Keeping Kids Connected

This year as we said our goodbyes my hope was to keep us connected across the summer.  I talked with students about keeping our Kidblog site open for them to stop by.  Many of my friends on Twitter participate in "It's Monday.  What Are You Reading?" posts.  Each Monday participants write about the books they are reading.  I thought this might be a great way to help our class to stay connected and learning this summer.

We've been out of school for two weeks.  So far about one third of the students have stopped by to post.  Students have been sharing their favorite books as well as what has been happening in their lives.  One student stopped by to share the news that he finally - after a year of waiting expectantly - lost his first tooth.  Another told us of cookies she helped her mom bake.  Many have talked about their reading and their participation in our library's summer reading program.

I'm hoping to improve the participation in summer blogging by adding my own posts regularly, commenting often, sending updates through our class news site on Shutterfly, and occasional emails to families.  We'll see how it goes!