Scio- Ore. – To help students make the most of their holiday break from school, education experts from Oregon Connections Academy, the state’s largest virtual public school, suggest families create their very own do-it-yourself mini-camp using several affordable and entertaining educational experiences close to home.
All you’ll need for your DIY mini-camp is: 1) a little planning, 2) some high-fun, low-cost, educational “camp” activities and, 3) family time together.
To help get you started, here are several great family activities from the educators at Oregon Connections Academy. You can personalize activities to match your family’s interests. For example, you might incorporate a theme throughout your mini-camp—Harry Potter, winter sports, music or other common interests. Each activity below offers an opportunity to reinforce valuable skills and concepts.
“Campify” your Mini-Camp – What’s a camp without a camp song, a mascot, or a T-shirt? Kids will love to customize their camp with these brain boosting activities. For your theme song, have each camper write a verse. When choosing a mascot, research its meaning. And show your artistic side by making camp T-shirts (fabric paint or Sharpie markers will do the trick).
Cooking up Learning – Activities in the kitchen offer numerous learning opportunities. Preparing a holiday recipe uses math and fine motor skills by measuring, counting, sifting, sorting, and pouring. Looking up culinary words in the dictionary targets reading, writing and vocabulary skills. Various cooking techniques, like boiling, even offer a teachable science moment.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Holiday cards and letters offer a great opportunity to practice writing skills. Give a nod to geography and explore a map to identify where your card recipients live – who lives the farthest away? Who lives north or south of your home? How many different states or countries are you mailing to?
Explore the Science of Weather – “Weather” or not winter brings below-freezing temperatures in your part of the country, the season holds many opportunities to explore the science behind our climate. Ask your students to research wind-chill and how it’s calculated. What is the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius? How do snowflakes form and what are the properties of ice?
All Wrapped Up — When wrapping gifts, build math and measuring skills by asking kids to measure gifts with a tape measure or ruler to determine the correct amount of wrapping paper needed. Or get creative (and green) and ask kids to design their own wrapping paper out of reused brown paper grocery bags.
Recess – Get out and play! Not only will exercise help kids burn off all those extra calories from holiday treats but they can play games to strengthen social skills like teamwork. Why not suggest that they invent their own game and then play as a family. You’re sure to be amazed at their creativity. If it snows go sledding, build snowmen, and make snow angels.
Homemade Museum – You don’t have to leave the house to visit a museum, have your students make their own in the living room. Everyone in the family has items that they treasure. Whether it is a special doll or photograph, showcase treasured objects in your family museum. Designate a curator to direct the exhibit and gather and write detailed descriptions of the objects. Encourage public speaking by having children conduct “tours” of their museum.
And everyday…read! Stock up on “camp reads” and use vacation time to immerse yourselves in good books. Visit your local library as a family and spend the afternoon exploring the shelves and selecting books. Read with your children every day. This is one habit you’ll want to keep and one of the most valuable educational gifts you can give to your children.
As you explore the various educational concepts with your child, assess their comprehension throughout the activity. Take breaks to answer questions and explain concepts in more detail as needed. Just remember, the key is to make your winter break mini-camp fun for your kids – they won’t even know they are learning when school is out!
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About Oregon Connections Academy
Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) is a tuition-free, high-quality, highly accountable statewide online charter school that serves students in grades K–12. The school is authorized by the Scio School District 95C. All Oregon Connections Academy students participate in the award-winning national Connections Academy program that combines high-quality resources from leading publishers with cutting-edge yet easy-to-use technology and hands-on materials. Oregon Connections Academy provides students with the flexibility to learn from anywhere there is an Internet connection and with an innovative online school curriculum that meets rigorous state education standards. The combination of Oregon-certified teachers, a proven curriculum, unique electives, technology tools, and community experiences creates a supportive and successful online learning opportunity for families and children who want an individualized approach to education. Oregon Connections Academy is accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), an accrediting division of AdvancED. For more information, call 800-382-6010, or visit http://www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com.
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