Continuing our series about combating the summer slide, today we’re going to talk about how to take advantage of community events to help your kids learn all summer long!
I grew up in a super small town on the Texas coast, but even in Groves (shout out to all the mid-county folks!), there were several historical sites within 30 miles. Almost every town has some sort of national or state historical site and those are great places to visit in the summer. They provide opportunities to learn about historical events, how people lived in the past, and cool stories about your home! For a list of historical sites see: https://www.nps.gov/nr/research/
If you live in a city with any sort of museum, they often have free days or hour. Check their websites for the times and enjoy learning with the kids! (This also happens to be a great travel tip! I saw the Louvre for free by checking in on the free museum days in Paris).
I live in Austin and like most cities, there’s a ton going on all the time. Austin is ripe with free activities for the whole family. From festivals to movies in the park to guided nature hikes, there’s always something you can do. There are lots of websites for each city with free or low-cost activity calendars (also check the chamber of commerce website for your city). Thrillist has several cities listed and if you happen to be in Austin, check out Free Fun Austin!
There are lots of options for how to make sure your kids maintain what they’ve learned all summer even if you are on a tight budget. Helping your kids hit the ground running in September will set them up for an excellent year of learning!
