Education doesn’t end, just because your kids are taking a break from school. Whether it’s summer vacation, a holiday break, or if you’re pulling the kids out of class for a family vacation, kids can continue to learn while having loads of fun. In the interest of happy family vacays for all, we are pleased to present a few delightful ways to sneak a bit of education into every family trip.
Visit places they learned about in school
Your kids have undoubtedly seen images of legendary locations while sitting at their desks in history classes. They may have taken short field trips with teachers and classmates. Reinforce this kind of classroom learning and make history real and tangible when you opt to visit places your child may have only read about in books.
Washington, DC is a perfect example of a very visitable city that offers all sorts of vacation education opportunities. Check into the Marriott Washington Dulles Airport and plan a series of day trips to see the Capitol building, Washington Monument, and Vietnam War Memorial. Try unfamiliar foods and pay attention to details.
A night at the museum
Some kids balk at the very notion of spending time in a stuffy museum. They will change their minds if you accept an invitation from the Smithsonian for an after-hours tour and slumber party at the National Museum of Natural History. Designed for kids from ages eight to 12, a supervised sleepover offers a bountiful boost of education about dinosaurs, biology, oceanography, and native arts and crafts, suggests Huffington Post.
These days, many museums and zoos offer similar indoor camping-and-breakfast programs. Ask your hotel concierge about campouts at the Pittsburgh Carnegie Science Center and the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
Living history museums such as those in nearby Gettysburg, Williamsburg, and Plymouth provide daytime fascination for the whole family. When costumed actors reenact life in another era, kids learn about candle making, farming, trapping, textiles, and other aspects of early America, says Family Vacation magazine.
There’s more to Florida than the mouse
Ask your kids where they want to go for summer vacation. Chances are good, at least one kid will clamor for a trip to a massive, mouse-themed amusement park. Great idea, but not exactly educational. While in Florida, be sure to set aside a few days to visit the John F. Kennedy Space Center where kids can learn about stars, planets, and rockets to the moon.
If your kids have an affinity for flicks, spend an afternoon at Universal Studios. Here the whole family can get a behind-the-scenes education about the history of movies and how they are made.
Next time you take a family vacation, give your kids sketchbooks and pencils. Provide piles of postcards and plenty of stamps. Put away your phone and request they do the same. A family trip can be as educational as you want it to be if you disguise learning as wonderful fun.
