t litter!

RUNNING IN THE SAND

Running in the sand is fun!  Kicking sand onto other people and/or their blankets is not!  Be considerate of others.  Think of personal space as you walk by their blankets and other belongings.

STINGS, BITES, AND SUNBURNS AREN’T FUN

There’s nothing worse than a sunburn after a long day at the beach—ouch!  Be sure to wear sunscreen and reapply it often!  Ask a grownup to help you.  If the bugs are biting, ask for some insect repellant.  Be sure to watch wear you walk—jelly fish stings hurt!

Enjoy your day at the beach!  Be safe.  Be smart.  Be respectful.

How to Get Smart(er)

Do you feel smart? Did you know you can train your brain to be smarter? There are some interesting sites on the Internet to get you started (be sure to have your grownup help you if you need it) Here’s one site that has the Stroop test on it! (http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html) It’s a test where you have to say the color that a word is printed in, not the color the word is spelling. It’s not as easy as you might think!

One of my favorite sites to practice math facts is http://studymaths.co.uk/games/beattheclock.html. It’s fun to try and beat the clock! The following link has some great math resources: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/online/. Check them out! It’s so much fun to learn your basic facts using the computer!

There is so much to learn about in this world—people, places, animals, inventions, you name it! The bottom line is that learning takes work/effort. If you want to get smarter, work harder! You’ll be glad you did!

Summer Reading

What’s better than reading a book? Reading a book and earning prizes! Every summer your area library sponsors a summer reading program. It’s free! You can participate in activities such as arts and crafts as well as attend special events with various entertainers (clowns, magicians, storytellers, etc.).

What if you’re at camp all summer and can’t get to the library? Scholastic.com has a free summer reading program http://www.scholastic.com/summer. All you have to do is sign up, read like crazy, and then log your reading minutes.

But that’s not all! According to Scholastic, “The 20 schools with the most minutes logged will receive recognition in the 2012 Scholastic Book of World Records.” How awesome! Can it get any better than that? Yes! All you have to do is participate in weekly reading challenges, earn digital rewards, enter sweepstakes to win fabulous prizes, and more.

Kids who read succeed! What’s your plan for success this summer? Please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!