Finding a Just-Right Book

Although it's always good to explore all kinds of books, sometimes you want to find a book that's on your child's current reading level. This can be challenging, but Scholastic Book Wizard makes it easy. Just type in the name of a book that your child reads well, and then choose to find a book that's a little harder or a little easier by sliding a nifty scale. It's a great resource--click below to try it out!

Scholastic Book Wizard

Book Alike

Lots and Lots of Problems...

We worked so hard on our problem solving skills this year. Please help your children practice these skills over the summer! Encourage them to try different strategies and explain their thinking!

Be sure to vary the types of problems you give your children. For example, one day you might give them a simple subtraction ("separating") problem. The next day, you might give them an addition ("joining") problem where the starting quantity is unknown. For explanations of the different kinds of problems and examples, please visit the link below:

CGI Problem Types

For an extra challenge, have your children write their own problems, and then see if YOU can solve them!

Go Get a Library Card

We cannot stress how important it is for children to continue reading all summer long! So why not visit the library and check out some new books? Did you know that Austin Public library cards are free to all Texas residents, even if you don't live in Austin? Round Rock and Cedar park cards are free to those cities' residents, and available to non-residents for a small annual fee. Libraries also have great story times and summer reading programs for kids. Visit these links for more information:

Round Rock Library

Austin Public Library

Cedar Park Library

Do Some Fun Science Activities

Help your kids perform some simple, but fun science experiments this summer. Don't worry too much about making formal hypothesises or following the exact scientific method--but do have your kids make predictions about what they think might happen. Once you've completed an experiment, have your kids think of ways they can change it, make new predictions and see if they were correct. See if your kids can explain why they got the results they did, and then do a little research to find out!

Here are some websites with some great experiments to try:

Zoom Science Experiments

Science Experiments for Kids

Bill Nye the Science Guy

funology

Sid the Science Kid

Kids--make sure you get your parents permission before trying ANY science experiment!

Handwriting

Summer is an excellent time for kids to practice their handwriting. We use the Handwriting Without Tears program here at Sommer Elementary. Remember--the goal of handwriting instruction is to make letter formation natural, efficient and comfortable so that kids have more time to focus on the content of their writing. Here are links to the letter formation charts to show you how to make the letters:

Uppercase Letter Formation Chart

Lowercase Letter Formation Chart

Number Formation Chart

A Great Book!

If you're looking for fun things to do this summer, check out Summer: A User's Guide by Suzanne Brown. It's full of beautiful pictures and loads of great ideas for keeping your family busy this summer. It gives ideas for games to play, crafts to make, recipes to try, and places to visit!