By: Kristy Houle, Educational Opportunities Coordinator

Another glorious summer is upon us, and like most parents I sometimes struggle with ways to keep the kids happy, engaged, and most of all, busy! If your children are anything like mine, I need to keep them learning throughout the summer months or getting them back on track in August is almost impossible.

Summer may be a time to relax, but tell that to kids who are bouncing off the walls or shrieking “I’m bored!” As parents, babysitters, and nannies, we want each summer to be more memorable than the next, and with that comes the need for a few new ideas.

As a homeschool mom, I am lucky in the fact that I can be home with my children most days during the summer, but for those of you who are out of the home during the week, Educate.Today is a perfect solution to those long summer day blues.

If you are currently using the features on the Educate. Today website, then you already know how vital it can be to your child’s education and academic growth. If you haven’t had a chance to visit us yet, let’s explore some of the exciting programs and resources that are waiting for you as you plan your schedule this summer!

Search our Extensive Archived Program Library

Educate.Today has more than 700 archived videos that relate to the content and curriculum that your child is learning during their academic school year. You can search videos based on keyword, curriculum area or grade level.

Our video resources come with teacher and student tools containing fun lessons and activity ideas. You could also have your child watch a playlist of videos and complete a journal entry sheet (attached with the homeschool packages) each day. This could be used as a five-minute sharing session with the family during dinner or evening activity time.

My children are choosing 3-5 videos of their choice and completing either an assigned activity or a journal entry each day. They love having the ability to choose what they learn about, and look forward to investigating all the interesting facts the videos have to offer.

Browse the Homeschool Packages

You don’t have to be a year-round homeschool family to utilize our content rich Homeschool Packages. These packages are full of video playlists, vocabulary words and writing activities.

The Homeschool Packages also include an easy to use Recommended Reading List for those summer readers. When the summer days begin, I print off a copy of the reading list, take it to our public library and collect

the books my kids want to read. It’s a fantastic way to keep them thinking and engaged during those relaxing afternoons when it’s too hot to be outside!

If your summer crew is more interested in hands on activities, Educate.Today has those too! The Homeschool Packages include not only the Writing Activities page, but also the Creation Station activities. This section of our packages is great for those students who love
to create and use their imagination. Activities such as building helicopters, producing videos, editing videos, writing scripts, and performing a play are just a few of the options you will find as you browse the Homeschool Packages.

Internet Safety Feature

Unlike most of the web-based video resources you
find on the internet, Educate.Today videos are all contained within the www.educatetoday.org website This means that you won’t have to worry about your child wandering off to other sites that might not be age- appropriate for them, as is easy to do when browsing other open websites. With Educate.Today there is no danger of finding inappropriate content, unknown purchase opportunities or advertisements. Once your kids are surfing the site, all they will find is high-quality, kid-friendly videos and resources created by teachers, principals, and parents.

Treat the summer like a lost semester — but not the daunting and dull I-have-to-take-this-class-to-pass kind. Make it a summer filled with learning all the things your children have wanted to try, but have never gotten around to. The human brain is hard-wired for learning, so even if your child seems to dislike school, you may be surprised to discover how much they love learning when the subject is something that truly interests them. The list of things you will find on www.educate.today is infinite, so gear up to have a great summer!