It’s officially summer vacation and you might be looking for ways to rev up your summer learning. One way is to integrate your summer reading into your curriculum. To make sure you cover as much ground as possible, you could look into creating an integrated learning program around literature. Doing this can help you make the most of your summer vacation and get those last few books you need to complete your reading list. It can also help you form a greater connection to the text and truly understand it as you read it.
The Great British Menu
With British cuisine taking the world by storm, it’s only natural that you’ll see references to British classics on the menu of any upscale restaurant in a foreign city. One of the most popular British dishes is fish and chips. This is a great example of how cultural appropriation happens—entirely through cooking and serving up to British palates foods that were originally designed for the Atlantic Ocean. While you might be tempted to sample this traditional English food, you should probably avoid doing so outside of a pub or another setting where drinking is permitted. It’s one thing to read about cultural appropriation in a novel, quite another to have an entire fish and chip shop served to you by an Indian waiter in a 5-star restaurant. Yuck.
Learning Through Play
There are so many ways you can integrate fun into your curriculum. After all, education should be fun and engaging. Although, sometimes, fun can be a challenge. For instance, when you’re studying organic chemistry or cell biology, having fun with experiments isn’t exactly easy. Yet, when you look at the big picture, play is an important part of your child’s education. It helps them develop social skills, critical thinking and problem-solving. These are all essential skills for life in today’s world.
Travel With Your Books
If you’re going on a family vacation this summer, it might be the perfect opportunity to take a vacation reading trip. By traveling with your books, you can enrich the lives of those you’re traveling with and enjoy some quality reading time alongside the journey. Why not? You could start by taking a look at your own library and see what you’ve got to offer. It might be a good idea to bring a couple of your favorite books and share them with the locals while you’re there. Hopefully, you’ll inspire some interest in literature or education and they’ll want to learn more about your travels and the books you’re reading. You can also start a book club with the family and friends you’re traveling with. It’s a perfect way to decompress, develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and learn something new. Plus, it’s always nice to come back with a whole host of books you’ve read and enjoyed. You can also use the trip as an opportunity to introduce your children to other cultures and their ways of thinking and acting. It’s the best of both worlds—you’re traveling and learning at the same time.
An Education Through Art
Another way to integrate play into your curriculum is to consider using art as a method of learning. Art is subjective and can be presented in so many different ways. This is precisely why it’s such an effective tool for learning. If you want to create a picture in your head of something you’re reading about in your textbook, you can use art to help you do that. You can create a visual representation of a chemical reaction, display how a poet conveys the feeling of a particular sunset or the smell of a particular flower. This is all possible through art.
Study Abroad
If you’re an advanced student, you might want to consider studying abroad. There are so many opportunities available and it’s definitely an area of study that can increase your post-graduate opportunities. Studying abroad isn’t just about getting a new degree though. You can take classes that will help you develop your skills and gain new perspectives. You’ll learn a lot, not just about your studies but about how to live and work in a new country. It’s an opportunity to learn about other cultures and how to respect them. Being able to travel abroad and engage with new people and new experiences is what student life is all about.
The Importance Of Reading
Last but not least, let’s not forget about the importance of reading in our education. Many people don’t realize the huge impact that reading can have on their child’s education. Children who are read to everyday have higher literacy rates than children who aren’t read to regularly. It’s important to find a way to integrate reading into your everyday life, whether it’s through travel or study abroad or even just regular old’ vacation. You can also encourage your children to read whatever they want and let their imagination run wild. Soon enough, they’ll be hooked on reading and wanting to learn more. It’s all about finding a way to make reading fun and exciting for your kids. It might not be easy but you’ll be doing your child a favor.