When you think of summer, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  for me it's swimming!

Share what you like about summer with your child and ask them to tell you what s/he likes about summer. You can create a poem together about summer by using the letters of the word to start each line – for example:

• Summer - my favorite time of year
• Under the water I like to disappear
• Making waves in the water
• Making rainbows in the sun
• Everyone is happy because they’re having fun!
• Running, jumping, dancing, swaying, playing in the sun!

This poem rhymes, but it doesn’t need to rhyme. It can be a list of all the things you think of that have to do with summer.

When my children were young, we went to the beach almost everyday of the summer. We had the morning at home and after lunch we’d pack up and head out for an afternoon and evening of water play. Air mattresses in backpacks, food in a cooler, thermoses with water, decks of cards, balls, pails, shovels, and sunscreen and we were all set for the rest of the day.

The beach can provide hours of fun – digging in the sand, pouring water, swimming and walking through shallow water and seeing what’s there. A pail and shovel can provide hours of fun. Children develop all sorts of skills as they make sand castles, construct buildings, tunnels, etc. As they play, they learn first hand about the properties of water and sand.

 

Plastic yogurt and cottage cheese containers make inexpensive sand tools. You can also make a shovel by cutting off the bottom and part of the side of a plastic bottle that has a handle such as a fabric softener bottle. Just make sure you leave the handle part.

Playing is not just for children. One of the best parts of being a parent is that you, too, get to have fun swimming, building castles, exploring, etc. And on your way to a beach or a park, remember to sing.

You can listen to Off to The Sea, a song from my CD Brighten the Day – songs to celebrate the seasons that we enjoyed singing together on our daily trip to Beaver Lake.