homeschool ideas on cruise?

[sarahtar]

My son is in 1st grade and we homeschool. We'll be cruising on RCL in March (Southern Caribbean). Any ideas for learning experiences on the cruise? I'm hoping to do a quick unit about the caribbean and the cultures and food, and it would be great to supplement these with actual real life experiences.

[onthelake]

At that age, my DS was very interested in the ocean, how such a huge ship could float, what makes the waves, all the little creatures and shells on the beach, real pirate stories, etc. I know other folks on this board can share the kids club info - some ships do programs in line with the topics I just mentioned although, perhaps, for the next age group up.

[crzgrl66]

We had our 7 & 9 year olds research the ports before we left. Our 9 year old learned a lot of facts about the fort San Felipe Del Morro in San Juan. He knew the history of when it was built and all of the different countries that tried to take it over. He also learned about weapons that were used to defend it. I think the ports are more meaningful when the kids have some background information.

 

You could also look into taking some tours on the ship. The kitchen is fascinating. We also were lucky enough to do a bridge tour and that was very educational. They were able to ask lots of questions about how the ship is controlled.

 

I'm sure others will have great ideas. Have a great trip!

[williamson_ja]

Love this thread. I hadn't thought to ask this. We also homeschool our kids and will be taking them on their first cruise later this year. I hope there are more fun ideas coming. I'll have kids in 1st, 8th, 9th, and 11th for our cruise. Any ideas for the older kids?

[ks&ks]

On our last cruise we did project record books. You could also do "lap books" which could be could be simple or more in depth depending on your child's age. We did a manatee encounter on our last cruise. So before we left researched manatees, found magazine articles etc. to include in the project. We also chose one port to do a book on as well. The project books contained our research information, pictures of our trip, excursion information etc. Depending on the age of your child, you can either have them type their story and data or you can have them tell you what to type. When we got home, we organized the information we had, continued our research and compiled our books. We used scrapbooks, stickers and stamps for a little extra fun! We had so much fun reflecting on our trip. :)

[onthelake]

Love this thread. I hadn't thought to ask this. We also homeschool our kids and will be taking them on their first cruise later this year. I hope there are more fun ideas coming. I'll have kids in 1st, 8th, 9th, and 11th for our cruise. Any ideas for the older kids?

 

For the older ones, you might take a look at the mathematics and science of how the ship operates and navigates - nautical mile, speed in knots, azipods for steering and propulsion, etc. Also, history/major products of the islands - slavery, sugar cane, rum, etc. as appropriate.

 

Especially since it is their first cruise, I suggest pre and post cruise projects but while on the ship, it is an experience to enjoy and, perhaps, log in a diary. Treat it as a vacation for everyone and catch up on 'work' at home. We have taken cruises of up to 31 days and our son always finished his school year appropriately without 'working' on board. There is too much to experience to do a set school schedule on board. Don't miss seeing the dolphins or whales from the deck because it was time to study spelling.

[ktmo]

I like all the ideas.

 

I have been picking up books on the Caribbean for our upcoming cruise. One of the books is a Caribbean version of Cinderella. We can talk about how it is similar/different to other versions. I am bringing them on our trip, so we can read them for our bedtime stories.

[sarahtar]

No, it's not like we're going to do "school" on the boat. (heck, we're unschoolers, so we barely do "school" at home either.) THANK YOU all for the suggestions. I had no idea one could tour the ship. Is this something we should ask about once on board, or something we need to do in advance? I know my DS would absolutely love to see first hand how the thing works. (He's pretty disappointed that he can't see the plane's cockpit.)

[Go Crusin]

I admire you for trying to find something for homeschooling while your on the ship. DH and I will be with our son (1st grade) who I am homeschooling, sailing in Feb. I am looking forward to the break, I have no "school" planned other than impromtu talks about randon things we willl be seeing on our trip.

[cantw8togo]

No, it's not like we're going to do "school" on the boat. (heck, we're unschoolers, so we barely do "school" at home either.) THANK YOU all for the suggestions. I had no idea one could tour the ship. Is this something we should ask about once on board, or something we need to do in advance? I know my DS would absolutely love to see first hand how the thing works. (He's pretty disappointed that he can't see the plane's cockpit.)

 

Some tours are planned and some are more spontaneous, it just depends on the workload of the day and the number of kids on board. Check the dailies or you could ask at the kids club and at the pursers / reception desk if they know of any possibilities of ship tours. Our kids got to go on a tour of the bridge through the kids club, but we only found out about it a couple of hours in advance when the kids club called our cabin to tell us that the captain had approved the tour. Another day I stumbled across a line waiting to go on a tour of the galley; I had missed the listing in the daily notices.

 

It's been my experience that kids can often take a closer look at the cockpit when you are disembarking from the plane, especially if you are one of the last ones to get off, but it is at the discretion of the pilot. Most have been happy to show curious kids.

 

Check the Ports of Call forums for recommendations of excursions that highlight the local culture. You could try booking a private tour with a reputable guide; they can give you a local's insights of the culture and area. There is the added bonus of the flexibilty that you can stop and spend more time when you find something interesting or head back to the ship when you've had enough.

 

Hope this helps.

 

N.

[Cuizer2]

My son is in 1st grade and we homeschool. We'll be cruising on RCL in March (Southern Caribbean). Any ideas for learning experiences on the cruise? I'm hoping to do a quick unit about the caribbean and the cultures and food, and it would be great to supplement these with actual real life experiences.

 

Seems to me you have answered your own question.

[lhwils]

We do not homeschool our child but wanted her to learn something on our cruise as well as have some fun. We plan on taking a map with us and having her let the crew mark on the map where they are from. We are also coming up with index card questions for her to ask them like - what is the capital of your country, what kind of festivals/celebrations does your country have, what items does your country export, etc. She is also in the 1st grade.

[Athankfulheart]

Maybe I'm the minority, but when we cruised with our 8 homeschooled children, we just vacationed :cool: We picked some great excursions and collected lots of literature. We answered questions as they arose but didn't have anything special planned or required. When we got back we did write some papers and the littles drew pictures.

 

It was just nice to have a break :D

[tmt218]

We do not homeschool our child but wanted her to learn something on our cruise as well as have some fun. We plan on taking a map with us and having her let the crew mark on the map where they are from. We are also coming up with index card questions for her to ask them like - what is the capital of your country, what kind of festivals/celebrations does your country have, what items does your country export, etc. She is also in the 1st grade.

 

 

My DD is not homeschooled but as extra work and a great learning experence I do this also. She loves to hear about where the crew is from. She learns about their country and traditions. She will mark the country on the map. Some crew members have even given her money from their counrty. When we get home she does more research and finds that country's flag.

There is no better thing than learning about the world and what better way than on a cruise ship. So many different countries are represented and a wealth of information is available.

[Onessa]

Learning does not have to be "work" and can be part of a fun and relaxing vacation. We've never been to the caribbean, but find plenty of learning opportunities no matter where we go.

 

We like to visit zoos and aquariums, DD has always loved art so she draws lots of things, we relax by finding a quiet spot and doing some reading (having your kids see you and your spouse reading is one of the best things you can do), we have regular games we play while traveling that get our DD involved in the trip -- scavenger hunts (a daily listing of 10 or 12 things to spot during the day's activities - from the mundane (an orange baseball cap) to the day specific (a statue of a winged lion while in Venice Italy)), ABC game, flag counts, etc all of which keep her looking around her and paying attention. Finding a basketball hoop in Greece helps her realize that we ARE all really alike.

[In2why]

We homeschool as well, and went on a cruise in December. We didn't worry about an core subjects or school on the cruise itself, but before we went we learned quite a bit. I have an 11, 7 and 4 y/o.

 

Here are some of the things the kids did;

 

 

Set up and track our budget

 

Mapped our car trip from Virginia to Florida with gas stops based on MPG and where the best prices were on gas.

 

Researched each State we were traveling through, the capitals, concentrating mostly on their colonial histories since we were working on Early American history.

 

Made a chart on hotels in Tampa with price and what they offered....like breakfast, pool, free shuttle, to figure out where to stay.

 

Looked at the excursions at each of our ports, then researched their favorites and did an oral report trying to persuade the family of what we should do. We voted on this as a family.

 

On the cruise itself they have a digital camera and they were each responsible for creating a trip journal. They also had to write down questions that they didn't know the answers to and could find out by talking to someone local if the opportunity presented itself. They completed them when they got home.

 

 

When we go again I will likely bring a world map and have them track the Geography of where any crew members they meet originally lived.

[angiegal]

we homeschool our two kids DS 15 and DD 12 and we look at the cruise as a vacation. Our kids have always been involved in the planning of our vacations (budgeting, mapping out our travel route, etc.). As they get older, we add more to the planning (research travel insurance, how do you book, find/negotiate upgrades, etc.). On the cruise, even though we don't try to focus on school, they learn every day: talking to staff, other passengers, budgeting their OBC and the same happens in port: most excursions have some sort of education in them being the history or culture of the area, animal education, etc. We don't stress about it. It's vacation:D

[sarahtar]

In2why and angiegal - that's what I'm talking about - those kinds of ideas. Thanks! I love the idea of doing a persuasive report on shore excursions, lol. That's awesome.

[MardiGras316]

Maybe your child could interview some of the cruisers at your dining table or people you meet on the ship. People come from all over the world to cruise. Might be interesting to hear their cruising stories and what made them choose this trip?

[kassimer1]

No, it's not like we're going to do "school" on the boat. (heck, we're unschoolers, so we barely do "school" at home either.) THANK YOU all for the suggestions. I had no idea one could tour the ship. Is this something we should ask about once on board, or something we need to do in advance? I know my DS would absolutely love to see first hand how the thing works. (He's pretty disappointed that he can't see the plane's cockpit.)

maybe there is a n arinautical museam around where you love so he can actually go in a real cockpot. I know for Asthma camp one year the kids all got to go to the airforce base near home and tour the air museam- i know that doesnt really have anything to do about your cruise but thought you might like to have him see one .