What's educational about Disney Cruise?

[sweetpee_1993]

Family time. Your kids learn the importance of making the family unit a priority and enjoying each other. It’s kinda important, too.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We are going on the Magic to Bermuda with my grandsons ages 7 & 11. To be allowed to take the time off, the school requires parents to explain what the kids will learn on the trip. Any ideas or past experience with this requirement? WDW is easy. Lots of "educational" stuff there. But a cruise & Bermuda. Not sure. "History of Bermuda shorts" doesn't count (my daughter's 1st suggestion- she was joking). I think, LOL.

It’s a perfect lesson on economics, the law of supply and demand is very evident in DCL pricing, it’s capitalism at it’s finest.

 

[bigAWL]

I suggest talking to your kids' teachers about what they are learning about in school at the time of the cruise. It should be fairly easy to come up with an idea to tie in the vacation to their learning unit, especially at those young ages. Develop a list of questions for them to explore on the cruise. Asking a few questions of some crew members, or even tour guides, is a great way to find the answers.

For math, find ways for them to apply their current math concept to things they see on the cruise (like multiplying rows in the theater by seats to find the capacity).

 

[aggiedog]

Does the school want a list of what is educational about the cruise so they can check that funding box, or does it require a report afterwards on all the topics they studied and how?

There's writing something down that will make the bureaucrats happy, and there's trying to wring something meaningful from every aspect of your family vacation then writing an after action report on it.

I'm a firm believer in "all of life is an education" but let's be honest - the average DCL Caribbean cruise, with beaches, cheap t-shirt stands, and character meet and greets, is not overtly teeming with education. And while there is a LOT you could learn about the ship, the vast majority of it is inaccessible to cruisers unless you continually hound every CM you see. I think presenting it as a significant educational activity (over and above counting the rows in the local movie theater instead of going to school that day) is trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

 

[lklgoodman]

On our last cruise I took a world map with us. My dd went around and had cms sign their name on the country that they were from. This led to a lot of conversations between her and the cms about their countries. A lot of the cms told her what a great idea it was to do this. She was 9 yrs old at the time. She wouldn't have just gone up to talk to a cm(too shy), so this helped her with that. You'll see tons of cms in the atrium on seas days, this is when she mostly did it. She enjoyed seeing how many different countries the cms are from. She took the map to school and told her class a little about what she learned. I got this idea from someone on here, sorry don't remember who it was. Her school didn't require her to do anything because she was missing school for the trip. I just thought it was a cool idea. She has the map hanging on her bedroom wall and has already said she wants to do it again on our next cruise.

 

[smiths02]

We don't miss school for vacation, but two things we did that are similar to school field trips:

Stingray excursion that was really educational-actual marine biologists were there
Watch two stage productions (BATB and Believe)-children often do that here tied into literature, art, music, culture/history

Are you stopping at CC-Interested in doing the CC 5K as a PE activity?

 

[starvenger]

Does the school want a list of what is educational about the cruise so they can check that funding box, or does it require a report afterwards on all the topics they studied and how?

There's writing something down that will make the bureaucrats happy, and there's trying to wring something meaningful from every aspect of your family vacation then writing an after action report on it.

I would agree that the school is looking for a plausible reason to rubber stamp the absence from school. It's not so much that they won't allow you to go, it's that they need something to present should they be audited regarding absences.

I would also agree that there is not a lot that is "educational" about a vacation, per se. With a cruise, I guess any excursion could be considered a history/geography lesson. And Oceaneers is a "social experiment"?

 

[TiggerBouncy]

There are SO MANY things that you could use as an opportunity for learning. It would help to narrow it down if we knew the interests of the kids.

You are going to Bermuda. There is a very rich history of Bermuda. It was strategically very important. Did you know that America had not one, not two, not three but FOUR military bases on Bermuda? Take a shore excursion and see some of the bases and forts or the old ships stationed there.

The Bermuda Triangle has a sorted history. To this day no one has truly unraveled the mysteries. There is a lot that a child could learn.

Cruise ships are modern marvels. How does a cruise ship safely navigate the ocean? They use a combination of Sonar, Radar, on board maps, satellite imagery. Sophisticated computers turn this all into a very detailed map. How did ships in the past navigate? How has modern technology changed our understanding of navigation?

How do cruise ships supply? They are truly floating cities. You are going to be on the Magic. She can generate 43,000 Kw of power, has a top speed of 23.5 knots, and generates her own clean water and. How does she do all this? How do modern cruise ships make their own drinking water? How do the engines work? How do the generators work?

Disney is an environmentally conscious company. What steps do they take on the cruise ships to be environmentally friendly?

I mean, take your pick - name a topic - ANY topic and I can turn it into something that you can learn on a cruise ship or on a trip to Bermuda.

 

[fredandkell]

Interesting thread! I am a former high school teacher and current professor. I will tell you (without any judgment) that I generally avoid taking my kids out of school for vacation purposes, just because half the battle of being successful in school depends on being there. Especially for the 11-year old, who I assume is probably in 6th grade, middle school can be tough to miss several days with having 6-7 teachers, each with their own assignments. That being said, I am a huge advocate of travel as an educational pursuit. Even if you don't plan anything specific for "educational purposes," that sort of thing is picked up in a serendipitous fashion. We cruised the Med this summer. As it turns out, 6th grade studies European geography. My daughter was super excited when she could already label a bunch of the countries on a map because she went to 6 of them this summer. She was able to give a firsthand description of "the climate of the Alps" because she climbed them. I think any vacation certainly contributes to geographical knowledge, but even better, it makes that information "stick." I remember having to label a map of Africa when I was in 10th grade. I made a 100 on it, but do you think I could label those countries today? No, because I have not visited them (yet!). However, I can tell you with 100% accuracy the locations of all states/countries I have visited - it really makes geography come alive!

As far as Bermuda goes, there are definitely opportunities there to talk about colonization, neo-colonization, world superpowers, the right to "own" another country, etc. But personally I think the inherent beauty of visiting Bermuda, even if you just swim with dolphins and play in the pink sand and don't speak an educational word, is that in future conversations, school assignments, etc. your grandkids can pipe up and say, "I've been there! And I experienced..." in relation to whatever context is being discussed. The privilege to see "how the rest of the world works" aside from America is priceless, even if that happens on a Mickey ship traveling to a tiny island. By the way, I am taking my kids to Bermuda next fall and we, too, are missing one day of school. (My district has a fall break.) So even this hard-nosed teacher sees the value of missing a little bit of school for travel.

 

[fredandkell]

On our last cruise I took a world map with us. My dd went around and had cms sign their name on the country that they were from. This led to a lot of conversations between her and the cms about their countries. A lot of the cms told her what a great idea it was to do this. She was 9 yrs old at the time. She wouldn't have just gone up to talk to a cm(too shy), so this helped her with that. You'll see tons of cms in the atrium on seas days, this is when she mostly did it. She enjoyed seeing how many different countries the cms are from. She took the map to school and told her class a little about what she learned. I got this idea from someone on here, sorry don't remember who it was. Her school didn't require her to do anything because she was missing school for the trip. I just thought it was a cool idea. She has the map hanging on her bedroom wall and has already said she wants to do it again on our next cruise.

This is ah-mazing.

 

[bigAWL]

I'm not sure I understand the "vacation has no educational value" thoughts posted here. Setting aside time to do some math worksheets, read a book, have a conversation with a crew member about something other than what's on the menu that night, find an interesting way to think about what you're studying in school and relate it to the world around you... these are all easy and educational/developmental experiences. This stuff doesn't have to be done in a classroom. That's why schools do field trips, anyway.

Honestly, if you do have your kids write any sort of "What I learned on vacation" report, it would have at least as much educational value as a required book report on some book that they had to read but hated.

 

[Bonnie1222]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the On Demand channel in your room. Our Last cruise on the Fantasy I remember seeing them offering the Disney Natures series, I think Bears and Oceans maybe more... maybe someone else can confirm that and if it is offered on all ships or just the Dream/Fantasy. Have them watch one of those, order some room service or grab some popcorn from the theater and bring it back to the room. It can be a little family time fun and educational at one time. There is also a ship walking tour on embarkation day - that might be good to teach them about the ship.

Not sure which boat you are going on, but the Dream/Fantasy have the detective interactive game, which requires reason and thought.

Also - do any of the kids clubs offer activities that might be considered educational?

 

[southerngirl528]

I am a teacher and I take myself and my daughter out of school at times to vacation. Traveling and seeing new parts of the world is very educational. It gives kids a perspective on where things are in the world, makes them see outside of their tiny little sphere, and lets them experience the cultures of other places. I teach social studies, so maybe this is why I feel this way. Most of my students have never been anywhere and thus have absolutely no sense of the world and why it is important to learn about it. My daughter loves learning about the world because she has experienced quite a bit of it. I am absolutely fine with my students missing school to experience the world as long as their academics don't suffer as a result of it. Some things just can't be learned in a classroom.

Bravo! Bottom line is that my kids were my kids. I would on occasion take them out of school for a good reason. Like you, I also exposed mine to a huge variety of learning opportunities at young ages. I have no doubt it helped them to become the bright, successful, highly educated you adults that they now are.

In my mind, done naturally as an integral part of daily life, learning is and should be FUN!! I do NOT believe it takes a "sit-down and study" experience for the kids to meet their school's requirement. In fact, they could get books ahead of time and do their reading and reports ahead for the most part, yes? There's more than one way to skin a rabbit!

 

[southerngirl528]

On our last cruise I took a world map with us. My dd went around and had cms sign their name on the country that they were from. This led to a lot of conversations between her and the cms about their countries. A lot of the cms told her what a great idea it was to do this. She was 9 yrs old at the time

This is PRECISELY the kind of thing to which I referred in my previous first post here!! And no doubt after your DD got going with it (comfortable talking to the crew), she likes really loved it! KIDS LOVE TO LEARN and it need not be some boring exercise. It's a blessing to teach children to have their eyes, ears and senses open to learning throughout their day. I know. Sounds stupid, but it helps us as adults see the world through a child's eyes too, and we BOTH learn some cool stuff and have a great time doing it! It's all about the attitude with which one approaches it IMHO. Make it FUN, not a drudge. And THAT is where it requires the adults to think....

 

[cadien]

I think the risk is that parents overestimate how much of the teaching they will do on the cruise. The kid isn't going to just absorb all these topics by being there. You have to be taking that time out of your own vacation. Not to mention all the preparation in learning it and planning it ahead of time yourself. It's unfair to the child to present the teacher with an elaborate lesson plan that won't actually happen.

 

[JanDave]

Great suggestions! Clayton was the CD on the wbpc in 2015. He wrote this note to a teacher whose student was on board.

 

[cadien]

Also - do any of the kids clubs offer activities that might be considered educational?

Yes. They have science activities. Everything's STEM these days...

 

[starvenger]

I'm not sure I understand the "vacation has no educational value" thoughts posted here. Setting aside time to do some math worksheets, read a book, have a conversation with a crew member about something other than what's on the menu that night, find an interesting way to think about what you're studying in school and relate it to the world around you... these are all easy and educational/developmental experiences. This stuff doesn't have to be done in a classroom. That's why schools do field trips, anyway.

Honestly, if you do have your kids write any sort of "What I learned on vacation" report, it would have at least as much educational value as a required book report on some book that they had to read but hated.

I get what you're saying, but some of the examples you provided - worksheets, reading books - are not value provided by the vacation itself. These are things you can provide during the school year as well.

To clarify my point where I said that 'there is not a lot that is "educational" about a vacation, per se', my inference is that when you go on vacation you're not necessarily looking for things that will correlate to your book studies, but you may pick up things along the way from the experience. Clear lack of explanation on my part, unfortunately.

@fredandkell had a great point, which I interpreted as "the education you get while on vacation is acquired not by the traditional methods, but by the things you are doing during the vacation". And it's hard to quantify that in a pre-trip letter to the school because there's no concrete plan in place as to WHAT you will learn. You may end up learning something that coincides with what you're learning in school, but that's not a guarantee.

And so we go back to the OPs question - what can they say that the kids will "learn" that will get them that permission to go on the trip? Again, I think @fredandkell has a great answer:

As far as Bermuda goes, there are definitely opportunities there to talk about colonization, neo-colonization, world superpowers, the right to "own" another country, etc. But personally I think the inherent beauty of visiting Bermuda, even if you just swim with dolphins and play in the pink sand and don't speak an educational word, is that in future conversations, school assignments, etc. your grandkids can pipe up and say, "I've been there! And I experienced..." in relation to whatever context is being discussed. The privilege to see "how the rest of the world works" aside from America is priceless, even if that happens on a Mickey ship traveling to a tiny island.

 

[MomOTwins]

My husband taught our sons the different constellations on our cruise last week--it's amazing how many stars you can see at night out at sea. We also talked a lot about marine life on Castaway Cay; I expect you could do the same at Bermuda.

 

[Quellman]

The ship has some really green practices when it comes to recycling and trash/waste. Also the ways they get water, desalination and condensation. It's really interesting science.

This is a good topic the kids can bring up on meet the officers night. They can talk to them about running a ship, guest services etc. If they tell the crew it is for a school project, I have no doubt all their questions would be answered.