Creative Travel School for Families with Tweens
Travel School doesn’t necessarily have to be ALL about academics.
Arts and recreation can help your child to become more engaged and stimulated with their own education.
Read on for some creative and fun ideas.
Lockdown Tweens
What to do with your kid during these times?
First of all, don’t judge yourself as to whether you are a good or bad parent right now (regarding bed/screen time). That could make you crazy in these times.
Some days you might be vigilant in limiting your kid’s screen/bedtime and other days you wonder what’s the point?! There’s no rulebook for what’s happening at the moment, so lead with your heart and always have time to hug your kid. This goes much further than you may think.
Love is all ya need
Human Contact is so important during periods of isolation
That might sound trite, but hugs are hard to come by in these days of isolation. Many of us are desperately missing that human contact, especially our kids! We have been spending A LOT of time with our intimate families, which possibly makes us feel like we are connecting with them more.
Seeing each other throughout the day does not take the place of physical touch and kindness.
So hugs, hugs, and more hugs!
The times they are-a changin’
With 2020, comes a new way of living
When lockdown started, we were in Sarasota, FL. Our daughter became a teen in April. We had plans for the grandparents and other family members to fly down and celebrate with us. We were so excited about the idea of all of us being together to welcome our girl into her teens.
That was one of the first events to fall through due to events of 2020 . . . the beginning of a new road we would all soon come to accept.
Finding things that make us happy is all part of Travel School
Family fun at Lido Beach
Our new outlet was taking long walks on Lido beach at sunset and swimming in the clear, blue waves. We’d snorkel along the shoreline (because we’re all afraid of sharks) chasing schools of fish and laughing from the joy that this kind of togetherness brings.
Before 2020, we would do this now and again, but it became our family ritual. We didn’t feel right if we missed a day. Any stress we were feeling washed away in the water and renewed our spirits.
Check out our in-depth post that talks about Things To Do on Lido Beach.
Our kid had a drive-through 7th-grade graduation and waved to faculty and friends from behind the car window.
We had a two-and-a-half-month summer tour set up overseas, scheduled to play many great festivals and venues throughout Europe. As it became apparent that this was not happening, we wondered…
Think outside the box in Travel School
What is our daughter going to do for the summer?
Online Summer Programs for Kids and Teens
Thanks to a friend’s advice, we found Outschool, which is an online program that resembled camp. There are a number of subjects to choose from. Some were hit and miss, but mostly very good.
Our daughter preferred the art classes and learned lots of new techniques. She also enjoyed a screenplay writing and video class at Children’s Theatre Company in Minnesota. She was able to take a few of these courses online with her best friend.
She also spent A LOT of time working on these two videos for her musician parents:)
Hit the road, Jack
Travel School is about to begin
Back to Nature
As time went on, we had a strong inclination to get closer to nature. It really was a call from the wild. It feels easier to tune in to that inner voice when in isolation.
Our daughter’s best friend jumped in the van with us after getting her negative test results. Off we went, to the little cabin in the woods near Stonington in the great state of Maine.
The two girls would have over a month of sisterly bonding time together. We were all feeling the joy!
Travel School Helps Let Go Of What Was For What Is . . .
We are used to van life and long drives. Heading up to Maine was not a big deal for us. To avoid rest stops, we bought a small porta-potty, plug-in cooler, kettle, etc… on Amazon.
The porta-potty in a travel vehicle might take some getting used to, but it’s a lot safer and cleaner than going into public rest areas these days. (We did quite a bit of research on these products and returned ones that didn’t work well. If you have any questions, shoot us an email about any of this.)
Wow! We see so much of G-ma in our daughter…and vice versa 🙂
Family Visits are a great benefit of Travel School
Visiting extended family during times of isolation
We also made a stop in our hometown of Philly, PA, and had fun for a week at G-ma’s house. We all isolated together. It felt that much more meaningful knowing how difficult it is for people to spend time with their loved ones these days.
Grandparents are the best and we really miss seeing them!
Go out and play
Travel School Creative Projects
As time rides on, we continue to come up with new games to amuse ourselves. A few that stand out: We sent the girl’s on a ‘Sacred Geometry’ treasure hunt (finding specific sacred geometrical shapes in nature) and spent the afternoon making an art project with our findings and writing poetry about the adventure.
This sparked a poetry bug in both of them, and that week they continued to recite their new creations.
Often, we would sit by the fire after enjoying a meal together and the girls would each passionately read their poems. It was truly wonderful.
Good old family fun
The Dictionary game is a family fave. (It can be played with 3 or more people):
One person chooses a word that no one knows what the definition is. Each person makes up their own definition and writes it on a strip of paper. The person who picked the word has two strips of paper. One to write their made-up definition and one to write the real one. That person collects the papers and reads each one aloud. (So if there are 3 people playing, there would be 4 different definitions read.)
Everyone votes on what they think the real answer is. (The person reading doesn’t vote). You get a point if you choose the correct definition. You get a point if someone chooses your definition. It might sound boring, but this game can get very, very silly.
It can almost become your own version of ‘Cards Against Humanity’, depending on what kind of family you have!
A Brave New World
Online school from home
Of course, it’s not ALL fun and games. There is online school during the week.
Travel School in bed in a cabin in Maine. Could be worse…
At first, our kid thought it was cool to be in bed and school at the same time, or stay in pajamas all day, but she definitely misses being in the classroom with real non-computerized friends. Especially since it’s the last year of middle school.
Eat right, sleep, and exercise
Healthy Travel School Regimen
We try to take hour-long hikes every day. It’s important to get outside of the house and bond together in nature (whether the sun is shining or not). Sometimes these hikes are silent.
Other times we are very chatty, inspired by the beautiful coast near Stonington, ME, or the soft, sandy beaches in Sarasota, FL.
New Perspectives
Get Outside and Clear Your Mind
Even if you can only walk on a sidewalk along a busy street, it will do wonders to feel a fresh breeze and get the body moving and the blood circulating! Often, it gives you a new perspective on life.
We have an aquatic therapy pool that travels with us wherever we go. It has been wonderful for our sanity and along with these picturesque hikes, it has been a great source for daily exercise.
Roots
Special Connections
Family Pod
Our Silver Pop Pop and his partner Meg came to stay with us for a while. Granddaughter learned a few root pulling tricks of the trade with two experts. What an excellent way to bond with grandparents.
We are also very blessed to have our brother and his wife (Uncle Woo & Aunt Stay Stay) living just up the road from us in Maine.
We have become an extended pod family and it has allowed us to spend a lot of quality time together. This connection in such a magical place in isolated times has been quite special for all of us.
Find a way
Making Travel School Work in Various Ways
Music Lessons
Perhaps it’s a good time for your kid to learn a musical instrument?
So many awesome musicians are out of work now and teaching lessons from home. Our daughter takes lessons in our cabin in Maine from a wonderful piano teacher in her Florida home.
Who would have ever thought?
An Attitude of Gratitude
Eating meals together and acknowledging what we are thankful for always makes the cup seem as if it’s overflowing.
Share Your Light
Our kids need to see us as hopeful humans so they feel inspired to learn, evolve and share their light in the world.
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