Target the Stars Blog

Summer Camp programs are popping up early this spring like tulips and the allergy season. However, if you’d like to avoid developing your career as a chauffeur you should consider creating your own Alphabet Summer. Structuring educational lessons using the letters of the alphabet is a common practice used at daycare centers and schools throughout the nation. I was first inspired to use the alphabet as an organizing technique after reading blogger Amy Caroline’s Knit Together blog where she details many of her homeschooling adventures. In the depths of winter a few years ago, I started daydreaming about long summer days doing fun activities together as a family. As I was thinking about the many things we could do, Amy Caroline’s blog came to mind and I thought of having an Alphabet Summer. When I explained the idea to my oldest daughter who was in the middle of Kindergarten at the time she thought it was a great idea and we immediately started generating ideas toget...

Believe it or not, summer is just around the corner, or so I like to think on cold windy, snowy days like this at the end of February.  If you find yourself overwhelmed by the time and financial commitment of many summer activities for children yet desire low cost, fun, structured activities that you and your neighbors can be involved in, then creating your own neighborhood craft camp may be a great solution for all. We first started our craft camps last year by inviting a couple of kids in the neighborhood to join us for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day crafts during school breaks. It was such a hit that we decided to extend it into our Alphabet Summer. Although we had nearly 30 children join us and we met on a weekly basis, craft camps do not have to be that so involved and complicated. Craft camps are fun and low cost alternatives to day camps and sports activities. They also build a sense of community that will benefit all who participate. Here are s...

Preparation is the key to integrating the alphabet into your summer. Generating ideas ahead of time is a big part of the process that allows for lots of opportunity to get excited and educated at the same time. After you have created a structure to base your activities around, it’s easier to be flexible, spontaneous, and ultimately more adventurous.  You and your child(ren) will be amazed by how their vocabulary grows, their spelling improves, their friendships blossom, and their knowledge of the world around them both widens and deepens. Step 1: Generate ideas Half the fun of Alphabet Summer is coming up with all of the things you want to do.  Here are a few ideas for keeping track of the ideas you generate: 1. Use index cards with each letter of the alphabet and tape them to either the inside or outside of a closet door. Keep a pen, pencil, or marker nearby to write ideas as they come up. 2. Give your child a dictionary based on their reading and maturity lev...