Action Pack

Action Pack is definitely a great magazine with chockful of fun science project ideas you can do together with your kids. Now that the warm weather is slowly creeping up, it's time to stock on ideas for the kids who want to spend all day outside! The best part? It's only $5.00!!!  Here are some inside looks to this incredible magazine:

Do U.S. Students Lack International Skills?

Education Nation posted a story explaining whether U.S. students are falling behind in "global" education. What are your thoughts?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Lets Read. Let's Move. with Chris Draft

Draft read his book, “Do You Want to Play Catch?” and joined Duncan and teammates H.B. Blades and Rocky McIntosh for a discussion on the importance of staying fit and healthy, reading and learning over the summer, and the future prospects of the Washington Redskins. After the discussion, students signed up for D.C. library cards, selected free books and healthy snacks, took part in writing and enrichment activities, and participated in a range of fun fitness games, including jump rope, hula hoop, basketball, hopscotch, and musical chairs.

“Let’s Read. Let’s Move.” is part of the Obama Administration’s United We Serve summer service initiative, a nationwide effort calling on all Americans to make service a part of their daily lives. As part of its role in this initiative, ED is inviting Cabinet members, public officials and celebrities to read books to children, promote healthy lifestyles and participate in games and fitness activities with children in pre-kindergarten through third grade. The goal of this year’s summer programming, led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, is to get more Americans volunteering to combat childhood obesity and summer learning loss among youth.

The books, refreshments, games, and fitness equipment for “Let’s Read. Let’s Move.” have been donated by Target Corporation, which is one of the organizations answering President Obama’s call to service.

The next session, featuring Mrs. Marian Robinson, mother of First Lady Michelle Obama, will be held on the Department’s outdoor plaza at noon on Thursday, July 22nd.

-Todd May, Office of Communications and Outreach

A Summer of Family Fun

I am a huge advocate for creative learning. What is creative learning? Creative learning is teaching your kids about academia subjects in a fun and innovative manner. Often times, your kids may not even know they are "studying" or "learning" something new. The summer time is the perfect opportunity for your family to go wild and crazy with fun learning ideas. Check out Family Education, a site where they have suggested lots of great activites your family can do together all summer long. Although they don't include "lesson plans", be creative with the activities they've suggested and insert little lessons in those activities. For example, an outing to the zoo or aquarium could be a good time for biology. Grab magazines and books about land and sea animals from the library or bookstore and learn about the different mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and sea creatures together with your kids. Seeing the pictures come alive is fascinating for kids and you'll be surprised by the information they have retained. Let them know that when you guys have gone through the books, they would have earned a whole day at the zoo with ice cream or something like that! Even a simple activity such as sidewalk chalk drawing could be a fun time to learn about Picasso and all the other great artists. Show them their works and have your kids make their own art with chalk or paint. Have fun experimenting with different activities and let us know what you've done with your family!

A fun way to learn a new language!

Since we're on the topics of summer camps, I have to give a shout out to an innovative summer camp: Concordia Language Villages.  Concordia Language Villages is the premiere language and cultural immersion program in the United States. They are advocates for language learning. For nearly 50 years, Concordia Language Villages, in the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota, has been boldly and optimistically pursuing a vision of peace and understanding by introducing learners to the languages and cultures of our world. Kids live in "villages" of the language of their choice and are immersed into the language, culture, and cuisine of that country. The kids are called "villagers".  So how do villagers learn the language when counselors speak only that language and don’t explain in English?  Speaking the language to villagers, without using English, is a hallmark of immersion language learning. Counselors help villagers understand the Village language in many ways: gestures, pictures, pointing, facial expressions, actual objects, mime, repetition, examples, demonstrations, use of themselves or villagers as models – to name a few!

Although providing an English translation is one way to support understanding of another language, it’s not one we use very often. For instance, the counselors would tell a child that a certain new word means “lake,” and say the word “lake” in English to explain. However, they can also explain it just as clearly by saying that new word and pointing at the lake.

They even have a fun family program where you can attend the camp as a family!!! This seriously is a great way for your child to learn a new language!

Summer Camps = Summer Fun + Tax Deductions!

For children under 13, the IRS provides a “Child and Dependent Care” tax credit for the cost of day camps and childcare. This includes specialized camps, like art or tennis camp. Overnight camps do not apply. Your actual tax credit can be up to 35 percent of what you pay (depending on your income). More specifically, the tax credit can be applied to unreimbursed expenses of up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more.

To find fun camps for your kids, you can always check with your local schools, city government and nearby colleges. Here's a list of websites that have comprehensive listing for camps nationwide for your children:

1. Kids Camp
2. My Summer Camps
3. Camp Page
4. Summer Camps for the Gifted

PTA's Summer of Learning Toolkit

The National PTA has created a fun calendar called the Summer of Learning Toolkit. They have included activites you can do with your kids on different days of the summer including som fun downloadable activities. Check out July's calendar that's chockful of stimulating activities you can do with your kids!

Summer Time = Fun + Learning?

It's the summer time and your kids are officially out of school. You may be thinking: "GREAT!!! No more homework! No more projects! No more cupcake bakesales! Just let them run wild...after all as long as they're entertained, you're good right?" Not so. True, kids need a break from school and stress and recharge their brain batteries. However, too long of a break can cause children to forget what was previously learnt in school. The result is a child who enters a higher grade but needs the first quarter to review the past year's workload. You will be helping your child and the teachers in school by simply spending just 30 mins to 1 hour everyday M-F doing simple revisions and exercises with your child. Go to Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon and buy a few grade level workbooks for math, english, science and so on. I would set aside an hour in the morning, after breakfast, where your kids sit at the dining table or kitchen island and work on the worksheets for 1/2 hour and spend the next 1/2 hour reading a science, history, or current affairs magazine. Besides exercises, you can review past and new spelling words with them, practice their times table with them, teach them to tell time, and so on. Then, at least 1/2 hour to an hour before bedtime, have your children wind down by reading a book at their own leisure. Doing so will not only stimulate your children's brains but will keep them in shape to gear up for school next Fall. Not only will they NOT fall behind in school, they will be disciplined enough that when school starts, it won't be a sudden shocker to their system. No worries, your child will still have over 10 hours of playtime to recharge their batteries!!! :)

What if you're going on vacation? I would at least have the children bring educational magazines and storybooks with them. There will always be some time in the day where they need (or rather you need!) some quiet time. Sure, give them a break from exercises but remember children crave consistency in their life, no matter how hard they try to fight it! Have a fun summer with your family but more importantly, have a FUN time LEARNING with your family!!!