Last Minute Trip - UPDATE Just got back!

[Magpie]

BOOKED!

Couldn't pass up $155/nt at Swan and free airfare. Still got XMAS money that will cover all our food. MY AP good through Feb so how could I NOT use it one last time. Found a co-worker of my husbands who has 2 daughters to take to the Matilda Musical. Already got Mr. Hinds car service. All that's left is some FPs and to make sure I've got a Darth Vader M&G in the touring plan.

Oh and to pack. That's gonna be ugly.

Our school system doesn't count vacation as excused necessarily. But I'm not worried about it. She has top marks and is all good with her sight words. We don't even get homework so we supplement her reading and such at home with practice because the no homework thing is weird to me anyways. She will miss a mandarin and archery lesson this weekend but that's all extracurricular....despite what her coach thinks. As for WDW being educational...we learn something new every time we go , but I would not be so lenient at missing school if these were HS courses or I had concerns over her progression which I monitor closely.

Even DH's boss said...GO GO GO especially before he starts in his new position which will have him on lockdown for several months. YOLO!

Now I need to refresh on all the changes since October and see about fitting in Club Villain, Launchbay, and maybe the pirates dress up place if they have availability.

Our shortest last minute trip was 3 weeks....I'd say 2.5 days is a new record for us. Thanks for all the help *coughENABLINGcough*

Have a wonderful trip!

Just a comment about, "I would not be so lenient at missing school if these were HS courses or I had concerns over her progression which I monitor closely." I think it's very important to be mindful about when and why you take your kiddo out of school. Parenting should always be done thoughtfully.

But, that said, my son has a diagnosed learning disability that's similar to dyslexia. In some ways, we were more inclined to take him out, than we were our daughter, who's always been ahead of the curve in her learning. Why? Because that boy worked his butt off to keep up with the other kids. He did all his reading, even if it took him twice as long. He tried incredibly hard to get his words down on paper, despite rarely getting the help he'd been "prescribed". And he even managed to get and keep a spot in the gifted program, as well as taking several AP courses in high school.

He'd get exhausted and very anxious at times. I remember once, having the Special Education Resource teacher run up to me in the hall, to ask if we had any vacations planned soon. I said yes, and he said, "GOOD! That boy needs a mental health break!"

So, it's never as simple as "only if they're doing well" or "never in HS". It really all depends on the child, the parent, and the school.

 

[a742246]

It seems like you were destined for this trip! Enjoy and make some memories...

 

[hsmamato2]

Well, the issue isn't taking her out of school. Seems like the $130 tix are. Since she is in kindergarten, school is a non-issue to me. The $130 tix? That will pale in comparison to what you will spend even on a cheap trip. And since you said money a non-issue, then go for it!

Yup- I wouldn't blink an eye taking a 5 year old out of school for 3 days.... and I wouldn't even bother reminding her about the show she's missing, a 5 yo will be too busy enjoying disney to worry about it. I'd give the tix to a friend who would enjoy them.

 

[hsmamato2]

I wouldn't call a trip to Disney a "learning" experience; other than teaching your children that it's okay to ignore their commitments when there's something else that they really want to do.

Well I don't think of Disney as a cultured higher 'learning' experience.... I think of all travel as learning.... even if it's 'just' Disney. But I guess IMHO to me 'learning' is about balancing books and experiences.... heavy on the experiences. Committed to 'learning'? Oh,yes, that's something that parents tend to commit their children to starting around age 3 nowadays.... the children themselves? Well, they tend to view that 'commitment' that was made on their behalf a bit differently..... And let's face it, a few days off in kindergarten balanced against 12 LONG years in a classroom..... hardly backing out of a 'commitment'..... more like taking a break,and then heading back in.

 

[showers2flowers]

Possible? Sure. But it's not the purpose of the trip. Taking an educational trip? I'm fine with that. But trying to justify a Disney trip as an educational experience? That just doesn't fly with me.

I didn't interpret anyone on this thread as saying that the main purpose of their trip to Disney was educational, but that doesn't mean that it's not a side benefit. I do believe that learning takes place outside the classroom as much as it does inside the classroom, however. And because of that I have absolutely no problem applying for (and having twice been granted, most recently for a trip earlier this month) my son to receive "educational trip excused absences" for our time spent at Disney. Our district grants educational trip days for kids who go hunting in their backyard or who attend non-school related sporting events, so I'm not going to feel bad about having the same benefit applied to a situation that is certainly as educational for my son as those things apparently are for those kids.

Having said that, we are always mindful of the time we choose to go, and make sure to communicate with administrators and teachers well in advance. Helps that my son's teachers both times we have done this were both Disney fans themselves and were happy to send along assignments for the week he missed. In both cases, he came back and found that he was ahead of the rest of the class because they hadn't actually completed everything that was on the agenda, so that was a nice surprise for him. In regard to the earlier comment that kids are being taught to shirk their responsibilities, I'd say it was the exact opposite. Despite being on vacation, he (without prompting from me, I might add) made sure to sit down each day and complete the assignments he was given.

Interestingly, a couple of days before we left this year, his class received a biography book report assignment for the month of January. He picked Walt Disney, and we spent lots of time finding some supplemental information (especially in One Man's Dream), taking some photos to decorate, and collecting some items to use(this teacher does not do 'normal' book reports--this one was to be a decorated time capsule with items inside that were/are important to the subject, along with a paragraph for each item included explaining why it was included). We had a lot of fun doing that, but even without the book report, between Wilderness Explorers, World Showcase and Kidcot and lots of other things, particularly in EPCOT and AK, learning happened, even though we weren't purposefully looking for it.

I didn't miss a day of school for any type of family trip as a child, and quite frankly, I'd rather have some memories of stuff like this (whether Disney or not) than my perfect attendance record, which nobody cares about now. ;-)

Bottom line, we each know whether or not our kids can handle a trip like this during the school year, and we all make decisions based on what we know of our own kids and their situations in school.

OP, glad you decided to go!

 

[mshanson3121]

I have to say, times like this, reading these comments, I'm so glad we homeschool We can go anytime, anywhere!

 

[Magpie]

I have to say, times like this, reading these comments, I'm so glad we homeschool We can go anytime, anywhere!

We homeschooled for a few years in elementary - I LOVED the freedom of travel we had!

I think it actually might have been homeschooling that really drove home to me how much learning can happen when you're out and about, if you're looking for it. (Ex: We got booklets at Animal Kingdom, and the kids visited every single little learning activity point - great memories, and even I learned some things I didn't know!)

 

[smellyia]

I didn't interpret anyone on this thread as saying that the main purpose of their trip to Disney was educational, but that doesn't mean that it's not a side benefit. I do believe that learning takes place outside the classroom as much as it does inside the classroom, however.

I didn't miss a day of school for any type of family trip as a child, and quite frankly, I'd rather have some memories of stuff like this (whether Disney or not) than my perfect attendance record, which nobody cares about now. ;-)

Bottom line, we each know whether or not our kids can handle a trip like this during the school year, and we all make decisions based on what we know of our own kids and their situations in school.

OP, glad you decided to go!

Lol. Exactly. I should've named the thread "having to miss musical tickets and a few days of school which doesn't bother me so much unless the school decides to be a jerk"

Learning is where you find it. DD will probably try to read things as we go as she is in that educational phase. I grew up in an very strict household about missing school and there was NO MISSING FOR ANYTHING. And while that's great it didn't make me any better off per se than I have become with my personal educational achievements. People ask us all the time why we go on all our trips to WDW and other places (6+ annually) when our kids won't remember and I just smile and say they may not, but I will and DD still remembers portions of her first trips to HI and WDW at 2yo. That may not last but she knows we took the time and it was OUR time. Also, we never know life's curve balls. All my opportunities or advantages could end tomorrow. I take what I can get .

 

[smellyia]

I have to say, times like this, reading these comments, I'm so glad we homeschool We can go anytime, anywhere!

We homeschooled for a few years in elementary - I LOVED the freedom of travel we had!

I think it actually might have been homeschooling that really drove home to me how much learning can happen when you're out and about, if you're looking for it. (Ex: We got booklets at Animal Kingdom, and the kids visited every single little learning activity point - great memories, and even I learned some things I didn't know!)

I have really contemplated the homeschool route for the freedom, but DD and DS genuinely love school and for now I've been able to manage....plus my teaching patience skills are sorely lacking.

 

[mshanson3121]

We homeschooled for a few years in elementary - I LOVED the freedom of travel we had!

I think it actually might have been homeschooling that really drove home to me how much learning can happen when you're out and about, if you're looking for it. (Ex: We got booklets at Animal Kingdom, and the kids visited every single little learning activity point - great memories, and even I learned some things I didn't know!)

I was thinking of Wilderness Explorers, as well as the Phineas thing at Epcot when someone said Disney isn't "educational", and I thought, really?!! Our kids did WE and they LOVED it. They've already told me that they plan on getting ALL badges next time, so I know we'll be dedicating two full days to AK!

 

[mshanson3121]

Lol. Exactly. I should've named the thread "having to miss musical tickets and a few days of school which doesn't bother me so much unless the school decides to be a jerk"

Learning is where you find it. DD will probably try to read things as we go as she is in that educational phase. I grew up in an very strict household about missing school and there was NO MISSING FOR ANYTHING. And while that's great it didn't make me any better off per se than I have become with my personal educational achievements. People ask us all the time why we go on all our trips to WDW and other places (6+ annually) when our kids won't remember and I just smile and say they may not, but I will and DD still remembers portions of her first trips to HI and WDW at 2yo. That may not last but she knows we took the time and it was OUR time. Also, we never know life's curve balls. All my opportunities or advantages could end tomorrow. I take what I can get .

^^^I love this. Kudos to you, you're doing a great job. My most cherished memories are of the trips I went on as a child. We had a lot of really, really hard circumstances when I was growing up, but my step-mom always made sure that I got to travel. It wasn't necessarily far away and for long periods of time, but that never mattered to me. 2 days or 5-6 days, I appreciated every trip for what it was and the opportunities they held. And it was her effort in making sure I got to experience as much as was possible, that in turn, has made me want to do that for my children, too.
And likewise - you never know life's curveballs. I know this so well, too well. And it's true, you really have to live in the moment and stop putting stuff off for a tomorrow that may never come.

 

[mshanson3121]

I have really contemplated the homeschool route for the freedom, but DD and DS genuinely love school and for now I've been able to manage....plus my teaching patience skills are sorely lacking.

LOL. BIGGEST misconception about homeschooling of all time. Seriously, people always say this, like we homeschoolers have these huge stores of patience. So not true. I am one of the most impatient people. It's just like anything else when it comes to parenting - you always find a way to do the things you think you can't do, when its in the best interest of your children

 

[Magpie]

I have really contemplated the homeschool route for the freedom, but DD and DS genuinely love school and for now I've been able to manage....plus my teaching patience skills are sorely lacking.

I think when your kids genuinely love school, then that's definitely where they should be! I had a wretched time in school (severe bullying), and with a single mum working two jobs just to keep a roof over our heads, I couldn't even skip a day if I was sick. So, when I had kids of my own, I promised myself that school would be a place they'd want to be.

Basically, if you're in any other kind of bad situation - a toxic work environment, an abusive marriage, whatever - we expect you to leave and find somewhere better. The best my mum could do was keep me bouncing from one school to another (which did help, somewhat!), but when my turn at parenting came, I had enough freedom to be able to tell my own kids that they could choose their own learning environment. They never had to stay anywhere they were miserable.

The flip side, of course, was that having chosen to go to public school, I expected them both to make the most of it. Having experienced my (rather impatient!) version of homeschooling, neither one ever thought home education was the easier option.

Your kids love school! That's ideal. If something ain't broke, why fix it?

 

[verleniahall]

I would check with your school district becuase vacaion is not an excused absence

 

[showers2flowers]

... she knows we took the time and it was OUR time. Also, we never know life's curve balls. All my opportunities or advantages could end tomorrow. I take what I can get .

This right here. I completely agree.

 

[wendow]

What I taught MY kids is that learning happens everywhere, not just in a classroom or at a designated historical site. (Though your trip to the Vatican sounds amazing!) Just because you are on vacation, that doesn't mean you stop learning.

You also taught them that family time is important and valuable. Kudos to you. Sounds like you did a fabulous job with your kiddos!

 

[TippeeCanoe]

I would check with your school district becuase vacaion is not an excused absence

It may not be in your school district, but it is in ours.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

BOOKED!


Now I need to refresh on all the changes since October and see about fitting in Club Villain, Launchbay, and maybe the pirates dress up place if they have availability.

JUst FYI, Club Villain has been sold out for quite sometime, and it's prepaid so unless someone cancels and is willing to wait on a refund that may be a no go.

 

[smellyia]

JUst FYI, Club Villain has been sold out for quite sometime, and it's prepaid so unless someone cancels and is willing to wait on a refund that may be a no go.

Saw that - maybe in October although don't know if I'm keen on the $400 price tag for my crew to go

 

[DisneyCAL]

We took ours out of preschool this past September and will again when they're in 1st grade. It is a learning experience, they learn how to travel, they practice their manners, they improve their listening skills and following directions, the learn responsibility for actions and for possessions, they improved their interactions with others (learning how to ask for something or practicing their please and thank you). If you take them to Epcot and go through some of the mini museums they learn some history and culture. I swear our kids not only grew while there, they grew up. Even their teachers said they matured noticeably within a week. We also made them a questionnaire style journal for the trip so they had to answer questions about their surroundings and feelings which also meant writing and drawing. I agree when they get to higher grades it would be a bigger issue due to the amount of work and studying needed, but for right now, I don't see an issue with it. Try the journal idea, the teachers really appreciated it and I loved their answers and when children take time to write things down they remember more, it goes into long term memory.