Are you planning a trip with your kids this year? Regardless of whether you are homeschooling or they are in more traditional education, you need to make sure that you deal with the issue of an education drought. This can be a problem if you take them for a vacation that lasts for a couple of weeks or even more than this. It can also be an issue when there are extended breaks from school and through the holidays. In Las Vegas, there are many educational opportunities, including the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden. I have created a study unit to go with each month’s elaborate seasonal display that includes the meanings of the flowers, trees and bushes used. It can also be used as a treasure hunt to find all the detailed and beautiful things to see at this wonder nestled in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.
The good news is that there are various ways that you can deal with this situation and ensure that it doesn’t negatively impact your kids. Here are some of the possibilities that are worth exploring.
Why Is An Education Drought A Problem?
There are a few reasons why an education drought can be an issue. First, it can cause you to lose some of the progress that you made before you took a break. Teachers in school complain about this all the time, often writing to parents about how their children have not done enough through the summer break. Fortunately, services like ABCmouse offer a free one month trial that could be more than enough for a temporary drought. It can also mean that children lose focus and it may take a little time to get them back on track. So, now we know why it’s a problem, let’s look at some of the ways to deal with this issue or fix it.
Keep Their Brains Active
First, it’s worth noting that you don’t have to provide a full education plan for your kids while they are on vacation. Instead, you can just focus on keeping their minds active. This can be enough when you are trying to avoid a dreaded vacation drought that might impact them and your teaching plans. To deal with this, we recommend that you think about exploring options such as sudoku. A sudoku subscription will provide you new puzzles that your child can try and enjoy on a daily basis. This is more than enough to keep them thinking and focusing, even while on vacation and you can learn more from sites online.
That’s not the only type of brain teaser that you can explore of course. There are countless other types that could also benefit your child.
For instance, you might want to think about getting them to keep a diary or journal while on vacation. Encourage them to write about their experiences and what you get up to on the holiday. This is a classic piece of summer homework that children often receive from schools. You can also craft what they should achieve around their current level of reading and writing.
Keep It Going
One of the brilliant benefits of homeschooling your child is that it’s easy to continue their education through the holiday. You can also do this on vacation, crafting an education plan that continues to provide them with the benefits that you want. When you are exploring this possibility, make sure that you do think about getting the right materials to continue teaching your child while on vacation. For instance, you can think about printing off some pieces of work that they will be able to use whether you are staying in a hotel or camping.
Don’t be afraid to use the tech at your fingertips as well. If you have a tablet, it’s easy to load some work onto this before you take your child on vacation and get them to work from that.
Do be aware that the education plan that your child follows while on vacation doesn’t need to be the same as the typical school term. Instead, you can think about exploring options such as unschooling. This means that the child chooses what to do and what not to do during this time. You can spend about two hours on their education each day but the child gets to use the activities. This will probably be based primarily around games that are fun and challenging but still keep your kids thinking.
Embed Educational Experiences Into The Trip
Another possibility worth exploring would be adding educational experiences as part of a vacation. The classic example worth considering here would be taking your child to a museum. This is a great way to teach your child about history and different eras in a way that is going to be less passive and more engaging. Regardless of where you are planning to stay on your trip or while on vacation, there will always be a museum or a similar learning experience nearby which is great news. You might even want to think about exploring some of the most interesting museums that provide the best experiences for children.
This isn’t the only educational experience that could be part of your vacation. For instance, you might want to think about taking them somewhere like a safari park or a zoo. This is a great way to teach young children about animals and conservation practices. If you are interested in this possibility, make sure that you do explore a business that does have a conservation angle. For instance, you might be heading to Florida. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is known to focus on conservation efforts with their animals.
Read A Book
Depending on your child’s age and their learning ability you may want to encourage them to read a book or several books on vacation. You have a few options based on how you choose the books. For instance, you can pick one book that is more educational and then let them choose one of their own. You can also read the book with them in the evening or let them read it by themselves and then tell them about what happened in different chapters. If you read the novel as well, then you’ll have the opportunity to take a deeper dive into everything from the themes to the characters and the way in which the book was written.
You could even think about encouraging your child to write their own story that has been inspired by their surroundings while on vacation. For instance, if you are taking a beach vacation, then you could encourage them to write a story about mermaids, or pirates. Again, the goals here will depend on the age of your child.
Explore Different Learning Strategies
Finally, it’s worth noting that not every child learns in the same way. One of the potential issues with traditional forms of schooling is that it does tend to assume that this is the case. A vacation is the perfect chance for you to explore different ways that your child might find it easier to learn. For instance, you might want to explore audio learning. If you are heading on a long trip, then you can let your child listen to educational materials while they are on the journey. In doing so, you can make sure that you do make the most of what could be wasted time on the road.
There are lots of apps available for your phone or tablet that will help you explore the different ways that your child can learn. So, you shouldn’t avoid exploring possibilities like this.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to ensure that you do avoid the educational drought with your kids. In doing so, you can keep your kids firing on all cylinders through their learning process and ensure that you don’t lose the progress that you have made because of a longer gap. Remember, if you are homeschooling, then you will already be in the perfect position to continue your child’s education and keep moving forward, even while on vacation.