Anyway, I've also used these ideas with other children,
when I helped out a friend who had no summer babysitter.
What the kids liked best were kitchen science experiments,
crafts, nature hikes (walks really), more crafts, visits to area
historic sites,
more crafts, and hands-on math fun (lots of cooking).
Whatever activities you decide to include in your summer plans,
be assured that you are definitely doing the right thing
by continuing your children's education during the summer.
Check with your local library for educational programs.
Kitchen science is easy.
Dancing Raisins
Into a clear glass, pour 2 tablespoons of baking soda,
add 5 or 6 raisins, and about 3/4 cup of water.
To this add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
Bubbles will form around the raisins causing them
to raise to the surface of the water.
The bubbles pop; the raisins dive to the bottom.
The bubbles form again; the raisins rise; and so on.
This will continue for a long time.
My kids and my best friend's kids once watched
the raisins for over 45 min.Small Volcano (not messy)
Spread baking soda about 1/4 inch thick in a pie plate.
Sprinkle 1 or 2 drops of food coloring in several places
on the baking soda, using different colors in separate spots.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
into the pie plate over the colored spots.
The reaction is like volcanos bubbling with colored lava.
After a while the colors will begin to mix.Kids love crafts.
Field Trips are always a hit.
Nature and Science can be fun.
Math can be the most fun and practical subject.
Getting them to write.