Last week, we went out of town. We had a great time visiting family and friends. The kids loved spending time with their grandparents, and we enjoyed the change in scenery. One thing I decided to do this trip was have a few days of school while we were there. It turned out to be fun and productive.
I know you’re thinking it’s a vacation and why would you be doing school work? I think there’s always an opportunity to gain knowledge, and if we can extend those opportunities into a lesson (even during a vacation), why not count it as a day of school.
It’s so easy to do that, depending on where you are and what you have available, you can easily have a full lesson without putting a damper on your fun. This trip we only visited family and the weather wasn’t good. So, we ended up inside the entire time.
We use an online curriculum so we had access to all our lessons at our fingertips. This made it so easy to plug in and get lessons started. I also brought books so my students could do a little independent reading. We made quick work of each day’s lessons, and there was more than enough time for visitors and fun.
Now if you are going to a destination, like the beach or mountains, it would be so easy to have a learning experience while you’re out. Visit a state park and while there take a hike or walk (even compile a nature collection). Then discuss what you’ve found and make a collage. If you visit several places older children can keep a short informal journal of where you have visited. They can add pictures and create a full report of these places when you get home.
It’s also great to visit museums, old battlefields, and the list goes on. Let your students use tablets and cellphones to search and read about the places you visit on the ride over. You can literally do anything. Just simply use the activities you will already be doing and extend them into lessons. I think it’s a great way to get some academic days in (especially rainy vacation days) while still being free to take a break and have fun with your family.
Naja Coles
I’m most importantly a follower of Christ by who’s blood we believe there is salvation. We believe in biblical Truth only. Being led by the Spirit of God, we seek to raise our family by that Truth. I am a wife of 7 years, and mom to 8 wonderful children ages 6 years-11 months. We have been homeschooling for 2 years officially (6 if you include preschool). I enjoy music, gardening, and learning to live a healthy, non-toxic lifestyle.
Matthew 4:17