by Camilla Nichols and Zachery Inkley,
with additional content by Tori Inkley
Along with welcoming Summer, we would like to provide some fun activities and ideas to help keep your children stimulated in a meaningful way. It’s important for them to remain in a state of learning and exploration even when they’re not attending school. One suggestion would be to arrange a small shelf in your home with activities that you can rotate throughout the summer. Set it up so that your children can independently choose the work they desire. The activities can represent the same areas found in our Prepared Environments at MCA: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Science, Math, Cultural, and Art. For more information on how to set up a Prepared Environment at home, visit https://themontessorichildrensacademy.com/blog/2016/06/13/maintaining-a-montessori-mindset-through-the-summer/ and visit https://www.forsmallhands.com/ and https://livingmontessorinow.com for Montessori items and ideas.
No matter where the summer takes you, we encourage families to spend as much time as possible outside and in nature, as screen time is best saved as a treat for rainy days. New Jersey has so many beautiful parks and beaches for you and your little ones to enjoy. Take a hike through South Mountain Reservation or go see the Great Falls of Paterson! While exploring the outdoors, take time to set up Scavenger Hunts, or help your children craft their own Nature Journals. They can collect and learn about all the different beautiful flowers of our region or do leaf shadings to help fill up the pages of their journals. At home, you and your children could grow an herb, vegetable, or flower garden, or together you could research all the critters roaming in your own backyard! To learn more about animals from all over the globe, your family could take a trip to the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, or if your children are more curious about our aquatic friends, you could visit Jenkinson’s Aquarium while enjoying a day on the Point Pleasant boardwalk!
Most of our local libraries have Story Times for children. Taking your young ones to such events will help to inspire their imaginations and reinvigorate their passion for reading. We also encourage you to read with your children at home as often as possible, or maybe listen to audiobooks together while picnicking outside! We’ve included some links to books we recommend at the end of this post.
Finally, if possible, explore local museums and art festivals to stimulate your children’s imaginations and encourage their creative sides. Both Montclair and Morristown, as well as New York City, have excellent museums, and Montclair also has art festivals and live music concerts all summer long! If you really want to watch little eyes go wide, take your children to Liberty Science Center, where they can get a taste of almost everything this world has to offer. Right now, they have an incredible exhibit on the Blue Whale, a Touch Tunnel where children can learn how much we rely on our sense of touch, and a Globe IMAX Theater where you can take incredibly life-like trips through the farthest stretches of the universe and the greatest depths of the sea. We encourage you to embrace every opportunity to expand the young minds of your children and broaden their natural sense of wonder!
We hope all of our families have a lovely summer full of exploration and joy!
NJ Parks and Reservations:
- https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/south-mountain-reservation
- https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/hilltop-reservation
- https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/mills-reservation
- https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/verona-park
- https://www.morrisparks.net/parks_trails/great-swamp-outdoor-education-center/
- https://www.morrisparks.net/parks_trails/bamboo-brook-outdoor-education-center/
- https://www.morrisparks.net/parks_trails/elizabeth-d-kay-environmental-center/
- https://hartshornarboretum.org
- https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/kittatinnyvalleystatepark.html
- https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/stephensstatepark.html
NJ Zoos and Aquariums:
- https://turtlebackzoo.com/
- https://www.friendsofbergencountyzoo.org/
- https://www.visitsealife.com/new-jersey/
- https://visitseaquest.com/woodbridge/
- https://jenkinsons.com/aquarium/
Museums and Creative Centers:
- https://lsc.org/
- https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/
- https://morrismuseum.org/
- https://newarkmuseumart.org/
Classic Children’s Books:
- Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
- Anatole by Eve Titus
- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
- Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper
- Abuela by Arthur Dorros
- Corduroy by Don Freeman
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
- Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
- Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Arts and Crafts for Inside Days:
- https://buggyandbuddy.com
- https://www.craftymorning.com
- https://www.toddlerapproved.com
- https://nurturestore.co.uk
- https://happyhooligans.ca
- https://handsonaswegrow.com
And for those rainy days, or possibly travel days, when you feel a little tech time is appropriate for your children, you may want to check out the app “Mobile Montessori” at https://www.mobilemontessori.org .