A Beach Bag Full of Summer Learning Resources

Eduweb.com features interactive activities on range of subjects — natural history, earth science, people & cultures, technology — all searchable by topic and grade level.
NASA has a wide range of activities on its website — take a virtual field trip, design a habitable planet, or solve real-life air traffic control problems.
Circumnavigate the globe with the Smithsonian’s My Wonderful World tool.
For high schoolers mulling their college choices,Unigo.com features virtual campus tours, school profiles, student reviews, and forums.

Attention: Art Lovers. SmArtHistory is an award-winning website that functions like an art history book. Search by theme, style or artist, then listen to an audio discussion of the work.
The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’s website has resources on the history of aviation and pioneers in the field.

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Get in on the latest outdoor craze with geocaching, where families search for hidden “caches” or containers using handheld GPS tools (or a GPS app on your smart phone). Try a variation on geocaching called earthcaching where you seek out and learn about unique geologic features. Find more details about geocaching plus links to geocaching websites in this article from the School Family website, Geocaching 101: Family Fun for All, in Every Season. Or follow one young family on their geocaching adventure: Geocaching with Kids: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt.

Your local public library has lots of resources and information for teens — computers, enrichment programs, and volunteer and employment opportunities.

You know that reading is important, and you want to make sure that your teenager grows into adulthood with all the skills he or she needs to succeed. This list suggests ways to encourage your teens to read.
Use this checklist from the Center for Summer Learning to identify high-quality summer learning programs.
Audiobooks are a great alternative to summer reading, especially for children who read slowly. Download free and low-priced audiobooks from Librivox and AudibleKids.
Check out YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, an annual list of books of interest reluctant readers ages 12-18.

Arrange for your students to blog in a safe, closed community. Edublogs offers teachers and students free blog space and appropriate security. Students will need an e-mail address in order to create an account. Free, disposable e-mail accounts are available at Mailinator. Students can create an account there, use the address long enough to establish the blog and password, and then abandon the e-mail account.

Parent-Teen online magazine has some great ideas for summer activities that can help teens get into college. Examples include doing independent study with the supervision of a mentor and pursuing enrichment opportunities on local college campuses.
Encourage teens to read the Top 10 Favorite Teen Books from every year since 2003. Teens can also nominate their own favorites.
Have teens find new reads using the Book Finders on AdLit and ALA.
These resources from College Board remind teens that summer school isn’t just for kids who need to catch up. Summer school can give teens a chance to pursue their interests, to try some hands-on activities outside the classroom, or to try a college-level course.

Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program has a summer component called Spark Your Greatness It’s for kids grades K-6, and features a minute tracker app, book recommendations, recipes for readers, printables, games, and activity calendars.

Publication Date:

May 2008

AdLit 101