Summer Bridge Activities

Before I delve into my first review I need to explain something. Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog is that my son, who is going into second grade, is an advanced reader and was moved to second grade math last year while in the first grade. My problem lies in knowing whether or not books that are at his reading level are appropriate for his actual age and maturity level. Short of reading hundreds of pages myself (don't get me wrong, I love a good book, just not ones aimed for boys who like fart jokes!) I was at a loss to find an honest review. The reason I needed to get that out there is that I want to give you an honest review of a product I love but I wanted to make it clear why I will be reviewing a version that doesn't line up with my son's age. So here we go:

The Original Summer Bridge Activities

Bridging Grades 2 to 3

Rainbow Bridge Publishing

Purchased at Barnes and Noble

$14.95

I make my son earn video games in the summer. We can play at the beach, ride bikes, garden, or do pretty much anything outside for free. But if we are going to sit on the couch and stare at a screen he has to earn it. So I use workbook pages to get his mind working and to hopefully keep the summer slide to a minimum. A teacher recommended this series of workbooks to me. After looking at them online and in the store I decided to go with the 2 to 3 version for us. However I agree with this teacher in saying that they are pretty much spot on grade wise, so if you would like to try it out for your child I would suggest buying the actual grade level of your child unless you have special circumstances.

I worked at the school for part of the year and after seeing the curriculum they use and learning what the standards that the kids are tested on require, I have to stay this series hits it right on. The book is split into 3 sections, seemingly one for each month. I have to admit that we are a few pages behind that but we are busy, what can I say. There is a front and back page for each day. These pages are usually split into 3 or 4 sections containing math, phonics, parts of speech, reading comprehension or writing. It usually takes my son 15 minutes to complete the work for the day and, really, for summer I think that's plenty.

Here is an example from the second section. The first part is asking to circle the fraction that matches the picture. The second part is multiple choice, asking to pick the correct sentence (Which sentence names three things?) The third part is using an index to look up specific information. And the last part is listening to an adult say a word and circling the correct one. The last part is a critical skill for taking standardized tests. Each book also contains math a reading flash cards for extra practice.

If you are looking for a product like this to keep your child's brain from pickling in the pool I would highly recommend this series. They are available from kindergarten to middles school. You can peek inside the books on amazon and Barnes and noble.com.