Summer is coming and that means that your child is most probably not going to preschool or school. While teacher directed learning may not be occurring, it certainly is a wonderful time for you to spend time with your child or children and building language skills and math skills with experiential learning! And, believe me, you will have fun too!

Make a “Summer Book”: The San Francisco Bay Area is rich with great things to do that are child friendly. Golden Gate Park is filled with wonderful things to do. Take a picnic and watch the buffalo or go to Stowe Lake and watch people sail their motorized miniature boats. Remember to take your camera and try these tips: Take pictures with your child in the picture of what they are seeing. Use the experience to teach new words (“That is a big animal; it is called a buffalo. Buffalo eat grasses and plants. What other animals do you see?”). Then when you get home with your pictures, print them and with your child make a book or a page in My Summer Book! Print a short sentence under each picture for your child and read it to them. Every few days reread their book, have them talk about what they saw, ask them questions about what you did together. By the time school starts again at the end of summer, you will have build wonderful memories, lots of new words, and produced a great sharing document for them to “read” to their new class! Other places to go are the new Natural Science Museum in Golden Gate Park, the tide pools in Half Moon Bay, pick yourself Olallaberries on the coast in Half Moon Bay, Central Park in San Mateo, and many, many more.

Have fun and don’t forget your camera!