Lesson plan ideas for transatlantic cruise

Hi everyone!

I am looking for lesson plan ideas for our family's transatlantic cruise in mid April sailing from NYC-London with stops on Ponta Delgada (Azores), Corh (Ireland), France (Paris), and London. My daughter is 8 years old and in the 3rd grade.

It is a solid 7 days before we reach the Azores, and I'd love to give her about 30 minutes of work a day. I've already thought about her tracking the weather and giving us a weather report in the morning, as well at the lat/long.

Are there any good worksheets for the Atlantic ocean/any of the ports we are visiting that you have found?

TIA! :)

Perhaps if you speak to her teacher, you would get some appropriate ideas.

Have a feeling the mom IS the "teacher"...sounds like home schooled!

Have a feeling the mom IS the "teacher"...sounds like home schooled!

If that's the case, perhaps there's a store nearby that sells teachers' aids.

Or maybe on line??

I was a teacher a loonng time ago. Way before internet existed!

We've always just created our own, or taken some work with that they were already doing.

I always have mine journal when traveling.

Have fun!

Since you will be at sea and visiting the Azores, I would suggest you look for simple history and/or biographies of Portuguese explorers - Magellan, Vasco da Gama, etc.

Or something about the different kinds of sailing ships early explorers used. So many days at sea do make a person appreciate the amenities of a large, stable cruise ship! :D

Retired teacher here. Will you have reliable internet? If so, what about researching & writing a short report on someone in the current British royal family that she might “know.” Queen Elizabeth? Prince William? If necessary, you could read the articles with her. That might make London more interesting. **She could also research popular foods from each country. She could narrow it down to one from each country, and compare/contrast each recipe with regards to ingredients, cooking time, servings per recipe, etc. Third graders should be familiar with “compare/contrast.”

Journal writing: Give her a topic for the day, set a timer (I used 1 minute for each year of age...so she’d have maybe 8 min. If she is into writing, tell her she can continue to write after time’s up if she wants)

Math: The countries mentioned all use the metric system. Measurement activities would be super easy! Bring a ruler (inch/mm-cm) and have her “search” aboard the ship for items that measure 1”, 2”, 3” etc up to 12”. Then...do the same thing with 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm. My kids at school loved to do this!

If appropriate, you could explain how 10mm=1cm, and maybe see if she can do some basic conversions...30 mm= ?cm, 5cm=?mm...that kind of thing. Kids catch on quick to the pattern.

Flash cards for multiplication or division facts would be a quick way to keep sharp (and would pack easily).

Geography: Draw & label maps of the countries visited. Include rivers, lakes, capitol cities, large cities, mountain ranges. (Bring colored pencils & a sharpener—nicer maps!)

History: I agree with the idea of the Portuguese explorers. They had some interesting journeys, and would make good reading. My school had biographies in reading levels from about 2nd-6th grade, so I’m sure you could find something appropriate. **It’s fun to do timelines when you read a biography! Kids sometimes enjoy that more than a summary or report! Have they begin when the explorer is born, and end it with their death.

Hope you have a great trip!!

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Have a feeling the mom IS the "teacher"...sounds like home schooled!

I'll take the complement. She's not home schooled. I just refuse to pull her out of school for two weeks and across the Atlantic ocean without her learning about where we are going. ;)

Since you will be at sea and visiting the Azores, I would suggest you look for simple history and/or biographies of Portuguese explorers - Magellan, Vasco da Gama, etc.

 

Or something about the different kinds of sailing ships early explorers used. So many days at sea do make a person appreciate the amenities of a large, stable cruise ship! :D

I hadn't even thought of going the explorer route, and yet it's obvious. That's a great idea!

I'll take the complement. She's not home schooled. I just refuse to pull her out of school for two weeks and across the Atlantic ocean without her learning about where we are going. ;)

Will she also be doing the school work that the teacher sends for the time she is missing? That alone could take up a couple hours a day