Al & Mrs Al (Vic) replied:

hi Wazza

we've taken our daughter out for a month, with the encouragement of the school, she is 6, and kept a small journal of her trip, and then did a presentation to her class when she got back, talking about all her photos.

Other people we know that have done such trips, have all said the same, that the school encourage it, and they provide home work, normally in the form of a journal, for the kids to do. Maths problems etc can be done via distances travelled, etc, there's so much for them to do, it's best you talk to the school and see what they say, but, the feedback we've received is that children benefit so much from travel, and it certainly has been the case.

cheers

Lyn

Brad replied:

Hi Wazzarr,
We are also planning a 3month trip next year with our 2 children, aged 7 and 10. The teachers have no problems at all. In fact it is encouraged. We regularly take our children overseaes for 4-6 weeks and both girls are in advanced classes. Teachers usually get them to complete a journal of their trip and then report it to the class for news. We are leaving June next year, where are you going, perhaps we could meet up somewhere.
Cheers
Brad

Big Kidz (Andrew & Jen) replied:

Hi wazzarrr.
This year we took our kids 12, 7, 5 out of school for 8 weeks to do the Kimberley. I reckon they learnt more in that 8 weeks on the road than they do in 8 weeks of school ( not bagging schools as I am a teacher and the benefits of school are important too!!!) The kids had a journal to write in, not always an easy task to get them to do mind you, & maths sheets , but only a few. The bulk of their learning came from experiencing parts of australia and australian culture that has been opened up to them because of lour ove for travelling. They met and became friends with local kids at Middle Lagoon in WA who took them off mudcrabbing ( with great results too!).They certainly wouldnt learn how to do that back here in Melb.!!! They swam in hot srings at El Questro, they fished with impressive results, they had a ball!! We also gave them money each week that they had to use to pay for any stuff they wanted , like icecreams, chips etc ( this all adds up when you are stopped at a petrol station and 3 kids have the I wants!)They learnt about the value of money and how much things actually cost and was it worth spending $$ on etc. Even the 5 year old knows the value of each coin and note. That is as much an education in maths as they have in year 1 at my son's school. You can work these things into your trip, as Mrs Al said. It is much easier to pull them from school now than later on when all the "pressure" of education begins. I guess it is up to each person's defintion of education, but this country has so much to offer...go out and enjoy!!

Jen

Sea-Dog replied:

I agree that kids of that age are not going to miss that important learning point in their life that they will not quickly catch up on when they return to school... When they start getting older and at High School I would second guess taking them out for long periods as the work they will have to catch up on is a little more intense...

I took the kids away for a month to the Cape and bought an in car DVD player and took heaps of movies with us for them to watch... worth it's weight in gold I reckon!

These kids will have experiences that will help them grow as people and will probably benefit heaps more from the trip than being at school for that period..

Tell your wife not to worry and to let the kids enjoy being your kids for a while and let them experience the things you love.

Cheers

Peter replied:

Wazzarr
We took an 'adopted' dayghter with us on several trips when she was in primary school. Most of the time we were away for 5 weeks and the teachers were more than happy for her to go. We provided them a list of places we would visit etc (such as the Simpson Desert, following Burke & Wills travels, the Darling River Run). They would allocate her a small amount of work to do and she would keep a diary of what she did and when.
The teachers stated they believed she would gain more from her travels than just reading about it in school
Get the teachers involved, tell them where you're going and ask if there are any places in your plans that the kids may be studying in the future. I also used to do a bit of research on the history of the area and she used to read that before we got to the actual place.
It really does the kids good!!

atoyot replied:

Wazzarr,

It's already been said, but the kids will learn HEAPS more traveling around than they would in school. Things like maths and spelling can be kept up to date with work books that you can buy b4 going. Nows the time to do it b4 high school. Our eldest is in Yr6 next year, so it's either the Canning or Cape York for us - our last hoorah b4 they get too involved in school.

If the kids are used to travelling and into the bush and Australia, then try to do without DVD's. Try to stimulate their minds with games, talking books, projects, collections, photography etc; there's lots of alternatives. Nothing wrong with DVD's (I tried to convince my wife we need one for the kids, but I really want it for meself), but you don't want the kids becoming dependant on the DVD player.

Anyone ever listened to The Cockroach Wars (a talking book)? Great story, enjoyed by adults as much as kids. I've heard it over and over and still enjoy it.

The other thing worth thinking about is stretching the hol a bit further if possible. 2 - 3 months is the best part of a school term, so you might consider timing it for one full term and the hols either end. We got 14 weeks in 2002 and the kids have never looked back. Even now, our kids teachers always look forward to getting the kids projects as they are different to anything they've ever seen.

Tell your wife that most of the tips you got came from mothers that have been down this path and they (and the kids) have never looked back. My wife would agree with everything I've said, so hopefully, this will help,

regards

Andrew

ShnogDog replied:

Wazzarrr,

I took my Daughter (who was 9yo at the time) on a 6 week tour of South Africa. We drove over 12,000km. Saw incredible sights, beuatiful places and met great people. She learnt more on this trip than she ever would have at school. It has not had a negative impact on her reports at all. She's going great guns !!!

Ask your wife to stop worrying about SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. It sounds like she does care about their learning. Be assured that they will learn plenty. Especially the older two. When you think back to when you were a kid of around those ages, how much of your daily class activity do you recall crlearly? I bet its not too much. Think about when you might have gone on a long holiday at around the same age... I bet theres plenty to recall.

On the road you can make every day a lesson, and they will love it and learn. More importantly, it will probably be a rare opportunity for all of you to spend a lot of quality time together. You will teach them a lot of your own values, something that they will never learn in school. You will alll learn more about each other and become stronger as a family. Sounds like something that you should simply not miss out on.

Hope your wife will take these thoughts on board. either way enjoy your trip and your family.

Member- Rox (WA) replied:

wazzarrr, I just had my kids (10 & 8) out of school for 1 year no problems. 1 page of spelling, 1 page of maths + a Journel each day. they will learn more by life experances. Ps I recomend a HF radio & VKS737 & get them to call in. My Kids were the youngest & clearest on the network. great operators that get to know them & you. carn't say too much about this experance.