Jumping for Joy

With March break over and the kids back in class, the time to travel on vacation has come to an end. Or has it?

A recent conversation with an international group of family writers was a reminder that while we take advantage of every month of the year and season to travel (with and without the kids) not everyone can do so very easily. It’s a subject that can get me pretty heated (Read my response to a family being fined in England for taking their kids out of school.)

We’ve long believed that while classroom education is important, so is the opportunity to grow and learn through the world experiences that travel provides.

Families thinking about taking time away from school schedules to travel might be asking themselves how to make this happen.

Here are a couple of tips for how to take your kids out of school to travel:

Start Planning Early

Provide teachers with ample notice of planned trips and prepare your kids in advance to make up the work before and after the trip.(If you can avoid it, don’t take work with you. The goal of the trip is to enjoy the trip.)  Giving yourself and your kids plenty of time to plan and anticipate the break, also means you can adjust your schedule should a potential conflict arise like a particular study unit or activity you really don’t want your child to miss. Be flexible with your dates and weigh the opportunity against the challenges.

Create Your Own Learning Opportunities and Resources

Don’t rely on teachers to create homework packages for your children. Create your own learning opportunities and resources both during the trip and afterward. Don’t overestimate the book learning; much of the value of travel can be found in the social advantages of exploration, team work amongst family members and experiencing new sights and tastes.

Check out this well-balanced article about the pros and cons of travel.

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