Would I be a horrible mother if

[CathyCDK]

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum.

 

Blessings,

Cathy

[coffeegal]

:lol: No, Mom used to bring school style workbooks with us when we went travelling. She's also spoken of bringing my little sister's math book on a trip, so she could figure out why my little sister was struggling with long division. :001_smile:

[rebeccabillington]

well, i planned on doing this with my kids when we drove from MA to FL (this was with school homework not homeschool stuff), we didn't get around to doing any of it. Not even reading.

[blakereese]

No. That's multi-tasking. ;)

 

I do it all the time, but always for vacations/road trips. For us sometimes going to the dr is a road trip, so we always have some sort of book, flashcards, audiobook, etc. with us.

[abbeyej]

I think it's fine as long as your kids don't tend toward motion sickness. If they do tend to get sick, reading and school-work could make it worse.

 

Otherwise, lol, there are way more awful ways to torment our poor children. ;)

[LidiyaDawn]

Is this a vacation? It just seems a little unfair if it's a 'vacation' and they're stuck with school work. Know what I mean? ;)

 

(also - some people CAN'T read/write in vehicles, as it makes them nauseous)

[Jackie in NE]

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum.

 

Blessings,

Cathy

 

I wouldn't hesitate to include schoolwork on the trip! Even worse, I would add bribery to the mix by offering some sort of treat once the work was done!:lol: (In fact I just did this on our 3 hour trip to the orthodontist. I just can't see "burning" 3 hours and having nothing to show for it. But keep in mind.... My dc really do consider me the meanest mom in the world! Have a good trip.

 

Warm regards, Jackie

[FriedClams]

We travel a lot and we always school enroute. On trips we usually do math, la, and bible.

[Sue G in PA]

Mine all get motion sickness big time so I do not require schoolwork on long car rides. A plane would be a different story...I don't think motion sickness is a problem. You could just get some audiobooks or just go over math facts, spelling, etc. orally. Lots to do!

[DarlaS]

Not at all. Sounds like a great way to pass the time!

[mo2]

Audiobooks don't have to seem schoolish. Pick something you've been wanting to do as a family read-aloud but haven't gotten around to yet. You can still count it as school but it can be fun too!

[bettyandbob]

In 8th grade, ds spent 4 hours of an overnight train trip with his Alg 2 book. He had 2 units to complete--he was behind. He desperately wanted to see the in train movie in the cafe car--he finished in time for the late showing of the movie.

 

Car trips: we do lots of books on tape, including SOTW. I think last summer was the 4th time with SOTW 1 (for the benefit of youngest ds), we have the original recording. I think that's "school".

 

The main limitation I would have for bringing school books would be ease of use and space for packing. Another consideration is that reading makes some people more prone to motion sickness.

[mcconnellboys]

I've done the same many, many times!

[Dolphin]

I try to keep school to a minimum while we are on vacation, part of the way I do that is to utilize our travel time to get stuff done. I think that the plane and the car is a GREAT time for school work, that way you can play the rest of the time.

My poor son does KUMON, he only gets Christmas day off on that one.

[abbeyej]

A plane would be a different story...

 

Hm. Depends on the plane. Often it can be far worse.

[justasque]

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum.

 

 

An iPod can hold several audio books, and won't trigger motion sickness, so that's my vote. They are perfect for traveling because you can listen to large chunks at a time. Historical fiction may be a good choice. I try to choose books that are a bit harder than my dc would choose on their own, so they get exposure to a higher level vocab, etc.

 

If entertainment is your main goal, rather than finishing particular assignments, you might want to get some books from the library with traditional traveling games. There are both verbal and paper-and-pencil games. You could make copies of the rules and carry them with you. For example, work your way through the alphabet taking turns with "In the attic, I saw an ant." "In the attic, I saw an ant and a buzzing bee." "In the attic, I saw an ant, a buzzing bee, and a cool calico cat." And so on, taking turns. Get as complex as your dc can handle; skip repeating the list if it is too much for them.

 

I also sometimes travel with a handful of dice and a copy of the directions to a few dice games. I like it because it's small, and many of the games can be used with one or more kids.

 

Don't forget to improvise with available materials - what can you make into a puppet? What can you make into a garage for a Matchbox car? What can you make into a house for a small action figure? And so on. And don't forget to sing! (In the car, of course, not on the plane. :D)

[Dmmetler]

I do a lot of Carschooling anyway due to DD's dance schedule-Latin chants, Spanish chants, Audio memory songs, History stories, audiobooks, so I never considered NOT doing so on trips. I don't ask my DD to read or watch videos-both she and DH are very prone to motion sickness, but listening works fine. I think that by the time we'd driven across the states of Kansas and Iowa with my parents last summer, they'd learned most of SSL and Geography songs ;).

[Farrar]

We usually do "light" schoolwork when we're on trips (not vacation - but going to see relatives or the like a few hours away). So instead of math, we might do logic, which they think is fun. Instead of English, we might do Mad Libs or some creative or fun writing. We do free reading. We do our read alouds for history and science, which they always enjoy anyway. Stuff like that.

[Belacqua]

We do schoolwork everywhere. If we stop at Starbucks and I don't whip out the packet of Latin flashcards, the kid wonders what's wrong.

 

We tagged along with my husband on a business trip a few years ago and spent a week in a hotel. To get out of the room, sometimes the boy and I would study down in the sitting room by the check-in desk. After a few days of this, the hotel staff would tease me mercilessly, telling me how mean I was, bringing the kid a free hot chocolate to make up for my cruelty, etc. It was all in fun, and one of the desk clerks asked me about homeschooling because she was considering it for her kids.

[min]

I am intending to. We're planning a 3-month car trip and I'm seeing some of that as wasted time that might as well be useful! Not all of it, but I'm planning some fairly independent work that they can do. Some DVDs, some audio books, some tables prac., etc. Sometimes I will want them to look out the window, but realistically if we're travelling across desert, after you've seen the first hour of that then you're not going to miss much if you're doing something else!

 

Min

[StephanieZ]

Of course not. Go for it.

[Donna]

We did a 5 week long cross country trip a couple years ago and I took along some schoolwork...mostly more fun stuff like creative problem solving materials and material that would be neat to cover while driving cross country and seeing those sights...like geography, history topics about the Indians and western expansion, reading Little House books before visiting the homestead, science topics on hot springs, volcanoes, etc...before we got into Yellowstone. The kids also brought along books to read, their instruments to practice in the car, and lots of music on their mp3s.

[justasque]

Don't forget to have them help with the map-reading and navigation! Nothing like some real-life work to keep them engaged and learning!

[BigMamaBird]

I wouldn't say you were a horrible mother, but if it were their first plane ride, I'd just let them enjoy the novelty of it all. But bringing some work for then the novelty wears off would be a good idea.

[Lovedtodeath]

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum.

 

Blessings,

Cathy

Yes. Horrible. Please don't. That could cause motion sickness. One of the worst feelings in the world.

[Miss Sherry]

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum.

 

Blessings,

Cathy

Why is it so important to be doing school work while on a plane ? Do you have deadlines imposed on you by someone else ?

I would just let them experience the plane ride. They should be getting to look out the window and see the earth below, maybe look at a map to find where you're at on it, etc. etc. The trips themselves should be a wonderful learning opportunity. The best learning does not happen by doing school work.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Miss Sherry

[katilac]

Why is it so important to be doing school work while on a plane ? Do you have deadlines imposed on you by someone else ?

I would just let them experience the plane ride. They should be getting to look out the window and see the earth below, maybe look at a map to find where you're at on it, etc. etc. The trips themselves should be a wonderful learning opportunity. The best learning does not happen by doing school work.

 

Experiencing the plane ride gets old about 15 minutes after take-off, ime, and this one if four to five HOURS! An hour to do schoolwork still leaves plenty of time to experience the plane ride, listen to your ipod, discover how disgusting plane bathrooms are, discuss how plane bathrooms work, discover that plane air smells really funny, and so on.

 

On another point, if they are prone to motion sickness, the OP probably already knows. There's plenty you can do with little or no reading and/or writing: audio books, foreign language vocabulary on cd, memory work and recitation, mental math, educational videos, etc.

 

fwiw, my kids do a bit of schoolwork on all long trips . . . yep, even when we're headed to Disneyworld! No, not while AT Disney, just while headed there. It is transportation, not yet vacation. :lol::lol:

 

I don't consider it any kind of hardship because, first of all, five or seven or ten hours in the car still leaves plenty of time for, I don't know, whatever people think is so fun to do in the car! Second of all, what's so awful about it? One of the reasons we (personally) homeschool is to try and give the kids a love for learning, so we really try to avoid the "woot, vacation, none of that stoopid learning stuff for a WEEK" mentality, lol. It's very convenient and easy to get some of that stuff done whilst trapped in a plane, train, or automobile, and far more engaging, imo, than ANOTHER round of the Alphabet Game or tic-tac-toe.

[Miss Sherry]

Experiencing the plane ride gets old about 15 minutes after take-off, ime, and this one if four to five HOURS! An hour to do schoolwork still leaves plenty of time to experience the plane ride, listen to your ipod, discover how disgusting plane bathrooms are, discuss how plane bathrooms work, discover that plane air smells really funny, and so on.

 

On another point, if they are prone to motion sickness, the OP probably already knows. There's plenty you can do with little or no reading and/or writing: audio books, foreign language vocabulary on cd, memory work and recitation, mental math, educational videos, etc.

 

fwiw, my kids do a bit of schoolwork on all long trips . . . yep, even when we're headed to Disneyworld! No, not while AT Disney, just while headed there. It is transportation, not yet vacation. :lol::lol:

 

I don't consider it any kind of hardship because, first of all, five or seven or ten hours in the car still leaves plenty of time for, I don't know, whatever people think is so fun to do in the car! Second of all, what's so awful about it? One of the reasons we (personally) homeschool is to try and give the kids a love for learning, so we really try to avoid the "woot, vacation, none of that stoopid learning stuff for a WEEK" mentality, lol. It's very convenient and easy to get some of that stuff done whilst trapped in a plane, train, or automobile, and far more engaging, imo, than ANOTHER round of the Alphabet Game or tic-tac-toe.

Well, years ago when I had my children on a plane ride, it was fun to point out certain mountain ranges, and rivers, and other landmarks.

I will have to disagree with you about what builds a love for learning. Cramming in book work when there are rivers and mountains and beautiful clouds below you in the sky does not build a love for learning. You can choose to decide ahead of time that it's just time "trapped", or you can take the opportunity to learn from and enjoy a real life adventure. I want my children to learn to look for ways to learn from real life. Not simply become one dimensional book worms who haven't learned to enjoy a simple ride in a car on a road they have never been on or a plane ride across country they have never seen.

[Reya]

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum.

 

Blessings,

Cathy

 

Smart mommy. It keeps the excess energy level and brattiness under control, too!

[linders]

We take a lot of vacations during the regular ps school year. I tell my boys that they have a choice - do schoolwork during the travel time and I'll count it as days, or play catch up on Saturdays when we return. They are remarkably wise on this one.

 

A few years ago I deliberately added a few workbooky programs to supplement our othersie mom-intensive math and language arts so there is easy stuff for them to take. And they always take books to read and supplies with which to draw.

 

I remember how impressed one fellow traveler was on our plane last year. Turned out she was a teacher and was amazed to see kids doing something other than their DS on the plane.

[TravelingChris]

My kids are never solely looking out the windows in a plane- not much to see a lot of the time. On our last trip, the entire trip was over the clouds. Yes, go ahead. Not too much but some is just fine.

[JFSinIL]

No - in fact, point out to them that this will free them up for fun times when OFF the plane ;-)

[Rhonda in TX]

We don't do schoolwork on vacation. We took a 2.5 week car trip last summer and the kids were great at keeping themselves occupied. We don't do movies in the car, either. They did have DS's, but time on them was limited. It was all books, sketch pads, and car games. :)

 

If this is an unexpected trip that's interfering with your school schedule, that's a bit different.

[katilac]

Well, years ago when I had my children on a plane ride, it was fun to point out certain mountain ranges, and rivers, and other landmarks.

I will have to disagree with you about what builds a love for learning. Cramming in book work when there are rivers and mountains and beautiful clouds below you in the sky does not build a love for learning. You can choose to decide ahead of time that it's just time "trapped", or you can take the opportunity to learn from and enjoy a real life adventure. I want my children to learn to look for ways to learn from real life. Not simply become one dimensional book worms who haven't learned to enjoy a simple ride in a car on a road they have never been on or a plane ride across country they have never seen.

 

Perhaps I shall simply start mailing my poor one dimensional children around the country, like Flat Stanley. :001_huh:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Mine all get motion sickness big time so I do not require schoolwork on long car rides. A plane would be a different story...I don't think motion sickness is a problem. You could just get some audiobooks or just go over math facts, spelling, etc. orally. Lots to do!

 

:iagree: My older ds gets carsick when reading or looking at a screen in the car (like his DS). We listen to a lot of audiobooks in the car.

[elegantlion]

Mine all get motion sickness big time so I do not require schoolwork on long car rides. A plane would be a different story...I don't think motion sickness is a problem. You could just get some audiobooks or just go over math facts, spelling, etc. orally. Lots to do!

 

Hm. Depends on the plane. Often it can be far worse.

 

:iagree: Motion sickness here. I can't even read a map while in a car.

 

Unless it is interfering with your school schedule I leave schoolwork at home. We might take a book to read, find educational games to play, and have some planned activities, torture him with multiples playings of Neil Young, but no schoolwork.

 

Part of the joy of car rides is being able to space out looking out the window. Plane rides are great times to watch other people. :D Ds sometimes plays a game system when we travel, but I often make him turn it off and just watch out the window.

 

There is a license plate game app for smart phones, we watch the clouds, we comment on the cars, or the names of towns that we pass. Part of the journey is learning to enjoy the scenery along the way.

[Haiku]

Depends on the kid. My dd gets horrendously carsick, so that would not work for us. If it works for your kids, I think it would be fine.

 

Tara

[cin]

if we're travelling across desert, after you've seen the first hour of that then you're not going to miss much if you're doing something else!

 

Min

 

After the first *15* minutes of desert, you've seen it all!!! :D

 

 

ETA: After asking DH about this, he told me that when he went on vaca as a child, if it wasn't over spring break, he had a whole week's worth of schoolwork to take with him (PS). So I don't think taking 2 days of work for the plane flight out and back are really that bad!

Edited March 8, 2011 by cin

[Laurie4b]

No, not horrible, but probably unrealistic.

I think it's hard for kids to concentrate on vacation, plus you have to lug the stuff around, it can get lost, etc. etc. Have them read.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

Hm. Depends on the plane. Often it can be far worse.

:iagree:In addition, people who don't normally get motion sickness will if they try to read.

[kchara]

We don't take books in the car anymore. The kids are just not careful enough with them. My D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths was the latest causality. :cursing: If you're kids are more careful than mine (which, I'm assuming most kids are... ;)), I'd definitely give them some work! Instead, though, I make drill CDs every week, and we listen to those, MOH, and SOTW CDs in the car. :)