PBL or Project-Based Learning allows students to learn by working on practical projects that are capable of solving real-world problems. You can make something, ask questions, and share what you discover during your summer using many project-based learning ideas.
In this blog, we will talk about project-based learning and why it is important to practice PBL during your summer vacations. Further, we will talk about 5 creative project-based learning ideas for summer, and the skills gained through them.
Let us start!
Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, provides open guidance and applied experience to students to handle real-world scenarios. PBL helps you develop teamwork and allows you to become critical thinkers and creators by engaging in practical projects.
PBL is beyond reading books, but the thing that matters is that you can learn and solve problems. With various project-based learning ideas, you can accomplish this goal.
Why is it important to practice PBL during your summer?
Practising Project-Based Learning during the summer is significant because it focuses on 21st-century skills. It keeps you engaged, strengthens your learning outside the classroom, and develops real-world skills. Here are many reasons that show why it matters:
Keeps you Engaged
PBL prevents summer learning loss by keeping your mind active and boosting your engagement through applying concepts in useful and expressive ways.
Skills Development
As PBL focuses on 6Cs, it develops real-world career skills in you that are important both for your academics and future careers.
Boosts Self-Directed Learning
It also encourages self-directed learning in you, where you can explore your desired areas with freedom and take charge of your own learning.
Encourage Meaningful Learning
Moreover, PBL makes the learning exciting, powerful, and purposeful for you. This is because you find a chance to work on projects capable of solving real-world challenges and producing tangible products.
Strengthens Career Readiness
Working on and completing PBL-based projects strengthens your college and future career by giving you practical knowledge and leadership experiences.
Promote Interdisciplinary Exploration
Also, project-based learning allows for interdisciplinary exploration by generating projects combining different subjects like math, science, writing, and art.
Project-Based Learning Ideas
During your summers, you can make any PBL-based project to engage yourself in meaningful learning and improve your skills. You can use the seven steps of project-based learning for project making. This is where you can start the project with something big, then you can ask driving questions, plan, do some research, finally build something, share, and get reflection.
We are sharing with you five useful project-based learning ideas to encourage creativity and develop skills over the summer through practical experiences.
Building a Small Garden
- First of all, you are required to visit a garden or watch a video.
- Ask a question: “How to grow healthy plants in small pots?”
- Find out the requirements for growing plants in pots and which plants can easily grow in pots.
- Use jars or old containers to build a garden. Also, write down the growth of planted seeds in a diary.
- You need to take pictures, make a small poster, or a video to explain your garden to share with others.
- Then, you will reflect on which plants grew well and what you would do differently.
During this project:
- Science helps you to learn about how plants grow.
- Math helps you to measure soil, water, and record growth.
- English (Lit & Lang) helps you to write a diary and present a project.
Design an Area (Neighbourhood) Map
- First, you are required to walk around your house or look at digital maps.
- Ask a question: “What makes our neighbourhood different?”
- Do some research online or visit parks, shops, homes, and landmarks around your neighborhood.
- Hand-draw a map or use a digital map application to design your map.
- After that, make a video of your map or take pictures, or show your map to family and friends.
- Add a reflection on what you added and what is the best part of your neighbourhood.
During this project:
- Geography helps you learn map symbols and directions.
- Arts help you learn drawing, designing, and colouring.
- Social studies help you to learn about your neighbourhood.
Develop a Community Help Guide
- For this project, talk to someone older at your home (a grandparent) or an older person in your neighbourhood.
- Ask a question: “How can we help people learn or have fun in our community?”
- Tour your community and ask families what they want, or get any help? This may include games, stories, or getting useful information.
- To complete the project, you will design a poster or write a guidebook.
- In any of your local community events, you can share your guide or read it out. You can also gather younger children from your community and share your guidelines with them.
- You can evaluate what people like, and what things need to be improved for the next time.
During this project:
- English (Lit & Lang) helps you to write with fun ideas.
- Talking to different people develops social skills.
- Arts help you to make an attractive and nice guide.
Water Safety Science Experiment
- You need to watch an online video on water safety and the measures taken to clean water or clean dirty water.
- Ask a question: “Is tap water safe to drink?”
- For this activity, collect samples of water daily for one week.
- Then, you can buy simple home water test kits to check the characteristics (cloudiness, colour, smell, etc.) of water.
- You are required to note down the result of each test, such as its pH, colour, particles, cloudiness, smell, etc.
- To make water safe and clean to use, explore solutions like filtering, boiling, etc.
- After that, you can present your work in poster form or presentation form.
During this project:
- Science helps you perform small experiments.
- Math helps you in data collection and writing figures.
- English and Art help you to write and design a poster or presentation.
Make a Family Recipe Book
- This project requires you to choose and cook different recipes with your family’s assistance and ask them for complete details about them.
- Ask the question: “What makes the recipes special?”
- You can research online about the recipes as well for more details, steps, and ingredients.
- Write all the recipes with ingredients and steps.
- Take pictures of your cooked recipes.
- Print out your family recipe book and show it online and physically to your friends and family.
- Reflect on the things that you will do next time to improve it.
During this project:
- Math helps you measure the ingredients.
- English helps you to write stepwise instructions.
- Art and Creativity help you design a recipe book.
Get ready for the Summer Project
You can learn best when you do real work. So, try PBL this summer to learn and be proud of what you have created. Turn your summer into an exploration of learning. Use your summertime by choosing any of the project-based learning ideas above, or you can produce your own ideas as well.
So, do not waste time and start creating something amazing.
Conclusion
You can select from the project-based learning ideas discussed above during your summer. These project ideas help you develop skills like problem solving, creativity, communication, critical thinking, etc. You will also feel confident when you are praised for your work by your family and friends.