Educational Enrichment Summer 2021 Special COVID-19 Addition No school should not mean “no learning.” Keep your kids active physically and mentally this summer by providing them fun, interesting, and educational things to do. This summer enrichment guide has 3 major parts: summer theme suggestions (this year focusing on the out-of-doors and fun at home), websites to find activities and events over the summer months, and suggested destinations within a 2 ½-3 hour radius of St. Thomas More. We are already planning ways to have fun over the summer. Joe has chosen a Hiking theme (our outdoor focus) and Michael has chosen Cooking (fun at home). Hopefully this guide will help your family do the same! Julie Esposito (
[email protected]) Summer Theme Ideas Joe informed me six years ago that he wanted to study fossils. Michael, not wanting to be outdone, promptly said that if Joe got to study fossils, he wanted to study bones. Thus was born our new tradition of summer themes. Each child choses a topic and we look for books, websites, activities, events, destinations, and adventures centered around the theme. Other themes we have explored included gardens, forts, insects, airplanes & aviation, astronomy & the night sky, archeology, games, international, and Indians. Here are some of the ways we accomplish this: Check-out and read library books on the chosen topic(s) Search the web for videos and kid-friendly websites Have family discussion on topics related to the theme and family game nights Attend programs/activities offered locally for kids that fit in with the theme Visit places in town or as day trips to the surrounding area that fit the theme Look for ways to incorporate the theme in our vacation travel plans Plan cooking/dining experiences around the theme COVID-19: Did you know that in all the countries tracking COVID-19 outbreaks, there has been only one major identified outbreak outdoors? 90% of outbreak incidents took place in homes, workplaces, restaurants, and indoor gatherings (i.e.