I wasn't originally going to write a post on summer review packets but I posted about Jordyns workbooks on  my Instastory a few weeks ago and I got a lot of questions about it so....here I am! lol

I always have Jordyn do work over the summer but I never thought anything of it, I mean...I never thought there were parents that were actually against having their children do school work over break but there are! 

I read a post on Facebook about doing school work over break and the comments were kind of outrageous. The amount of parents criticizing others for not giving their children a "break after working hard all year" was intense. 

The internet is weird I tell ya....

I like to have Jordyn do summer work to avoid the "Summer Slide"...What is the Summer Slide you ask?!

Well, according to Oxford Learning its when students don't keep their brains academically active and fall into a backwards learning slide losing on average up to 2 months of reading skills over the course of the summer. Additionally, about 2.6 months of math skills are lost and an equivalent of one month of overall learning is also lost!

To avoid any backsliding I have Jordyn read every night and do a page of either math, reading comprehension, or writing work every morning. I used to have her do science work but now we just actually DO science as hands on learning. 

There are a ton of places to find summer workbooks or printable for your kiddos. I've seen great selections for younger kids at Dollar Tree and in the Target Dollar spot.
Pinterest is a great source for finding free printable worksheet pages as well.
I actually had Jordyns teacher print out her math and reading packets and she was happy to do so! 

I was able to ask her where she printed the pages out from. 

The reading comprehension pages are from Roadworks.org and contain different passages to read followed up with multiple choice and written answer questions. 

The math pages are from Teacherspayteachers.com

The cursive writing packet I made myself.  The worksheets are from k5learning.com
Jordyns cursive isn't as strong as it could be so its something we are working on this summer. The practice sheets start with words progress to sentences and finish off with paragraphs.

I like to keep it simple ( after all....it is summer break) so Jordyn typically does 1 page of work in the morning and another in the afternoon if she wants to earn extra technology time although that is not mandatory.

The Summer Slide is easily avoidable with just a few hours of academic work every week. And, I personally feel its better to go into the next school year prepared and ready to learn new skills rather than having to play catch up.

Xo, Jeanice :)

What we're reading this summer: Book series for 9yr olds

Jordyn is a big reader. She enjoys fiction books but some of her favorite books are non-fiction informative text books. She can sit there and be completely entranced by a space atlas forever. However, I got a few request for some summer book titles or series I would recommend for kiddos her age so I figured i'd go ahead and make a list of some of the light hearted fiction book series Jordyn has read, is reading, or is planning to read this summer. 

Before we get to the list though, I can't stress enough that not all kids read at the same pace or are interested in the same things so my list may not be the same as the next mamas so take from it what fits you, and leave what doesn't.

 

Aaron Blabey The Bad Guys Series. 

Everytme Jordyn reads these books she laughs soon loud. This is currently a 3 book series but the 4th book is due to release in August.

"They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys . . . and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that...

Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr. Snake please stop swallowing Mr. Piranha?!"

Raina Telgemeirs full graphix Baby-Sitters Club series

This series is based on the Ann M. Martins Baby-sitters club series that I grew up loving! 

The first book in the series is Kristy'g Great Idea- "Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey are best friends and founding members of The Baby-sitters Club. Whatever comes up -- cranky toddlers, huge dogs, scary neighbors, prank calls -- you can count on them to save the day. Baby-sitting isn't always easy, and neither is dealing with strict parents, new families, fashion emergencies, and mysterious secrets. But no matter what, the BSC have what they need most: friendship."

Dear America book series

I absolutely loved the Dear America books growing up. Jordyn recently started reading them and fell in love too. There are 36 books in the original Dear America series and I know that they recently relaunched the series but I am not sure how many books are in the relaunched series. 

"The Dear America series covers a wide range of topics, including: the Pilgrims' journey to the New World, the Salem Witch Trials, the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, western expansion, slavery, immigration, nineteenth-century prairie life, the California Gold Rush of 1849, the Great Depression, Native Americans' experiences, racism, coal mining, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the fight for women's suffrage, the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the Battle of the Alamo, the Vietnam War, and more. The breadth of historical topics covered in these books through fiction makes the Dear America series a favorite teaching device of history schoolteachers around the country."

W. Bruce Camerons Dog's Purpose series

The series is a story of love between a canine and its owners as told from the dog’s perspective. The chief protagonist in the novels is a very special puppy, Bailey that Cameron follows on a journey of life. Over the series, the dog dies, and is reincarnated several times while on a quest to find purpose for its life.

Diary Of A MineCraft Zombie series

This hilarious series gives a behind the scenes look at a Minecraft zombie and his friends 

" Take a peek at what is really going on between the hollow eyes, and dead expression that wenormally see when we face the dreaded Zombies of Minecraft.  

Are Zombies really different from us? You'll be surprised at what you discover. So, jump into this Minecraft adventure and find out!. "

Raina Telgemeiers Graphic novels

Sisters, Smile, Drama, and Ghost were all really popular in Jordyns class this year and for good reason, they're hilarious but also hold an underlying positive message.

Jeff Kinneys Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series

These books are the hilarious journals of Greg Heffley. There are currently 11 books in this series with a 12th set to be released this November so this series alone could keep your little one busy all summer!

 J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter

Read them. Need I say more?...

Rachel Renee Russell

This is a new series by the author of Dork Diaries and is so funny! 

There are currently 2 books in this series but i'm sure more will be released soon!

"A brand-new series from #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries author Rachel Renee Russell! Introducing Max Crumbly!
Max Crumbly is about to face the scariest place he’s ever been: South Ridge Middle School.
There’s a lot that’s great about his new school, but there’s also one big problem—Doug, the school bully whose hobby is stuffing Max in his locker.
If only Max could be like the hero in his favorite comic. Unfortunately, Max’s uncanny, almost superhuman ability to smell pizza from a block away won’t exactly save any lives or foil bad guys.
But that doesn’t mean Max won’t do his best to be the hero his school needs!"

Rachel Renee Russells Dork Diaries

and speaking of Dork Diaries, you cannot go wrong with this series. 

C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series

This seven book series is a new favorite for Jordyn. 

"Epic battles between good and evil, fantastic creatures, betrayals, heroic deeds, and friendships won and lost all come together in this unforgettable world, which has been enchanting readers of all ages for over sixty years."

Those are some of the book series that Jordyn is reading right now. I hope this helps with finding some fun book series for your kiddos to read this summer!

Xo,

Jeanice :)