Bright Ideas for Summer

I'm planning a post about some of our summer plans, but here's something to whet your appetite: ReadWriteThink.org's  fabulous online publication, Bright Ideas for Summer. Featuring four "activities" aimed at children in grades 2/3 through 8, the Bright Ideas for Summer campaign promotes fun and educational opportunities to keep kids' brains in gear.

Here's the scoop:

Poetic Memories of Summer (grades 2-8): "Use the sun-splashed days of summer to inspire children to write poetry. Interactive, online poetry tools guide them as they explore the writing process." (My personal favorite, of course!)

Can You Convince Me? (grades 3-8): "Children learn how to make a convincing argument—an important skill in school and in life."

Summer Trading Cards (grades 2-8): "Children can dive deeper into summer reading by using the Trading Cards tool. They’ll examine a favorite character and write a new story for him or her."

Summer Superheroes (grades 3-8): "Calling all caped crusaders! Invite children to invent a story starring superheroes who have summer super powers."

Each activity features four sections: Preview, Get Started, Resources, and Comments. The Get Started section is the heart of the activity, with a list of items needed (all basic, so no worries there!), complete directions, and suggested ideas for further exploration. I am especially enamored with the online interactive tools!

Another fab feature: children can save their work AND share it within the Thinkfinity Community. They'll be published! For extra fun, check back over the summer to see other kids' work, too.

Not merely another typical list for summer fun, Bright Ideas for Summer is well organized, carefully planned, and thoughtfully produced. Highly recommended!