When and where to take your kids on vacation?

[socrates]

Funny you say that because I teach camps and summer enrichment programs during my summer vacation. Work related travel should be fun or you are in the wrong field.

If the kids can't have fun at any the places listed (remember not everything you do will be educational), then something is wrong and they have probably been ruined and doomed to a life of tiki torches, sunbathing and buffet-eating vacations.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by socrates

Well as an educator, I've done camps during the summer and the traditional historical tour is going to bore kids. When I take kids to museums I let them quickly walk through the entire museum and pick out what they want to spend their time on. Every kid will find something cool to look at or play with. If its school-organized, just give them an assignment or scavenger hunt.

The guided tours last way too long even for adults. Also, I never did an incredible amount of walking in DC. You can park near most of the stuff and drive around.

5-10 year olds love the outdoors. They love seeing animals, cliffs and rivers. Don't take them out to a park for a week though. Take them on a hike that lasts no more than a few hours. Pretty much every park is designed so that you can drive to short walking distance of the coolest sites. (Ex, at sequioa you can park within 3 minutes walking distance of the tallest, biggest trees.)

The importance of these trips is so when they are in science, history and english class, they will be able to relate to what they are learning. Also, the problem most kids have with ACT and SAT is that most of the passages are about topics that are completely foreign to them.

Example of an well-rounded day in DC with 10-13 year olds:
-Smithsonian for 4 hours 8-12
-drive around monuments and get lunch 12-1
-Six flags great america or Ocean city Maryland2-10

That is a good day with fun and education. Most people put too much time into the museums and thats what makes them boring. Its important to have fun on vacations but its also important to build an educational foundation. You can only learn so much from the classroom.

The finance problem is true which is largely due to our nation's transportation problem. The list isn't a required group of trips but a list of good trips for each age group. You could let the kids choose from one of the places on the list.

That sounds like a good program for that age.

Of course, you have to keep in mind that kids at that age (and older) stand at vastly different places in their maturity. For a few, the entire day at the Smithsonians would not be enough. For most, though, I think you have the day planned right. And Six Flags is always fun

[annerk]

Originally Posted by stillkit

Vacations are supposed to be FUN! They're supposed to be a break from the routine of every day life. They're supposed to be family time, for sharing and bonding and building special memories.

They are NOT supposed to be an extension of school. How would you like it if your boss compelled you to take YOUR vacation only to places where you could learn more about your job? What kind of vacation would that be?

Give the kids a break, man. Forget "education;" take 'em to Disneyland.

Disney is fine, but there's nothing wrong with introducing some "fun" educational elements to a vacation as well. Take them to Disney World, but add side trips to Kennedy Space Center and the manatee habitat while your at it for example.

To be honest, there are a lot of "fun" and educational things you can do, walking the Freedom Trail in Boston comes straight to mind. We did that with our son when he was around 10, and he still talks about how much fun it was and how he'd love to do it again some day--he's 25 now.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by socrates

Funny you say that because I teach camps and summer enrichment programs during my summer vacation. Work related travel should be fun or you are in the wrong field.

Eh, I'm off again later today for the rest of the week on a business trip. I enjoy my customers, but it is a grind and it's always nice to get back home to my own bed.

[jtur88]

Most kids love to collect things, so go on a nature tour of the country, and let them try to see now many species of birds, trees, insects, flowers, etc. they can log. Buy some field guides to help you identify what you find, buy some cheap ($20) binoculars for each kid---indispensable for birds. Do some practice before you leave home, looking through binocs is not as intuitive as you might think.

Then, you don't even need to think about your destination. Just wander around to areas that catch your fancy, and turn down country roads to see what you can find. It's one way that you can really learn to love the desert, and you won't even get bored driving all day through crops in the fields, because the hedge rows between the agricultural fields are rich in wildlife. The bigger your list gets, the more exciting it is to find new additions to it.

You don't really "collect" the things, you just keep a record of which ones you see and identify. 5-10 is a great age to start doing that.

[Capt. Dan]

The only thing the OPs kids will learn in Niagara Falls is how to read tacky billboard after tacky billboard after..................................

[eloysalls]

It is a nice list of attractions to refer. Further I feel that every child is unique in itself and has different taste. Looking at the interests of their children, parents can shortlist the spots from this list.

[Fripper]

When my children were young (7-12) they loved the Junior Ranger programs at the National Parks. There were usually a list of things they had to accomplish on their visit and at the end they would receive a patch for accomplishing the tasks. It was a great way for them to learn about each park.