How it works
By combining ingredients, you introduce two different substances – Elmer’s glue and borax – that bind together to form a polymer that happens to be particularly fun to play with.

What is a polymer?
Polymers are strings of molecules (for younger kids, explain that molecules are the building blocks that make all materials, like plastic, water, even our bodies!) attached to each other in long chains. Different polymers look, act and feel different. Some are hard and tough – like a table top – and some are gooey and rubbery, like the Gak you’re about to make!

Making Gak
NOTE: This activity requires supervision! Because Gak contains Borax, it cannot be eaten or placed on furniture. Food coloring, if used, may also stain clothes and carpet.

Follow this recipe from the A to Z Home’s Cool Homeschooling website, and make sure to take a look at their cute how-to vlog, too!

• 1. Mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/2 cups very warm water
• 2 cups Elmer’s glue
• Food coloring (optional, as could stain clothing and skin)

• 2. In a separate bowl, mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/3 cups very warm water
• 2 level teaspoons Borax

• 3. Mix the contents of the two bowls together kneading until it is fully combined. Discard any remaining liquid.

More Chemistry lessons for the kids
Illustrate the concept of a polymer by creating a chain out of loops of construction paper. What happens when you pull the paper chain end to end? (Answer: It stretches.) What happens if you try to pull the paper chain side-to-side? (Answer: It breaks.)

Polymers act the same way. Applying different forces to your Gak will make it stretch or break because of the polymer chains inside of the materials.

• Budget Buddy | Math: currency, addition, subtraction
  
  Excited about buying snacks for the trip or souvenirs at your destinations? Give your child a notebook with your snack or souvenir budget and ask her to help you keep track of what you’re spending in the store. When she asks for a specific item, ask how much money is left in the budget to spend.

Add an extra math challenge into the mix by asking your child to calculate how coupons affect what you’re spending or what percentage of the budget you’ve spent so far.

• I Spy… | Reading & Writing: vocabulary, word choice
  
  Whether you’re in the car, at the hotel or at a trip destination, ask your child to choose something in sight and use 3 words that describe it. Now guess what it is. If you can’t guess it, ask your child to add another descriptive word. After you’ve guessed correctly, ask your child what other descriptions he was considering. Add more of your own until neither of you can think of any more.

This variation on the “I Spy…” car game will not only help build your child’s vocabulary, but it will also help develop your child’s description and word choice skills as a writer.

• Garbage | Math: number sense, counting
  
  Great game for younger kids practicing numbers! You’ll need a deck of cards. Deal 10 cards face down in front of you, and 10 cards face down in front of your child. The goal of the game is to replace these face-down cards with number cards in the correct order of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. (Aces count as one and all face cards are not countable or “garbage!”.)

Place the remaining cards in a draw pile in the center of the table, and turn one card face up. If the card is a number you don’t have, replace the appropriate face-down card (ex., if the card is a 3, replace the 3rd of your 10 cards). Discard the face-down card you’re replacing in the draw pile. The other player can either take this card during his turn or draw a new card from the deck.

• Trip Journal | Writing: ideas, word choice, voice
  
  Keep a notebook that your entire family writes in over the course of the trip. When your child is excited (or frustrated) about part of the trip, ask her to write about it in the family Trip Journal. Add your own entries and write back to what your child has written!

This will help build your child’s personal connection to writing and create a great record of your vacation, too.

• Storytelling | Writing: active writing, ideas, organization
  
  Ask your child to write about what __(a specific someone)__ would think if he or she were where you are right now. That specific someone could be a best friend, a cousin, a historical figure, a dog or even an alien. Try choosing a different someone for each member of your family and writing a set length (2-4 paragraphs) for a set period of time (10-15 minutes).

When time is up, read your stories to each other. Not only will it be fun to hear one another’s ideas, your child will also be building active writing skills that are important in school and on tests.

What games do you play with your family on the road? Share your favorites below!

Free Summer Reading Club

The Kaplan Tutoring Summer Reading Club is a great way to help your child have fun reading during the summer, and a fun addition to any Summer Reading Club you’re child is already attending!

Register for our free Summer Reading Club to get a recommended reading list by grade level plus fun rewards for reading books throughout the summer in our online Reward Zone! Click here to register online.

Free Summer Learning Workshop

Log on for a live online Summer Learning Workshop to learn fun activities you can do with your kids this summer to build reading, writing and math skills! The Workshop is free to attend – please click the link below to RSVP for login information:

• Atlanta Area
• Baltimore Area
• Boston Area
• Chicago Area
• DC Area
• New Jersey
• New York Area
• Northern California
• Philadelphia Area
• Southern California
• Westchester / Connecticut
• All Other Areas

Families who register for our Online Math & Reading Lessons for kids in kindergarten through 8th grade by July 5th to get a full month of unlimited access for $4! Kids love the interactive and engaging characters (not to mention the fun rewards for learning), and parents love the real-time online progress reports they get as part of the program.

Get the special code for the $4 for July 4th promo on our Facebook page. If you try out our program, share your experience with us here! And either way, have a great July 4th weekend.

Pleasant Hill SpellRead reading intervention and math tutor Bethany:

“Bethany is punctual, fun and engaging and Brendan really enjoys working with her — what more could we possibly want?!”

“Bethany is great with Alora. She knows how to have fun while still teaching and makes Alora feel confident.”

Los Altos and Mountain View reading and writing tutor Ms. Griffith:

“She knows how to get out the best out of my daughter. Since she started working with Ms. Griffith, my daughter has gained so much confidence. She adores Ms. Griffith and always points out how much fun the lesson have been and how well it was explained. When we started with Ms. Griffith, my daughter wasn’t able to do homework by herself, right now she’s able to do it without any help at all!! We’re extremely happy and grateful to have Ms. Griffith tutoring our daughter!”

Los Altos and Mountain View SpellRead reading intervention tutor Manjira:

“We LOVE Manjira! She is lovely, caring, kind, smart and encouraging. Manjira is absolutely lovely in every way. We have been very comfortable having her in our home twice a week and will miss her very much when the program ends. I only have positive praise for her!”

Los Altos and Mountain View SpellRead reading intervention tutor Mary:

“Emma’s tutor is extremely engaged in Emma’s learning and progress and she truly goes out of her way to make sure that Emma has a great experience.”

Pleasant Hill math, algebra and reading tutor Jennifer:

“THANK YOU JENNIFER!!!!!!”

San Francisco math, reading and writing tutor Jesse:

“Michael enjoys his time with Jesse, and that makes him want to learn.”

San Jose math and algebra tutor John:

“John is an excellent tutor. He’s knowledgeable in algebra and makes class fun for Jake.”

“John makes algebra fun and easy for Nate.”

San Jose writing tutor Sean:

“Sean is the best tutor we could imagine. He inspired Jake to write a story outside of tutoring. He makes tutoring fun.”

“Sean inspired Nate to write a story outside of class. Nate now wants to be a writer. He is patient and kind.”

Los Altos and Mountain View math tutor Will:

“Jonathan thinks Will is awesome!”

To our tutors: All of Northern California tutors and tutors around the country - thanks for all you do! It’s been a pleasure to hear your reactions to the great things families have said about you.

To our families: Thanks for sending in your thoughts about your kids’ tutors! We’ll always take special requests – if you’d like to see your child’s tutor on our blog, let us know below or speak with your local director.

This has all been a major shift in my career, as I was in the business world for five and a half years before I left to pursue my true calling! Tutoring has given me even more insight into teaching and motivating students and has been a fantastic experience for me.

Q: What is the funniest or oddest thing a kid has ever said to you?

A: A student once pointed at my arm and said to me, “Have you been working out? Because I see some muscles!” It was totally out of nowhere!

Q: What is your favorite kid’s story/book?

A: I have many favorite children’s stories and books, but one of my all time favorites is the Ramona Quimby series. I loved Ramona’s antics and she always seemed unreal to me as a child, but now, reading them again, I can see how some things she does and says are totally possible!

Q: Outside of tutoring, what’s your favorite fun activity to do with kids?

A: Arts and crafts!! I love giving kids the time and freedom to be creative. It’s amazing what they create when given free reign!

Q: What is your favorite skill to teach?

A: I have really enjoyed teaching math. I don’t think I got a great foundation in math as a child. As an adult, I feel I have learned a lot of new things about math, so I am excited to share that with my students so they can build a more solid foundation.

Q: What are your favorite hobbies?

A: My other hobbies include pilates, gardening and baking. I also love reading and watching movies. I really enjoy learning new facts and random tidbits of information, so I love historical sites!

Big thanks to Dave for sharing this great recipe!

Goldfish Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 box Cake Mix (or made-from-scratch cake, if desired)
• 1-2 can(s) of Butter Crème Icing
• 1 mini bottle of Blue food coloring
• 1-2 bag(s) of M&M’s Minis (or another small, circular candy, if desired)
• 1 bag Circus Peanuts
• 1 small box of Plain Cheerios

Instructions:

1. Take your favorite cupcake / cake mix (or make your own from scratch) and bake into cupcakes as you normally would. Be sure not to over-bake, or your cupcakes will be rock solid. Average bake time is about 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Add learning activities to the “mix” by asking your kids to help measure ingredients or help figure out how many minutes are left until the cupcakes are done!)

2. While the cake mix is cooking, mix a few drops of the blue food coloring into one can of Butter Crème Icing to create a light blue color. Think tropical Bermuda waters.
3. Open the M&M’s Minis bag and separate by color, making pairs of twos.

(You can add a learning activity here too by asking your child to arrange colors of M&M’s into rows to create a real-life, mouth-watering bar graph. Which color are there the most of? The least?)

4. The Circus Peanuts take the most time and effort. First, take out one Circus Peanut per cupcake made. You should have plenty left over, which you will need later. Take the Circus Peanuts that you have just set aside, and make them flat, placing the “Peanut” side up. These are the bodies of the fish.
5. Take the remaining Circus Peanuts and cut them into triangle slices (another great learning opportunity for the little ones!). Use these slices to make the fins by rounding out the flat end, then pinching the other end to make a point. Bend the point just a bit. You will need to make 4 fins per cupcake.
6. By the time you’re done squishing and bending, your cupcakes are probably done! Check to see if they are done by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cupcake – when done, the toothpick will come out clean. Let cupcakes sit to cool. They must be completely cool to begin the next step!
7. Once cooled apply the blue icing to the cupcake. Don’t be bashful.
8. Apply the flat circus peanut (one per cupcake) to the frosting on top of each cupcake.
9. Attach the fins to the body with icing, or if it’s getting too messy/difficult, place them directly into the frosting, but close enough to the fish that it gives the appearance that they are connected. Place two “fins” in the front, two in the back.
10. Use the can of extra frosting to place a dab on the “M&M’s” side of the M&M’s. You will do this twice per fish, as these are the eyes. Once completed, place the M&M’s on the front part of the Circus Peanut.
11. Stand a Cheerio right in front of the Circus Peanut, creating an open mouth appearance.
12. If you’re able to place these in the fridge before the family scoops them up, refrigerate to help the body stick to the icing.
13. When you’ve finished your masterpieces, share your pictures with us on Facebook!

Math tutor Bill:

“Bill is AWESOME! He has been the perfect person to get Steven to where he needs to be in math. I can’t say enough good things about him. He has done wonders for Steven and we think the world of him.”

Math and reading tutor Brandy:

“Thank goodness for Brandy. She has been such a wonderful support to our child.”

Math tutor Brittany:

“Brittany is amazing. She is so great with Kat and Kat loves and respects her. Brittany knows just how to motivate Kat and bring out the best out of her. You need to clone Brittany. She even researches on her own time for information to enhance Kat’s achievements, and then emails me as well. Brittany is the absolute best tutor that Kat has ever had and I would highly recommend her to everyone.

“Brittany immediately captured Kat’s full attention and was able to work around Kat’s learning disability while making it fun and interesting for her. Brittany has a gift for teaching and as a parent of a special needs child I am so appreciative of Brittany’s personal interest and dedication to Kat’s success.”

Math and algebra tutor Patrick:

“If anyone gets credit for us signing up for a second program, it is Patrick and his quality work. My son loves him and is even starting to enjoy math.”

Math tutor Katherine:

“She’s wonderful and Nicole loves her. She’s more patient and gentle than us parents - which is a positive quality!”

To our tutors: Bill, Brandy, Brittany, Katherine and Patrick and all of our DC, Maryland and Virginia area tutors - thanks for all you do!

To our families: Thanks for sending in your thoughts about your kids’ tutors. If your tutor hasn’t appeared in our blog yet, leave a comment here so that we can make sure your child’s tutor is featured too!

Q: What do you say to kids who are struggling to stay motivated?

A: I point out what they’ve already accomplished as evidence that they can do more. Success breeds success.

Q: What are your favorite hobbies?

A: I love reading, storytelling, music, tennis, movies and art.

Q: Tell us about something you really enjoy teaching:

A: I love math and I love helping students make breakthroughs in math.

Q: Any other fun facts about you:

A: I am a co-founder and partner in a new jewelry company. I find myself surrounded by artists and creative thinkers and that excites me. I’ve also created an arts and physical education program for elementary school students in Inglewood, CA, and worked in education policy and nonprofit administration.

SpellRead reading intervention tutor Katie:
Katie is an amazing tutor and really makes my son feel special. She has a very sweet personality but also is able to make him perform to the best of his ability while he is working with her in the SpellRead Program.

Math tutor Rob:
Noel also has an in-home tutor, Rob Carlisle, and he is absolutely amazing. Rob is engaging, helpful, enthusiastic, and focused on helping Noel achieve her math goals.

Math tutor Mr. Carlisle:
Mr. Carlisle is an excellent tutor - he really understands boys and how they think/learn.

SpellRead reading intervention tutor Blair:
Blair is the main reason that we are so happy with Kaplan. She is doing an excellent job and Sean really likes and respects her.

Math and reading tutor Robin:
I love her. Troy loves her. She is simply the best Kaplan has to offer!

To our tutors: Katie, Rob, Mr. Carlisle, Blair and Robin - thanks for all you do! Check in next week for more tutor shout-outs for our DC, Maryland and Virginia tutors.

To our families: Thanks for sending in your thoughts about your kids’ tutors. If your tutor hasn’t appeared in our blog yet, leave a comment here so that we can make sure your child’s tutor is featured too!