Additional Learning Resources for the Summertime Reading Program & Copy-work Journal Pages

Pair this journal up with our England and Sweden Adventures.

Program Guide + Books with Read aloud links:

Week 1/ Page 1:

Summer Song by Henkes, Kevin

Activity: Create your own song, or poem about summer. Pair this

journal up with with our 2nd week of our England Adventures all

about the countryside, during summertime.

Additional Connections:

Pair this journal up with our 2nd week of our England Adventures: Tudor Rose Lesson with Pointillism Art project.

Week 2/ Page 2

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

Activity: Plant a seed in your garden. Pair up with our garden life cycle units.

Additional Connections:

Pair this journal up with our 2nd week of our England Adventures: New Forest Pony Lesson, and color the coloring page.

Week 3/ Page 3:

If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano

Activity: Paint picture inspired by sunshine.

Additional Connections: Pair this journal up with our 2nd week of our England Adventures: Artist Spotlight of Yvonne Coomber and inspired art project.

How do you see sunshine in the art of Yvonne Coomber? How did you paint the sun in your painting? Write or dictate about it in your journal.

Week 4/Page 4:

Summer Feet by Sheree Fitch

Activity: Trace your feet on paper, and paint it as you would like, inspired by this book. What do you think about the idea of putting on your summer feet?

Additional Connections:

Pair this journal up with our 1st week of our England Adventures: Stone Henge and our Sweden Adventures for Mid-Summer's Festival and the May Pole, and more. These lessons have connections to Mid-Summer, and this week is Mid-Summer! Check your calendar for sifting dates, but in 2021, Mid-summer falls on June 26. Learn about the Summer Solstice and it's deep rooted history in Europe.

Week 5/Page 5:

What Lives in a Shell? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

Activity: Write a poem about a shell and the animal that lives in it.

Additional Connections:

Further Connections with our England Adventures:

BONUS Research Lesson: Learn more about the mystery of The Shell Grotto in Margate, England.
Find and color the shells on the England Coloring Map, in our England Adventures.
Watch the selection of videos about this special place below.
Pair this with our M is for Mosaic lesson in the Masterpiece Alphabet.
Create your own mosaic art with shells, inspired by this ancient grotto!

Week 6/ Page 6:

Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart

Activity: Go on a search for as many feathers as you can find in your yard, neighbourhood or local park. Bring them back, and create a specail art piece, or scrapbook page in your journal about them.

Additional Connections:

Further Connections with our England Adventures:

BONUS Research Lesson: Learn more about the Birds of England.

Watch videos we found for you below and Document your findings and write about your favourite birds.

Week 7/ Page 7:

Beach by Elisha Cooper

Little Blue Cottage by Kelly Jordan

Activity: Do you have a special beach you love to visit? Write a poem or story about the beach.

Note: Jump ahead to the read aloud at 4:47 in the video below:

Additional Connections:

Further Connections with our England Adventures: Learn more about the beaches of England. Color the England Map in our adventures, and use our list of animals in England as a jumping off point for more learning. What animals live in the ocean and seas around England and Great Britain?

Week 8/ Page 8:

Dalia's Wondrous Hair by Laura Lacamara

Activity: Write a story inspired by this story. What would happen if you woke up with a huge growth of hair like the little girl in this story? What would you like your hair to grow into?

Additional Connections: Further Connections with our England Adventures: English Rose Lesson. Create your own English Rose Inspired Styrofoam Prints, and enjoy the art appreciation series by British Artist Edward Burne-Jones and Poetry from William Morris and their Duo Artist features. What if you grew a rose bush in your hair?

Week 9/ Page 9:

Mouse's First Summer by Lauren Thompson

Activity: Sew your own Watermelon felt toy and grey and purple mice, just like the characters in this book! Rein-act this story with your family with your toys.

Additional Connections:

Look up recipes to make yummy watermelon treats today.

For more inspiration about Watermelons, check out our blog post all about 10 Watermelon Themed Crafts, Recipes and Books your kids will love. Read post here.

Week 10/Page 10:

Magic Beach by Alison Lester

Enjoy listening to this read aloud by the Author, in the actual “magic beach” that inspired this book!

Activity: Collect some sand from you favorite beach, or back yard sand box, and place it inside a small jar. Write a poem about this sand, and image it's from a magic beach.

Additional Connections:

Spin the globe and find a country with beaches, and learn about it!

Week 11/ Page 11:

Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow

Activity: Write your own story about tiny little people in your own backyard. What do they do? Where do they live? Be inspired by this lovely book. Pair this and the next page up with our Sweden Adventures.

Additional Connections:

Pair this with our Sweden Adventures: Color the map of Scandinavia, find Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Research more about Elsa Besklow, Swedish author/illustrator of the book we are reading today. Write about her in your journal.

Week 12/ Page 12:

Peter in Blueberry Land by Elsa Beskow

Activity: We are learning a Swedish Proverb today, and reading a lovely book by a Swedish Author and Illustrator. In what ways do you think Peter was trying to show love to his mother in this story? Who helped Peter while he was in the forest? Draw pictures about summer berries such as blueberries.

Note: Skip to 4:04 minutes in the video below to skip the beginning chat to get to the read aloud quickly.

Additional Connections:

Pair this with our Sweden Adventures Learn about Swedish Artist Hilma af Klint, whose Artist Spotlight is found in our Sweden Unit, and who’s art was inspired by nature.

Make yummy Blueberry and Lemon Streusel Muffins. (Recipe found in our Mother's Day Art & Baking Unit Study.)