Summer Adventures: Embrace the Sunshine and Sharpen Your Skills!

Recently, HDS Language Arts Department Chair for Middle School, Justin Kerr, highlighted the joy of reading aloud to children at all grade levels. Teachers unanimously agree that reading together is one of the best ways to foster intellectual growth, and summer is the ideal time to share a book with your child. Equally important is nurturing a love for writing. Despite the advancements in AI and technology, writing remains a crucial form of communication. In addition to the assigned summer reading and math, here are some fun ideas to weave writing into your child’s summer plans. Teachers would love to see these personal projects come next school year, so do share!

Creative Summer Writing Ideas:

1. Travel Adventure Journal: Whether exploring far-off places or local gems, document your adventures.
2. Storybook Maker: Create your own storybook with blank hardcover books available on Amazon.
3. Pen Pal Letters: Write letters to a relative or friend—imagine Aunt Mary’s delight at receiving a handwritten note!
4. Nature Explorer Diary: Take a diary and colored pencils on trips to the beach, park, or lake, and document your discoveries.
5. ‘Future Me’ Letters: Write letters to your future self on various topics, like “Dear 50-Year-Old Me...”
6. Community Hero Poster: Research a local hero and create a poster celebrating their achievements.
7. Mystery Writer’s Club: Read a mystery book and then rewrite the ending with your own twist.
8. Recipe Notebook: Compile favorite recipes or invent your own culinary creations.
9. Nightlight Diary: Share a diary with a parent, taking turns writing to each other over the summer and leaving it on each other’s nightstand.
10. Send a postcard to a teacher at HDS: 3443 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, CA 92625

Happy Reading and Writing This Summer!