School work on vacation: yay or nay?

[Wabi Sabi]

We're leaving in a few days for a nearly two week long road trip. We will spend a solid two days in the car each way plus some shorter driving days (3-5 hours) here and there. I'm debating whether I ought to make up a packet of work for the kids that could be done during some of those long hours on the road, or just worry about finishing it up once we get home. I've already got some audiobooks for the trip, and the kids will be taking a few books to read, but was thinking of adding a math packet for each child, and maybe some sort of mapping/geography work relating to the states we'll be passing through. 
 

Would you even bother taking work, or just relax and let vacation happen? If you have taken work with you on trips before, what realistically do you find gets done? 

Thanks!

[Critterfixer]

Just say no.

Take a vacation and enjoy it.

[mom2bee]

I can think of 100 things to take on a vacation and I have to say that school work isn't in the top 50.

Unless your kids are prone to negative behavior like arguing or squabbling when bored I wouldn't take school work on the vacation.

 

[73349]

I think books to read will be enough.

[M&M]

I often bring fun educational things to do. When we drove to Michigan I printed maps and fun geography things related to our trip. It was fun when things got monotonous in the car. That was before GPS. Lol!

 

Audiobooks are our favorite car activity.

[texasmama]

I vote no on the packets of work.  Have fun, listen to audiobooks and enjoy the time off.

[regentrude]

for 6 and 9 year olds? No.

I'd take books, audiobooks and offer some activities related to the trip (geography, geology, etc). I might select some books that pertain to the destination. But for a two week trip with elementary age kids I would not take anything resembling "work" unless the kids like math and ask for it. (Yes, one year on a six week trip my kids were fighting over the math book in the campground.)

[In2why]

I vote no too.   Enjoy the vacation.  Audio books just for the love of a good story not to meet a requirement.

[Wabi Sabi]

The math packet would really just be for the 9 year old: we've had a very trying year with family medical issues eating away at much of our school year and are quite behind by my own standards. I'd really like for him to complete his 3rd grade math before fall, and we have another long road trip planned later in the summer. 

As for the 6 year old, any "work" I bring for her would be more along the lines of drawing supplies, a new sticker book, a couple of "Frozen" themed early readers that I've set aside for her (she'll be so thrilled!), and maybe a couple of fun apps downloaded to her Kindle.  :001_smile: 

When we get to our destination we'll be spending the better part of a week staying with a friend who is a new mom. My friend has to go back to work and doesn't have childcare yet, so we're going to be staying at her house with the baby during the day when she works. I imagine there will be a significant amount of downtime when the baby is napping, nursing/eating, etc., and also thought that maybe having a few quiet things to do during that time couldn't hurt... 

[rocassie]

I would vote no to traditional school work but not to learning materials.  Fun puzzle books(or printed packet), print out a map or mark up a map with the route, travel games, paper and pencils, books, audiobooks, etc. Something for if they are bored but no pressure to have anything completed.

[duckens]

I would take schoolwork.  Yeah, I'm a mean mom in that way.

1) Would this vacation (2 weeks off) make you feel "behind" in any subjects, and interfere with having the rest of the summer free?

If yes, then teach the lesson off "use your time wisely; we're just going to be sitting in a car anyway."

2) Do your kids travel well? 

My kids don't do well if they don't have a plan for the day.  If  your kids don't travel well, then having something to keep them occupied.

3) Do you homeschool year-round?

If you homeschool year-round, I'd be tempted to take the two weeks off, and do no schoolwork for  that time period.  Return refreshed!

4) Don't be married to the kids finishing their work.  It's not worth fighting over finishing a worksheet while on vacation.  Perhaps take it along, offer it, but only strongly suggest it if there is fighting or complaining in the car.

5) Do YOU need a vacation?
 

Homeschooling Moms (and Dads) get burned out.  Do YOU need a break during these two weeks from all sights, sounds, and references to homeschooling?  Think carefully.

[Sherry in OH]

No formal schoolwork.  Fun reading and activities with no obligation to complete any of them.

 

If you are visiting national parks – print at least one copy of each Junior Ranger booklet in advance. They give you a copy at the park, but reading the materials in advance lets you get more out of your time at the park.  They may also alert you to opportunities you don’t want to miss.

[EKS]

I vote no.

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

Well, I'll be the brave one and admit that I *DO* bring math workbooks on vacation. We HS year-round as that's the trade-off for doing shorter days. If my kids were actually willing to sit and work diligently for 6-7 hours per day during the traditional academic year, then maybe I'd consider not HSing year-round. But they don't have the sustained attention span to do that. Which is why we go through the summer and don't take breaks for vacation. I do tend to school lightly on vacations, but they do at least math and some type of LA.

[happypamama]

Under those circumstances, I could see bringing some work. I'd couch it as, "we have the time, and since we have to be at the house while the baby naps anyway, let's use the time now." For a typical, touristy/sightseeing/chilling out vacation, no, I would not, although i always bring audio books for the ride.

[PandaMom]

We just returned from 10 days in Ft. Lauderdale.  DH had some work training to attend so DD and I tagged along.  I didn't have her do anything in the car except draw/watch videos.  Once we got there I had her do about 1 hour a day and then it was just light work.  Horizons math and ETC and some math worksheets.  We had just started multiplication tables and I didn't want her to forget what she had learned.

[Julie of KY]

Generally, I say no schoolwork on vacation.

 

I usually make whichever child is learning to read, do a little reading practice each day. My oldest (math geek) takes hard math for enjoyment. If it is student driven work, it usually gets done. If it is mom saying you need to do work, it doesn't get done.

 

We do a lot of audiobooks (fun and educational) in the car.

[Snickerdoodle]

Chances are you will not get to it.  

[jar7709]

We take special vacation notebooks for recording thoughts, taping in ticket stubs and postcards, drawing sketches of things seen and unseen. Adults too. I don't make using them mandatory. Those, combined with park junior ranger programs and interesting museums, a travel budget for souvenirs, and just books to read and games and stuff, that's plenty educational enough for our vacation purposes. :)

[madteaparty]

We school year round. That said, we are going overseas for 2 weeks this summer. Even then I plan to ask for 2 pages of math per day(review, not new materials because I don't want to teach ;)), duolingo, and a continuation of daily reading. This frankly can all be done in under 45 min a day and hopefully before I wake up. He then has the rest of the day to play swim visit etc. I don't want to lose the momentum we've gained in French and math this year, and 45 min a day which would otherwise be spent on the iPad just ensure we are at least in a holding pattern.

[MeghanL]

If you are taking it to catch up, ask yourself "What happens if the child refuses to do the work while in the car?" If you will be able to let it go..then take it and see what happens. If you will have a power struggle for the 2 days in the car....then just leave it at home. Seriously...I can think of nothing worse than fighting over math sheets while stuck in a car!

[rebbyribs]

I wouldn't bring worksheets or books in the car because my kids get carsick easily, and I'd like to avoid the barf-fest.

[M&M]

Read your update. Under those circumstances, yes, I would bring work, games, and projects. I would also bring toys and videos. You will be setting up a home-like environment in someone else's home. Whatever I could bring to help keep the kiddos busy while I helped with baby would be beneficial. I would just lower expectations. The change in environment would make for lots of distractions.

[Rebel Yell]

In general, I would say "No" to school work on vacation, BUT I would bring some, and make it OPTIONAL- useit if needed and desried, but never take away fun vacation stuff because they didn;t feel like doing today;s math lesson, KWIM?

 

Also, for carwork: two of my kids would be extremely carsick trying to do schoolwork in a moving car.

[Loowit]

I might bring some for while we were there, but I wouldn't expect any to actually get done.  I would not have them do it in the car.  Two of mine would get terribly carsick if I tried that.

[Tiramisu]

What they get out of your vacation will be infinitely better and more lasting than anything they could get out of a school book.

[lea1]

We recently returned from a driving trip from Oklahoma to Washington D.C. and Virginia, with stops along the way, plus one week off when we got home (so three weeks total).  Our school year runs from Jan through Dec. so we were right in the middle of learning the multiplication tables.  I wish I had taken some math packets to be done here and there on different days.  One of my sons really struggled with getting back into math today.  It might have been easier for him if I had required him to do some school work here and there.

 

I think it really depends on where you are in your year and what your plans are for the summer but I don't think it would be a bad thing to have your 9YO do some math and other things during this kind of trip.

[TheApprentice]

Nay. It's your vacation. Everyone needs a break.

[Momof3littles]

I usually do things lik pick up field guides for the area.  We might bring a journal, or a loupe or magnifying glass, binoculars, and colored pencils.  One beach we go to is part of a national wildlife refuge, and they have a great website.  Years ago I printed out common birds, shells, and other things you might find on a beach (skate egg cases, for example).  They have a photo and an explanation.  I laminated and hole punched them, and put them on ring clips.  There are maybe 20 items listed, but it is great for telling apart common seashells, for ex.  That is great for the younger kids in particular as 1) it is pretty tough to ruin in comparison to a paper field guide 2) There are only a few limited items to look through vs. a big field guide.  I still have the sheets, and we've taken them to other beaches 2-3+ hrs or so in either direction that have similar species.

 

We try to visit local bookstores and pick out 2-3 books to enjoy on our trip.

 

We will check out any cool historical sites, museums, nature centers, etc. We've toured lighthouses on vacation.  We don't feel obligated, but if it works out and the kids are interested, we pursue those options.

 

I would not require regular school work.  We keep things like the above open as options, and the kids usually are happy to use things like the field guides, etc.

[k8c]

My DD loves having those generic "summer activity" workbooks that they sell at the bookstores and places like Costco in the car all the time.  We usually get ones that are a grade or so ahead, so that it is challenging and makes her think.  For long car trips she likes a variety of things to do, including lots of books, some "fun" sticker page type things and small toys, but also these workbooks.  I would not try to impose on her doing lessons in the car for a trip, though on occasion I have given her a clipboard with "homework" if we run out of time finishing up some things and have to get to an activity.  We also try really hard to plan vacations during breaks from school (or rather, I plan school breaks to match up with vacations!) because that means I get a break too.  Good luck, and have a great trip!

[katilac]

In the situation you're describing, I would definitely bring it. You're visiting a friend, not going to Disney World, and there will almost certainly be enough down time to fit in some brief sessions along with the fun stuff. If we were going to be at her house for several hours each day (as opposed to constantly on the run), I'd possibly even require some short sessions. For example, if we were there for 5 days, I might require one hour of math total, and let him fill in a little ticker each time he worked. 

 

My kids are rising 9th and 11th, and they have never had a problem with doing work in the car, even on the way to Disney World. It's a 10-hour drive, so 2 hours of educational stuff still leaves 8 hours for listening to music, staring out the window, playing the alphabet game, and generally losing our minds. They also didn't mind mini-sessions of school when we were visiting, but perhaps your friends are more exciting than our relatives  :laugh:

 

3rd-grade math is far in the past for me, but I would also look through it and see if any of it could be done orally, how many problems are truly needed, what is going to be done again in 4th - in short, make a plan to git-r-done before the next big trip. Starting the new year by finishing an old book would have distressed my OCD family, lol. 

[kirstenhill]

I think in the situation you described of having lots of down time at a friend's house with no other kids their age to play with and not a lot of special sight seeing each day, I would give the 9 year old some say in the decision as to whether to bring the math.  I would say something like, "You have x number of assignments that need to be finished by the day we start school next fall.  Would you like to get some of those done on the trip?"  I might even break down by # of pages per week or something like that...for example, "If you get 10 pages done on the trip, you only have to do 8 pages per week all summer, but if you don't do these pages on the trip, you will have 10 pages per week all summer."  or "If you get 10 pages done on the trip, you'll have extra days off of math in the summer" or whatever.  I have given my kids options like that before (not necessarily on vacation, but in other situations)...sometimes they want the break and sometimes they are more eager to get done earlier/have less to do later.  I think it's a good learning experience to make choices like that, and not too hard for a nine year old to think through if you do the math to figure out what the difference in work load will be.

[Reefgazer]

Nope.  It's vacation.

[Seeking Squirrels]

Last road trip I just took readers in case she tired of the other stuff but we never got to it. This next trip I will take books that I think she'll get to now that she's reading well. I also plan to take some math along but it will be one of her options (she loves math) not a requirement. I haven't decided yet if I'll take other subjects but I'm considering it. We're going to be in the car for a day and a half each way. Might as well make good use of the time. She gets so bored in the car and she likes school. I think she'd like knocking a couple hours out a day getting some school work in. We're going to Disneyland so we won't be doing daily school there.