Shhhh..... Don't Tell Him He's Learning!

 

We just returned from a vacation that had lots of learning activities. But please, please, don't tell my son... he would be devastated. He thinks he had lots of fun. How could this be?

Listen up and I will tell you. We had planned a trip to Florida, but about a week before we left, an acquaintance of my dh offered us a chance to visit his timeshare in Myrtle Beach,  South Carolina. We weighed the pros and cons, and decided to go.

We did a little  online research to find some things to do while we were in S.C._ We were surprised to find so many inexpensive (some were even free) sources for our interests and budget. But how could these things offer any educational merit?

Well, here are some things we did or considered doing:

 

"Medieval Times" dinner and tournament (reinforcement of a recently studied period of world history). Alan LOVED this activity. A little expensive, but well worth it. He was able to observe what a dungeon was like, and saw re-enactments of jousting tournaments. Another facet was the beautiful animals in this facility... They used Andalusian horses and they also had someone with a trained hawk which flew around the arena_ we classify this as nature studies.

 

"Pelicans" Baseball game. A minor league game. He received more info about how baseball is actually played (this child is not into athletics). I would classify this one as a P.E. activity. He also got many autographs of the team players, and after the game, all kids aged 10 and younger were allowed to "run the bases". He jumped right in and zipped around the bases. An added bonus to this activity... the ball park was having a promo

that day. It was called "education day". Several area schools bused in students to see the game. Area businesses were giving away free samples, coupons, etc. so he took advantage of that, too.

 

"Pool Time" at the resort. More P.E. activity. Swim lessons from Dad.

Also, playing foosball with Dad and playing pool.

 

"Shopping at the Mall". Math lesson (when he found a book he wanted

which was on sale).

 

"Eating Out". Economics lesson. Choosing between two favorite entrees

(this child could not eat two complete entrees_ he fills up quick).

He was asked to choose his favorite of the two.

 

"Driving to Destinations". Social Studies. He was exposed to reading

state and area maps, and also how to navigate unfamiliar locations.

 

"Observing Canadian Geese at the Resort". This was more nature studies

project. We saw a little family of a father goose, a mother goose, and three

baby goslings, as they rambled around the grounds and swam in the

little ponds on site.

 

"Learning to operate the digital camera". Lesson in technology. Dad showed him how to take pictures, and review them.

 

"Food Preparation". This would cover several areas_ We took our own

food to save money, so this could be economics (or budgeting); it could also cover home economics (learning how to cook); and, of course, it could cover health (eating a proper diet).

 

"Packing The Van". This could probably be the MOST important lesson of all... how to pack a lot of stuff into a small space. Also, it would cover health (keeping perishables  at a cold temperature, so they won't spoil).

 

There are probably more things we covered in our trip, but these are the ones that spring most readily to mind.

 

We are already considering a return trip to this spot, so I guess we will be looking at more learning opportunities in the near future. It is incidental learning at its' best!