Summer vacation is a time filled with adventure. From camping, to road trips and vacation destinations, there are a myriad of ways to provide your child with unique experiences perfect for encouraging story-telling and creative Summer writing. Best of all, there are many great apps available which make writing on-the-go fun and easier than ever.
Give your child something to write home about using the following list of fun family activities, and be sure to click the app links to read over each one’s respective reviews. Read on to start your family’s summer learning story today!
1.) Document An Adventure. Whether going to a local amusement park, heading out camping or renting a beach cottage, capture your adventures using a digital camera or camcorder. If you can, find an activity that has some uncertainty to it, like hiking an unfamiliar trail, visiting a new destination or trying a unique outdoor activity like zip-lining or rock climbing. Make sure to take lots of pictures and video.
When you get home, use your footage and pictures to help frame a story about the event. Consider using an app like Fotopedia Reporter to create a visual recollection of events, using photos and writing captions to capture the tale. If you have a lot of video to work with, you can even help your child write a short script and record the voice-over, piecing the story all together via a video-editing app like iMovie. Once its done, share your child’s creation with friends and family over email or social networks.
2.) Take a Restaurant Road Trip. Plot out a course to some not-so-distant food establishments, and use an app like Foodspotting to have your child help pick the destinations. Go on the hunt for the “best” of something (i.e. burger, pizza, calzone, hotdog), or map out a path to some unique and unfamiliar food spots. After each meal, have your child take notes on the pros and cons of each using an app like Evernote, in order to keep track of which places he likes best.
Afterwards, have him choose the best of the best, writing up short reviews explaining his decisions. Then, help him look up the restaurants you’ve visited on a site like Yelp, and upload his critiques.
3.) Create a Family Blog. This one is simple, but offers a great outlet for creative writing. Starting a family blog using a service such as Blogger, WordPress or Tumblr makes the process all the easier. Work with your child to come up with interesting posts, like funny pictures of the family pet, a before-and-after shot of the yard or garage after its been cleaned, of a simple thought or observation from the day. Share the blog URL with distant family and relatives, and encourage them to leave comments and have your child respond.
