What can you learn by traveling?
Visit the zoo and learn about the various animals that exist on our planet. What do they eat? What type of habitat do they live in? What country do they originate from? If a Panda eats 20 pounds of bamboo per day how much bamboo will it consume in a month?
What is an aircraft carrier for? How many planes did you see on the tour?
What does the statue symbolize in American history?
Who are the presidents depicted on Mt. Rushmore? Find out how many legos it took to build this replica.
What is the story behind the “ghost” of the Hotel Del?
No matter where you travel, there is learning to be done through the experience. Lessons about history, math, science and more can be incorporated into your travels. Try it next time you have a vacation!
(trip to San Diego)
Hi Joan,
ReplyDeleteYou put forth many wonderful ideas- learning opportunities are all around us!
Another way to expand on the concept is to have students research the areas prior to their travels and find places/topics of interest that they want to learn more about. They could document their findings/learning as they go.
We currently have a student taveling in India. She sends her classmates updates on her location and they use google earth and google maps to figure out where she is. It is a fun way to incorporate her experiences into the classroom and tie it into buidling social studies and technology skills.
Hi Joan, I've enjoyed reading your blog entries so much - takes me back to the wonderful times we had traveling with our children when they were young. As they've grown, I've seen how our family vacations have influenced all of their lives. Do your boys keep journals of their trips? Keeping a journal is a great way of helping children reflect on their experiences, encourages them to pay attention, and promotes good writing skills. I came across a journal our oldest son wrote in 1992, when we took the four boys on a three week cross-country camping trip. His journal is filled with written entries, drawings and postcards. Here is an example titled, Mitchell, South Dakota: "This is one of the worst campgrounds yet, a total old people campground so we went to the Corn Palace and we also bought a ton of fireworks but we couldn't set them off because of the old people. The only good part was the pool and bathroom." He used a star system to rate each day. This one obviously only had one star. Here are a couple websites that had some good ideas about "paper" journals and some online ideas as well: http://www.iseekidguide.com/default.html, www.squidoo.com/travel_Journal. Great use for your iPad!
ReplyDeleteI have certainly enjoyed your blogs and the care you have taken to include pictures. Travelling is fun as well as educational. I took my son out of school several days a year so that he could travel with me, especially if I was going out of the country. I figured the time was well spent. It was an education.
ReplyDeleteWe would first study the place we were going, and then collect artifacts once we visited. He was then able to "show and tell" firsthand about the people, culture and language.
Drama is another good way of learning. That is what my undergraduate degree is in. It promotes socialization and takes one out of shyness if that is an issue. Besides, it's like reading. You get to discover new people and places (within yourself). I look forward to seeing what special places you take us to next.