#NoSummerSlide – Abracadabra It’s Magical Week 13
For some of us, 13 isn’t unlucky … it is a magical number! So let’s make this a Magical Week!
No, your kids don’t have to be into Harry Potter to have fun. Science – namely experiments – brings its own kind of magic!
Say the word “magic” and odds are your child’s face will light up. Whether it is making a box or a wand, learning and performing a kitchen-science experiment, or escaping into an imaginary world, there is plenty of opportunity to hone those literacy skills.
Here are the literacy concepts behind these activities.
- Make a Magic Tool – Uses imagination and motor skills to create boxes, wands, etc.
- Learn a “Trick” – Finding a trick to do and following the instructions is research (reading).
- Perform an Experiment – Requires memory (comprehension), communication, and motor skills.
- Enjoy some Fantasy – Listening to or reading a book taps our imaginations to help us visualize what we see/hear.
The Tricks Up Our Sleeve
Make a Wand or Magic Box
If the famous Harry’s (Houdini and Potter) had a wand, then we need one too! Brainstorm ideas on what kinds of wands to create – and what kinds of powers those wands will have! Here are three resources to get you started:
- Make a Magic Wand with a Pencil @ Easy, Peasy, and Fun
- How to Select a Tree Branch Wand @ Merlin’s Realm
- How to Make Harry Potter Wands @ Becca Beach – Pins and Things (video)
Back to School Tip: Keep the magic hat for vocabulary practice. Put the words in your magic hat/box and have your developing reader show off their magician skills by pulling out the answer. This is great whether your child is working on word families or practicing spelling words.
Learn a Little Magic
The sky’s the limit with this idea! Your local library is a great place to find books that tap curious minds. Don’t hesitate to let science be your guide! There are some great kids’ experiments that are pure magic.
If you have a visual learner, seek out videos that show how a trick or experiment is performed. That is especially true if there is a magic trick that is too big to try at home.
If the kids are really into it, encourage them to put on a magic show. Grandparents LOVE them!! Another idea would be to have everyone learn one trick/experiment and then share it with the rest of the family.
Let the magician (or scientist!) decide whether she or he will reveal the secret behind their “trick”! Here are some magic trick and science experiment collections for kids to get you started. Click here to see what books your library has. [Link to WorldCat.org]
These links go to books on Smile.Amazon.com. A portion of purchases made through these links goes to support the Reading Tub’s literacy mission.
Wave Your Wand …
and let the magic take you to imaginary places or to the local science museum! You might also check your community calendar to see if there are any kid-oriented workshops coming up.
Read (or re-read) a favorite book. Maybe this is the week to …
- introduce your children to stories you loved as a child.
- learn about a famous scientist
Enjoy a podcast. Lots of options here, too.
- Interviews – whether authors or scientists – offer an added dimension to your understanding of the person and their work. Reading Rockets has Video Interviews with Children’s Authors.
- Radio programs and serials are/were a way of telling stories across the airwaves. The Player.FM collection of Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Stories Podcasts for Kids is a great place to start.
Listen to an audiobook. If your kids have a favorite book you’ve read together, see if you can find an audio version. It may “feel” totally different hearing the story in someone else’s voice.