Summer is a great time for kids to read and learn about new things. Research shows us that reading just 20 minutes each day can greatly increase your child’s reading skills, and those reading less are at risk of falling behind their peers. Sometimes it takes a little motivation to get kids reading. Over the years, I have come up with a really fun way to sneak in some reading practice so that the kids don’t completely lose all of their learning skills during the summer months. They are having so much fun, they don’t even know they are learning. On today’s post, I am going to share with you the #1 summer reading activity that I promise you your kids will love.
Grow a Pizza Topping Garden!!!
Kids love pizza. Kids love gardening. So how about combining pizza with gardening and throwing in a summer reading activity along the way. Reading suddenly becomes much more fun.
If you have a small plot of dirt, you can use that. You can also build a raised bed. If you have a tiny backyard, or no backyard, you can grow everything in pots. Any type of garden, big or small will be a learning experience for your child.
For your pizza topping garden, your kids might like to grow:
- Tomatoes
- Basil
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Onions
- Peppers
- Rosemary
Start With Some Reading and Research
Starting a pizza topping garden requires some research. Research means reading. This summer reading activity will include researching soil, compost, bugs and worms and pollinators. Head over to your local library…there are so many books that discuss plants, farms, flowers and bugs. Include these in your reading routines to prepare your child but also get them excited about their upcoming gardening project. Older kids can use the internet for research and there are so many gardening blogs and gardening websites online.
Some Gardening Books to check out are:
Oh Say Can You Seed? (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for The Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals
Badger’s Perfect Garden by Marcia Diane Arnold
Eddie’s Garden: and How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland
Read the Seed Packets
The seed packets will explain how far apart to plant each seed and how frequently to water the plant. It will also explain how much sun the plant needs and more details on growing the plants from seeds. Make sure you don’t throw the seed packets away – you might need to keep reviewing and rereading those packets to remember the growing details.
Your child can practice reading skills by reading the description and the directions on the seed packet. You can begin by asking questions and having your child look for the answer on the packet. Some examples of questions:
“What kind of seeds are these?”
“How many days will it take once we plant the seeds until we can harvest the tomatoes?”
“When are we supposed to plant these seeds?”
“How far apart and how deep should we plant these seeds?”
Read to Your Plants
I’m sure you have heard about reading to your stuffed animals, or reading to dogs in shelters. But reading to plants? Yup! Encourage your kiddos to read to their plants. They will grow faster and bigger than ever. Plants love hearing a human voice – so give your child a stack of favorite books and get them reading in the garden.
Read the Recipes and Cook Together
Harvesting those delicious pizza toppings will mean making a pizza together. Yum! This is where gardening and reading pay off. You can start by reading some recipes together. Recipes provide a wonderful introduction to instructional texts. Reading recipes also requires step by step organization and direction. There are so many interesting words to learn when cooking. There are also a lot of processes to read about, such as dicing, chopping, whisking, kneading, measurements and temperatures.
Capture the Memories of This Summer Reading Activity
Spending the summer reading and gardening will create amazing memories for you and your family from this summer reading activity. So why not put it all together in one big memory book that the entire family can enjoy.
You can have your child document and reflect on the development of the garden. Your child can take photographs of their pizza topping garden, as it is growing and as they eat their delicious homegrown pizza toppings. If you have a child that could use a little writing practice over the summer, have them write a weekly or daily journal entry to include in their memory book. Use some drawings in there as well. If you and your child are crafty, press flowers and herbs for a memory. Get really creative and make a movie.
During the long summer months is the perfect opportunity to teach and practice reading and gardening. It is so much fun. It is so healthy. It is so delicious. And… it is also educational.
I really hope that you will enjoy this summer reading activity.
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I Have a Resource For You!
Thank you so much for reading my post today. You might also enjoy reading my previous posts:
How to Find Your Child’s Reading Level
3 Ways to Get Your Kids Reading Over the Summer
Please don’t leave without checking out the PRIDE Reading Program. The PRIDE Reading Program is an Orton-Gillingham curriculum that is used by teachers, tutors, and homeschooling parents worldwide with great success.
Karina Richland, M.A., is the author of the PRIDE Reading Program, a multisensory Orton-Gillingham reading, writing and comprehension curriculum that is available worldwide for parents, tutors, teachers, and homeschoolers of struggling readers. Karina has an extensive background in working with students of all ages and various learning modalities. She has spent many years researching learning differences and differentiated teaching practices. You can reach her by email at info@pridereadingprogram.com or visit the website at www.pridereadingprogram.com