Recently I was cc’d on an email to a teacher about an exciting opportunity for one of our grade 7 students and her family. They were all very excited about going on a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip, and were asking about homework for their child to take on the vacation.

When I was a classroom teacher, I was reluctant to give a pile of homework for children to work on. I encouraged families to have fun on the vacation and do some journaling or daily reading. I did not expect the child to “catch up” when they returned to class.

A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.  ~George Santayana

I believe that a trip provides a number of creative ways in which children can learn and demonstrate their new-found knowledge and experiences.

Give a child a camera, a sketchbook, pencils and coloured pencils, and let him/her decide how best to demonstrate what he/she learned.

While on the trip, students can…

• do Language Arts (reading about where they are going, daily writing in a journal)
• do Math (figuring out tips in restaurants, budgeting for groceries).
• do Science (identify local flora and/or fauna, review geological formations)
• do Social Studies (map skills, navigation, understanding of local cultures or indigenous cultures)
• do Visual Arts (illustrate a sketchbook or journal – bring coloured pencils)

If you are going on a great family vacation, I encourage you to communicate with your child’s teacher early prior to the trip, but don’t necessarily expect a homework package. Discuss how your child might do when on the trip, and how he/she could present what they have learned to your child’s teacher or to the whole class.

The number of ways to present knowledge is only limited by our imagination, but may include:

• Posters
• A small classroom talk
• An iMovie or some other slide show presentation to share with the class

My advice is not to worry so much about missed work, rather focus on learning that this trip will provide.

Life presents us with many wonderful opportunities to learn. Enjoy the experiences.

We look forward to hearing about wonderful trips and students sharing their many stories.

Take care.