Resource List: Educational Summer Activities for Kids
With summer upon us, many of our parents are on the hunt for valuable summer activities for kids in McLean and the Washington, DC area. We have many worthwhile ideas for families, both educational and fun. Share this with friends and family for their enjoyment as well.
Hands-on Activities
Hands-on educational summer activities for kids in McLean, the Washington, DC area, and beyond
Recreate Classic Art
Recreate classic works of art with objects around the house using these ideas from Getty for inspiration. Take pictures of your creations, post them on social media, and challenge your friends to do the same.
Nature Study
Encourage your child to play outdoors regularly everyday. But more than just play, encourage them to notice. Prompt them to engage their natural surroundings:
Find a tree, or flowering plant. Collect a small sample.
What do you notice about the leaf? About the flower?
What color is it? Describe its shape.
Model how to observe and listen quietly. Use all of your senses.
Afterward, challenge your children to come up with words to describe the following: one word for something they heard, two words for something they saw, three words for something they felt.
Your child can begin to relate to the natural world by exercising his/her attention. Encourage them to do this daily!
You may even encourage them to keep a nature journal. At Ambleside, students keep nature journals and entries including drawings and descriptions from their nature walks. The students become acquainted with their natural surroundings over their years through such observations.
Illustration
Illustrating a passage from a book, or recreating a work of art, is a structured way to encourage your children to grow in art training.
Pick an illustration from a book they are currently reading and provide them with a few guidelines:
Select an illustration that is achievable in the given timeframe.
Provide title, dates, and background information of the illustration.
Illustrations ought to be accurate in size, color, and form as the image they are reproducing.
Provide periodic check-ins: ask them to let you know when they complete certain milestones. Observe their quality of work and provide feedback.
Slower/perfectionist artists ought to complete the main picture then if time, go back and add in all the small details.
Older children can be given an image, like this from the Silver Chair, and encouraged to recreate it. For younger children, color pages are useful for helping them grow in their command of shading and precision.
Handwriting
The cognitive benefits of practicing handwriting and cursive are well-known and yet this skill is not as prominent in education as it once was [read more].
Print out handwriting worksheets for your child and encourage them to practice developing this life skill (while simultaneously developing fine motor skills and a sense of artistry). In the early years, Ambleside students master D’Nealian manuscript writing and then are introduced to Spencerian writing.
Handwork
Give your child a project, constructing something with their hands. There are many different mediums that can choose! You can help them pick up a new hobby like felting, knitting, or gain sewing competency by learning simple stitches! Ambleside students complete handwork projects in each grade, each year focusing on a new skill.
Read Aloud
At Ambleside, we can attest to the delight and curiosity that is cultivated in young minds when adults read aloud to them. Explore these reading lists of classic literature (organized by grade) and either read aloud to or along with your child. Encourage an older child to pick a favorite book and read aloud to their siblings for 20 minutes. Or make time to read aloud together as a family activity.
Virtual Opportunities
Educational summer activities for kids in McLean (for kids anywhere, really) from the safety and convenience of your home, or for those rainy days indoors
Zoos & Aquariums
Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Feed
Deep Sea Exploration Video Blogs
Art, Drama, & Literature
Access discounted art curriculum from Monart (we use the Monart Method to inform art instruction at Ambleside).
Broadcast of Plays from National Theatre
The National Theatre in London had made recordings of some of their plays available for home viewing. A few of their plays include Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, and Twelfth Night.
Natural History Museum, London Interactive Online Guide
Examine the Natural History Museum’s vast collection and resources on plants, insects, butterflies, and mammals.
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg Virtual Tour
J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Virtual Tour
Use the Google Arts and Culture “museum view” tool to get more information by clicking on artwork.