July Question of the Day Ideas for Summer Learning
Summer is a great time to keep kids curious. Whether you teach summer school, run a day camp, or homeschool, you want kids reading and writing without it feeling like homework.
A summer question of the day does exactly that. Kids get one curious question, find the answer in a book or website, and write it down. One 1st grade teacher used my question of the day as morning work at her summer camp and called it a real time saver. Here are some of my favorite July questions and a plan for one week.
New to question of the day? Try four questions free, with booklet pages for recording answers. Get the free sample.
What Are Good Inquiry Questions for July?
Good July questions connect to the beach, the backyard, and the night sky. Questions kids can check outside make summer learning feel like an adventure.
Here are some questions from my July set.
Beach and backyard
Why can you hear the ocean in some seashells?
How do fish drink?
How do seeds travel?
Can we see shadows at night?
Animals
How can parrots talk?
Why do chameleons change color?
Can you really get warts from a frog?
Do insects migrate?
Science and space
What is a black hole?
How are fossils made?
How fast does a sneeze travel?
How is food turned into energy?
How Can You Use These Questions This Summer?
Use them as morning work at camp or summer school, as a daily habit at home, or as a reason to visit the library each week.
Summer camp: Start each morning with the question while kids arrive.
Summer school: Use the routine to keep research and writing skills fresh.
Homeschool: Pick a question at breakfast and find the answer together.
At home: Parents, take the question to the library. Ask the librarian to help your child find a book with the answer.
A 5-Day Summer Plan
These five questions can all be explored outside or at home. Kids research the answer, then go and see it for themselves.
Monday: Why can you hear the ocean in some seashells? Hold a shell or a cup to your ear after you research.
Tuesday: How do seeds travel? Go on a nature walk and look for seeds.
Wednesday: How do fish drink? Visit a pond, pet store, or aquarium if you can.
Thursday: Can we see shadows at night? Test it with a flashlight after dark.
Friday: How are fossils made? Look for interesting rocks on your next walk.
Teacher Tip for July
In the summer, let kids choose their own question from the ring or the list. Choice keeps them interested when there are no grades and no report cards. If a child asks their own question, write it down and research that one too.
For the full routine, read How to Use a Question of the Day to Build Research Skills.
Where Can You Get All 25 July Summer Question of the Day Questions?
My July set has 25 inquiry questions, enough for a full month of summer learning. It comes in four formats: question cards, questions on rings, cut and paste, and no prep booklets. Booklet covers come in color and black and white, with regular lines and primary lines.
Not sure which format fits? Read Which Question of the Day Format Is Right for Your Class?
Planning ahead? Here are my August inquiry questions.
Try four questions free. Get a free question of the day sample in all four formats, ready to print.
