Busch Gardens has lots of KIDsiderate rides shows and tours.
Kids can hang out with their favorite pals at Sesame Street® Forest of Fun™ or explore the Land of the Dragons® and discover a magical play land at Busch Gardens®.  You’ll want to cool off over at Water Country USA®.  Both parents and kids will love interactive splash zones like H2O UFO® and Cow-A-Bunga®.

Last year Christa brought her preschoolers to the park read her review of Busch Gardens here.

The 2-Park Preschool Pass offers unlimited admission to both Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA for children ages 3 – 5, through Sept. 7, 2015.

Hurry, passes must be registered and redeemed by May 31, 2015. Learn more and register for your pass here.

Richmond city residents are encouraged to bring their kids along with shot records and insurance information to 400 East Cary Street to get all the necessary immunizations and physicals before the school year starts.

Services available at the Back 2 School Event:

• Vaccinations for daycare, and school-entry
• T-dap booster shots for rising 6th graders
• Physicals for Head Start and elementary school-entry

Walk-in: no appointment needed. Call 482-5500 for more information

If you can’t make the Back 2 School Event, visit the Weekday Immunization Clinic
400 E. Cary Street
Tuesday afternoons & Friday mornings
Walk-in or call for an appointment: 482-5500
School vaccination dates:
*Tuesday August 5, 12, 19, 26 & September 2
*Friday August 1, 8, 15, 22 & September 5

Back 2 School Event
Richmond City Health District
400 East Cary Street
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22nd 8 AM- 2 PM

The “Summer Slide” is defined as the academic slump that occurs during and after the summer months. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “on average, students lose the equivalent of two months of math and reading skills during the summer months.” Even more sobering is that the outcomes of summer reading loss is cumulative.  According to Reading is Fundamental, by the end of 6^th grade, children who (consistently) lose reading skills over the summer will be 2 years behind their peers.  Although some regression is anticipated, students will more easily make up this deficit if it is smaller in the first place. Interestingly, some even say that learning a musical instrument helps students avoid the summer slide.

There are many different approaches to help students flex their academic muscles. The approach you choose (if any) will depend on your child’s learning style and needs, your parenting style, and philosophy. From light maintenance to more in-depth strategies, here are a few to consider:

• Read every day.
• Work a little bit each day or a few times per week.
• Practice a new skill – such as learning cursive or keyboarding.
• Attend summer enrichment programs with academic emphasis.
• Attend tutoring or skill camps.
• Summer School

My personal philosophy is that kids work hard during the school year and get a much-needed break from school in the summer. However, I also value maintaining skills. Although we plan to focus on working just a little bit each day or a few times per week, we went in a few different directions. Here is what summer has in store for our clan:

• We will check out various cultural experiences, including parks, art museums, science museums, and historic sites. Although many of these can be related to the SOL, we make a conscious decision not to explore that specifically.
• We will practice functional skills, such as counting money for making a purchase, writing or typing grocery lists or letters and my youngest will practice spelling by using our portable labeler to help organize our home (win-win)!
• Reading, reading, reading! Daily reading is always on tap for everyone in our family. And, this summer, my husband and I plan to read aloud to our boys classics such as Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth or Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book  (okay, full disclosure, these are the books I am hoping to read to them, but we will let them choose from a variety of classics). Reading books aloud that are of a higher reading level or what reading experts call “dense” material that requires greater “stamina” can expand vocabulary, learning, and a wider context, as well as brings family together for a communal task.
• Practice a new skill. My rising third grader is excited about learning cursive, since it is easier for him than manuscript printing. We will incorporate practice of cursive into some functional activities.
• Hands-on Learning . My kids learn best doing through hands-on activities. Activities such as science experiments, nature hikes, and scavenger hunts, and even gardening, foster skills such as problem solving, math, reading, and more.

My youngest playing on the playground slide.

So here’s to hoping that the only summer slide you will experience is the one on the playground. What do you have in mind to encourage your kids to maintain their skills?

Additional Resources

The #1 resource for summer learning is your child’s teacher. Teachers are the experts on the curriculum that has already been covered this year, and what will be introduced next year. They also know your child and what they might need to work on specifically.

Secondary students will likely have specific assignments to be completed over the summer. Read on for additional resources.

Stopping the Summer Slide

Reading is Fundamental – Reading Summer Slide 

Top 5 Ways to Prevent Rusty Summer Readers

Keep Your Kids Learning This Summer

Tips to Avoid the Summer Slide -Video

The snow day staples: milk, bread and eggs.
We already addressed what to do with all that milk… so now, how can we keep the kids entertained with the eggs?
Well, to go along with that you’re going to need some snow day activities.
So, here are some crafty “sides” to go along with your staples.

Egg Carton Animal Noses
Baby Jungle

How cute are these?!  These super easy and fun egg carton noses are perfect for pretend play.
(Also, file this away for Halloween costumes.)

Flower Garland
Say Yes

It might be a snowy day but we’re dreaming of spring flowers.
This cute little garland would be a cheerful way to decorate a kids room.

Go All Kandinsky on them

No tutorial here, but none needed.
Get creative and colorful with your own work of art.

Egg Carton SnowflakesWhite House, Black Shutters

Easy yes, but kids will really love this one because you get to smash these babies flat!
Paint em, or leave them as is.

Egg Carton Paint PalletLearn~Play~Imagine

Alright, so the egg carton isn’t the actual craft… But I love how this clever mama used it as a paint pallet.
Create dot paintings with q-tips and when the painting is done, just toss the supplies away for easy clean up.

Bunnies vs. Chicks CheckersCreate-Celebrate-Explore

These checkers were made for Easter, but you can make any animal you can think of, spend some time making them and then MORE time playing with them.

Egg Carton Snake Puppet
Kid Spot

I definitely don’t mind having these kinds of snakes around.
Make egg carton snake puppets and use them to tell a story.

Dragon (or Dinosaur) Puppet
Life with Moore Babies

Snake puppet too easy? Or perhaps he needs a friend.
This puppet is a little more work but you definitely get “crafty parent” brag rights!

Egg Carton Bird Feeder
Ginger Snap Crafts

Ah, yes, spring… wouldn’t that be nice…

Spy Glasses
Crafts By Amanda

Make some crazy glasses out of pipe cleaners and egg cartons and take some pictures.

Egg Carton Owl
MollyMoo

These little owls are made with a half dozen egg carton, use whatever you have on hand to decorate them.

Egg Carton Sailboat
Life at the Zoo

Not sure they’ll float far, but these sailboats sure are cute!

As for us, we use egg cartons as building blocks.  They’re perfect for toddlers because they are soft and quiet. Maybe we’ll paint them this snow day so it looks like we’re buried in egg cartons on purpose.

What can you make with left over egg cartons?
Tag us on Facebook or Instagram and we’ll share your art!

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