(Image by Ryan Bruce from Burst)

Here come the dog days of summer and one of the best ways to keep cool is of course…the pool!  So why not keep them learning while they are swimming with some fun poolside activities. Here are a few suggestions:

• Message in a Bottle – use empty half-pint sized water bottles and fill each with a letter, a word, a sentence, or challenging vocabulary and/or spelling words.  Throw the bottles in the pool for the kids to find, open, and read what’s inside.
• Diving for Words – use oversized glass beads or smooth stones (can be found at craft stores) and use a permanent marker to write letters and/or words on each one.  Hide them in the bottom of the pool for the kids to dive and find and read.  
• Skimming Chips – use oversized bingo chips (can be found at Staples or Office Max) and use a permanent marker to write letters and/or words on each one.  Give each child a skimming net (the kind used in fish tanks) for them to use for skimming up the chips. Once they find them all, they can read them, sort them, and throw them in again.

You can use these ideas to help your kids learn what they should be working on.  Work on letter recognition and letter/sound relationships with the younger kids using letters, and use longer, more challenging reading, vocabulary, or spelling words with the older kids.  You can even color code assigning each of your kids a color to find so they can all play together but work on what will help them individually.  

Remember…it is all about learning but having FUN while they are doing it!  One way you can do it is to keep cool by the pool.