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  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • Impact
    • Staff & Board of Directors
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Annual Report and Media
    • Photo Gallery
  • What We Do
    • Literacy Lab Preschool
    • Tutoring/Tutorías
    • Afterschool Clubs
    • Practice K Summer Program
    • SOAR Summer Program >
      • Current Campers
      • FAQs
    • Funding Futures
    • Parent Education
    • Language Exchange Program
    • Imagination Library
    • Information for Teachers >
      • Teacher Referral Form
  • How to Help
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    • Literacy Legacy Society
  • Resources
    • Community Resources >
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Resource Blog

Solar Eclipse Activities to Try at Home

8/10/2017

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On August 21st, many of us will be witnessing the first total solar eclipse of our lives. In honor of this upcoming event, we have been running summer camps with a total eclipse theme.

Check out some of the activities below to host your own mini "eclipse camp" at home:

  • Oreo Phases of the Eclipse: We put a twist on a well-known cookie-based moon activity! Before creating your own Oreo phases of the eclipse, discuss what the terms "partial" and "total" mean. Use this template to practice using these two vocabulary words in context. If you are working with an older child, you may also want to discuss the four points of contact that happen during an eclipse! 
  • Myth Telling: Add in a literary component to a scientific topic! There are a number of myths that deal with solar and lunar eclipses. Many of these myths involve an animal that attempts to eat the sun. (Check out this "Reader's Theatre" script we created to see what we mean.) Ultimately, this giant creature is frightened away by the noisy people of Earth who cry loudly in fear, bang on drums, set off fireworks, etc. We read three myths and then completed a three-part Venn diagram to compare and contrast them. After realizing that all three myths involved loud noises, we decided to make our own drums for the upcoming eclipse in Jackson. We also wrote our own myths and decorated our tin-can drums with pictographs symbolizing these stories. 
  • Vocabulary Development: ​Use bubble-lettered words, like these, to practice visually depicting what new terms mean. We colored in the word "solar" so that it looked like a sun. We then fully colored in the word "total", but left some letters in "partial" white to illustrate the difference between totality and partiality. Beyond this, we made the words "solar eclipse" look eclipsed themselves. 
  • Spin Art: Use watered-down paint to create your very own sun and moon. See this blog entry for more information on using salad spinners to do this. Add in an Earth to demonstrate the concept of syzygy. 

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Math Counts! Summer Fun + Math Literacy = Awesome

7/10/2017

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With all the (well-deserved) focus on summer reading during out of school months, it’s easy to let math skills and number sense melt away like a popsicle in the hot July sun. However, we believe that math and literacy go hand in hand.  Here are some fun activities to get the math gears turning in your child’s brain this summer.

1. Chalk Number Line Race: A strong foundation in number sense is especially important for younger students. This activity lets them move their muscles while gaining an understanding of number order, addition and subtraction. How to Play: Make a number line with chalk from 0-20. For older students, step it up to increments of 5, 10, etc. All students start with their feet on 0 to start. Make several “play” cards that students will draw in order to play. For example: “Add 5” or “Subtract 3.” Students take turns drawing play cards and jumping to the number that their card indicates. The first to the end of the number line wins!

2. Plant (and measure) a Garden: What better way to get outside, get a little messy and practice math than to plant a garden? Students will use key math skills like measuring the spaces between seeds and volume of water needed, counting the seeds themselves, and dividing number of seeds per row. You can even graph the seedling height as they grow!

3. Shape Scavenger Hunt: Besides being important precursors to spacial reasoning and geometry, shapes are all around us in nature! Send your child on a scavenger hunt for ovals, triangles, diamonds, and more in the backyard or wherever you may be. Here is a downloadable version to get you started.

4. Start Saving: Not only does budgeting money towards a goal instill responsibility, but it’s also a great opportunity to practice counting and place value. Decide together what you’ll save for and designate a big container where spare change/saved money can go. As you get closer to your goal, subtract your saved amount from your goal amount to figure out how much more you need. Then celebrate when you reach your goal!

5. Map it: Going on a road trip this summer? Get your child involved in helping to plan the route on a map and tracking your progress as you drive. Not only will this keep kids engaged in the back seat and reinforce directional and measurement skills,but  it will also encourage them to read road signs, map legends, etc. Literacy in action!
​
Thanks to the Math Geek Mama and Think Through Learning blogs for generating some of these ideas.

​

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Scavenger Hunts in Summer

7/7/2017

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Looking for a fun summer activity?
Try hosting a family scavenger or treasure hunt.

Treasure hunts are a great way to incorporate literacy and vocabulary building into a fun, interactive activity. Nature-based scavenger hunts are also a lot of fun in the summer. Feel free to use the resources below--or just utilize them as inspiration! 

RIVER-BASED VISUAL CLUES: Use this scavenger hunt as a way to add tier II and tier III vocabulary to a trip down the river. 

1. Ahoy mateys! We’re on a raft, now ye’ must observe, the way the water goes around each curve. Is the current fast or is it slow? Describe the way the water flows.

2. Arrrr ye’ scallywags, you’ve got one clue, but to get the next, here’s what ye’ must do: Observe the trees. Do they have needles or leaves? How many kinds of leafy deciduous trees do you see?

3. Land ho! Observe things to your left and your right. Describe to your captain if riverbanks are in sight.

4. Me hearties, me crew, the breeze is making wave after wave. Observe these small ripples and describe how they behave.

5. A pirate’s goal in life is to discover gold and buried treasure. Can you describe Jackson Hole’s climate by observing the weather?

6. Yo, ho, ho, have you discovered any new kinds of boats? Describe what buoyancy is and why this raft floats.

7. Lads and lasses, this river is full of freshwater, not salt like the sea. We drink freshwater, who has this in common with me?

8. Observers, this water is muddy, it’s opaque and not clear! Can you tell if there are fish swimming right here?

9. There are lot’s of buoyant things in the water, like floating logs, sticks, and grasses. Observers, can you point out any of this kind of debris as it passes?

10. Some trees, called conifers, stay green all year long. Have you observed any conifers, please answer in song!

NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT: If your child completes the entire sheet, allow them to earn a prize!

Can You Find Me?
  • Tri-Colored Rock
  • Three Leaf Clover
  • Pine Cone
  • Wildflower
  • Feather
  • Bark
  • Litter
  • Stick
  • Woodchip 
  • Spruce Needles 
  • Fallen Leaf
  • Puddle 

Can You Find....
  • Something soft
  • Something rough
  • Something smooth 
  • Something circular
  • Something triangular
  • Something square
  • Something green
  • Something red
  • Something blue
  • Something brown


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