During summer, it's easy to forget what was learned during the school year.  People refer to this as "summer slide" - backsliding in important skills.  This page has several sites to STOP summer slide!  This page will provide fun and interesting sites to help with specific areas of interest.  Please find what you need and use it for your child.  Some of these are also found on the kid safe sites page.

I would recommend a couple hours a day during 2-3 days each week.  If you want to do more, great!  Take a week off here and there for vacations and just a break in general.

My 6 year old daughter and I have 3 hours during the morning on three days during the week that we focus on activities to help keep up with what she learned this past year.  My 16 year old son is not as happy with having to carve out some time, but he has "homework" for next year's AP classes.  During these times, 1/2 hour of quiet reading, if not more, is a must!  Quiet reading is when your child reads quietly, practing those skills they have in a reader at their level.

When I refer to a grade level below, I mean the grade that the student has just completed.

The best way to get better at reading is to read!!  Here are some sites to help find the right level for your child and different ideas to encourage reading.

http://www.bookadventure.org FREE SITE! Need to find the right book for you and take quizzes on them afterwards?  This is the site for you!  The site takes information about you to find the right age and interest books.  Take the list to a library or used book store to find your books.  They also have fun contests for which you can sign up. (K-8)

http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/index.html A teacher website that has given books levels.  The "grade level" number can be used if you use AR at your school.  If your teacher gave you a reading level with letters, use the letters next to the books to find a good match for you.  Like the above site, this is to help you find books on your level.  Want to read something more challenging or easier?  It's ok as long as you are enjoying reading! (K-12)

http://www.mcldaz.org/library/userdef/branches/ud_mcld_branch_GI.aspx Perry library site to watch for activities.  Perry library not your library?  Look yours up online and see what fun activities they have brewing for you! (all ages)

www.ajpl.org Arizona Republic and some of the Public Libraries have joined together to make "Read your way to the Ballpark".  It is a free contest to encourage book reading with a big payoff - tickets to a Diamondbacks game.  Your child will place a sticker on the gameboard when you read or listen for 20minutes, 50 pages, or one book per space.  There are prizes along the way.  At 5 stickers, your child can collect a sticky frog.  At 14 and 26 another prize will be awarded.  When your child has 36 stickers on their game board, turn it in for a D-back ticket! Children birth to 18 can play.  Offer over July 25th. (birth to 18 years old)

http://www.storylineonline.net/  Members of the SAG, actors, read great current Children's literature aloud to your child!  Perfect for the child that needs help with fluency.  Not all books are available. (K-4)

www.starfall.com Emergent readers will like the phonics sections.  Beginning readers have a sections to practice your new skills.  If you know how to read, you will find cool games and activities! (PreK-3)

Below are two charts that show reading levels.  The numbers and letters relate to different levels that you may see on books.  This will help you to narrow the search of on level readers.

The best way to get better at writing is to just WRITE!  It should be in "kidswrite".  For kindergarteners, that means everything written how it sounds.  Some, who are reading, should be writing some sight words that they know correctly along with their own name and familiar words like family names.  First graders should be writing the sounds that they hear.  Kids in my class know to stretch it out like gum so they can hear all the sounds. 

For some fun websites to encourage writing, check out the sites below.

http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.html A website to help you with each of the 6 traits. (K-3)

http://pbskids.org/storyfactory/index.html  This is a terrific site to type and design your story on three pages: 1-beginning, 2-middle, and 3-end.  It could also be used as a brainstorming tool.  Check out the showroom to see other kids' stories. (preK-2)

http://www.kidpub.com The perfect place for writers who want to publish online.  WARNING: to publish on this site, a payment of $12.95 must be paid for a year's subscription.  The free aspect of it is to read other writers' work. (K-12)