Roundup of Summer Learning Activities

The purpose of the Summer Reading Club is to encourage students to read for pleasure, help the reluctant reader along and reward them for their efforts. Get your kids signed up and reading all summer long.

Each summer I host the About.com Homeschooling Summer Reading Club. Your children can use the same reading time for other reading programs at your local library's summer reading program and/or some of these programs.

Many theaters offer free or cheap movies for kids during the summer. With budgets being watched so closely these days, the summer movies are sure to be a hit.

The weather is getting nice and it's a great time to start planning a lemonade stand to help your neighbors cool off and make a little spending money for yourself.

Making ice cream is a fun and delicious way to build science skills. Students will experience a change in state from a liquid to a solid. They will discover the difference of temperature between ice without salt and ice mixed with salt. They will practice following directions, measuring with accuracy to complete a recipe.

Summer printables - worksheets, a wordsearch, and a craft, with more to come next week. Have fun learning about summer. More summer printables:

• Yo-yo Unit and Printables
• Skateboarding Printables

Many communities offer free concerts in the parks during the summer months. The concert series generally offers different genres. It's a good way to expose your children to different types of music.

Are you up for a good old-fashioned ice cream social? If you have an ice cream freezer, dust it off and invite some friends over for a cool treat and a fun time. No ice cream freezer? No problem, provide sundae making ingredients and enjoy!

Select bowling centers and schools around the country are participating in the first ever “Kids Bowl Free” program. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.