What's educational about Disney Cruise?

[DisneyGirlMI]

What about having them interact with crew members from several different countries. Find out where they live (geography), what they use for currency (math), what things are different in their country than ours (sociology), and the added benefit that it gets them to talk to people from other countries and see that they are not that different from us.

 

[gotomu212]

You might want to let people enrolled in various programs in the Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and maritime academies, not only in the US but around the world that there is nothing educational in what they are studying. I guess the licensing boards like U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) along with United States Coast Guard (USCG) as well as United States Merchant Marines probably aren't anything either. That is just the aspect of the ship operations, not to mention the historical, zoological, social, business operations and other educational opportunities.

It seems like it would be easy to pick a few key themes and then do a few daily lessons.

Well I don’t think the Coast Guard or Navy candidates are going to princess meet and greets, riding the Aquaduck, and lounging at Funnelvision as part of their training. No one said maritime training isn’t educational but kids aren’t getting naval training on a Disney Cruise???

“Scoot over Admiral I’ve got the helm; I was on a Disney Cruise” is the new “I stayed at a Holiday Inn” joke?

 

[kniquy]

Education on relaxation and importance of family time.
Service industry -- taking a closer look at how many people it takes to provide the service needed to run the ship.

I think if traveling to Bermuda there must be an excursion that takes you see some of the history. Maybe have the kids read a book about Bermuda before their trip. Other than that it is a vacation so they should have time to relax and enjoy family time.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

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).

LOVE your math idea! Great suggestion!

 

[TestingH2O]

Why does the school want the paper? I think that really is the relevant question. Do they want to circumvent the system and get funding for kids in seats? Then toss in the suggestions mentioned here and fill out the form. Enjoy your family time and let the kids learn by the experience. Life outside the classroom is a great teacher.

OR... do you attend a school with a pre-determined attendance policy and agree to only miss X days but you now want to miss more to go on a cruise? (I don't know how to write this in a non-accusatory way, and that't not what I mean, but there is no tone on the internet.) For this, I have less advice. Cruising is a vacation. It is valuable and making family time a priority is a HUGE deal. But to take a vacation during the school year, kids are missing content being delivered. This will inevitably lead to more work for the kids and more work for the teachers. Students have to catch up, and some of the catch up is time intensive like labs. It is also extra work for the teacher to write make-up work, possibly supervise activities, and possibly reteach the content. Almost all teachers love kids and do this work out of love. They aren't going to let a kid flounder just because s/he missed a week for vacation. But is that fair?

I don't think all learning happens in the classroom. Living life and experiencing the world is so important. However, that kind of learning doesn't REPLACE school learning and suggesting that it does is disingenuous.

 

[Jess_S]

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!

Although I have nothing but my only personal experience to support it, I agree with you 100% on travel helping geography learning stick. I remember as a kid that I had a lot of trouble labeling the states in the US on a map. The coasts were fine, but the middle was a big question mark. (I was a good student with a solid memory, but I just couldn't remember which states were where). As an adult, I did a cross country road trip and I have never had a problem finding states on a map since then because I have actually driven across most of them. Even with the fairly limited international travel I have done, I am much better now at knowing which countries are where and a bit about them.

We started my son on international travel early and he now has a natural curiosity about maps that I didn't have as a child. Sometimes he requests that I read him an atlas for his bedtime story (really).

I do think the idea of having to prove that a trip is educational in order to have your time off from school approved is silly. To me, it is symptomatic of the teach for the test mentality that the government has imposed on educators. It should be for the parent to decide if their kid can "afford" to take time off school or not. But I digress into politics now and will stop typing.

 

[bigAWL]

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 be fair, the OP hasn't explained why the school has this policy, or what the requirements are. My interpretation is that the school 1) wants to know that the child isn't going to fall too far behind in school, and 2) wants documentation that they want children to "learn something" and not simply blow off school (and that the parents understand this desire).

My examples are not intended to suggest things that can only be done on a cruise ship. They are intended to keep the child's mind working and engaged. Math drills (hopefully relevant to what they are doing in class), reading (perhaps continuing a book they are already reading), etc. can help ensure the child won't fall behind when missing class. These are things I would want my kids to do regardless of whether the school had a policy like this or not.

Other suggestions, such as talking with crew members, are simply ways to engage the mind on something other than typical vacation mindlessness. For many kids with various levels of anxiety, this can be a valuable exercise in and of itself regardless of whether any sort of fact learning is happening.

Certainly, going in depth about a country and it's history, or even attempting to learn some words in a local language, are great ideas for making the cruise itself relevant to learning (although these too can be done in school). But my point is that you probably don't have to go nearly that far in order to make a vacation educational.

 

[starvenger]

My examples are not intended to suggest things that can only be done on a cruise ship. They are intended to keep the child's mind working and engaged. Math drills (hopefully relevant to what they are doing in class), reading (perhaps continuing a book they are already reading), etc. can help ensure the child won't fall behind when missing class. These are things I would want my kids to do regardless of whether the school had a policy like this or not.

And this is fair, but your original implication that this is "educational value" provided by the vacation, which isn't true. So I appreciate the clarification.

Other suggestions, such as talking with crew members, are simply ways to engage the mind on something other than typical vacation mindlessness. For many kids with various levels of anxiety, this can be a valuable exercise in and of itself regardless of whether any sort of fact learning is happening.

Agreed. This is true of any almost vacation, and certainly of any cruise as the crew is generally multinational. There are definitely many education opportunities available if one looks for them. I just, perhaps semantically, wouldn't classify it as educational value.

 

[evedein]

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. When we've taken them out of school for vacation in the past, their parents just had to fill out a short form noting the "educational value" of the trip. So far they haven't been required to write a report or anything. I think it's just to justify the absence. The teachers usually given them home work so they won't fall behind. This is the last time we'll be able to take the older boy out of school. He's only in 5th grade. But next time, he'll be in middle school & risks missing too much with a week away.

 

[Dug720]

In something I found supremely ironic, this week's WDW Radio podcast was looking back at the Disney Institute and talking about how a large part of why it failed was that people weren't wanting education on their vacation. I couldn't help but think about this thread as I was listening to it and thinking "With all these people who have to prove that their school year trip was educational, maybe they should try that idea again..."

 

[hogie1]

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.

How about the rise and fall of the British Empire and their colonies (original 13 & Bermuda specifically). Also, the value of a dollar and how far it goes on a Disney cruise vs another cruise company. Additionally, I took a course on the hospitality service to complete my bachelors degree and I learned quite a bit about hotels, the "front of the house", the "back of the house", how they look to fill empty rooms especially at end of month/quarter (because an empty room generates 0 dollars, and things of that nature. I'm sure quite a bit of that can translate to the cruise industry.

Which Bermuda cruise are you going on? We are set to sail on Oct 29th!

 

[Starwind]

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.

On the On Demand TV on the Dream and Fantasy there are episodes about ship related topics, as well.

SW

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

Governmental intrusion like this is the reason we homeschool. Holy cow!

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I think you're making this more complicated than it is. We also fill out a form for excused absences for educational purposes. We don't have to make up some worksheets or write some extra paper about what we learned ... the education is in the experience alone. For example .... we are going to St. Augustine, FL and will learn the history of the oldest city in the USA and tour the fort. Period. That is all they need and it will be excused.

All you should need is something like "we will experience a foreign country, learn about the history of the island, and the marine life there."

And I am in the camp that pretty much all travel is educational. We went to Costa Rica, practiced our Spanish, and saw tons of wildlife, examined tidal pools. Educational.

 

[cruiser21]

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.

I haven't been to Bermuda, but crystal caves look pretty cool. That's not something you get to see in a classroom.http://www.caves.bm/

 

[cruiser21]

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.

One thing kids get to see if real poverty. You don't see that in the US. The Caribbean is rich in history especially the southern islands. It is whatever you make out of it.

 

[cruiser21]

Although I have nothing but my only personal experience to support it, I agree with you 100% on travel helping geography learning stick. I remember as a kid that I had a lot of trouble labeling the states in the US on a map. The coasts were fine, but the middle was a big question mark. (I was a good student with a solid memory, but I just couldn't remember which states were where). As an adult, I did a cross country road trip and I have never had a problem finding states on a map since then because I have actually driven across most of them. Even with the fairly limited international travel I have done, I am much better now at knowing which countries are where and a bit about them.

We started my son on international travel early and he now has a natural curiosity about maps that I didn't have as a child. Sometimes he requests that I read him an atlas for his bedtime story (really).

I do think the idea of having to prove that a trip is educational in order to have your time off from school approved is silly. To me, it is symptomatic of the teach for the test mentality that the government has imposed on educators. It should be for the parent to decide if their kid can "afford" to take time off school or not. But I digress into politics now and will stop typing.

I traveled all over middle America as a kid. We also make one trip to the East coast. In my mid late 30's I started traveling with my kids. First to WDW then the Caribbean, in the last 4 years we've made several international trips. I know I've learned a lot from my travels. I'm going to assume my kids have too. You may not learn how to do a complex Algebra problem on vacation, but you do learn a lot about geography, people and different cultures. Yes you can read about those in a book, but it's really not the same as experiencing it first hand. It does seem rather silly that parents have prove that a trip is educational just to satisfy the states attendance policy.

 

[Eeyore54 fred]

I used to take my children out of school for vacations since the only time I could get away was during their school year (usually in late January). We took school work with us and I would supervise it every evening. One trip there was a huge snow storm back home the week we were gone and there was hardly any school. When we got back, my children were ahead of everyone in their school work. I don’t think they lost anything by missing school and it certainly helped our family to have that time together.

 

[southerngirl528]

In something I found supremely ironic, this week's WDW Radio podcast was looking back at the Disney Institute and talking about how a large part of why it failed was that people weren't wanting education on their vacation. I couldn't help but think about this thread as I was listening to it and thinking "With all these people who have to prove that their school year trip was educational, maybe they should try that idea again..."

Interesting, Dug720! Thanks for posting that. When the youth programs were in place (I'm talking the ones you could sign your kids up for that were almost all day and included a disposable camera, lunch and access to all sorts of backstage areas, depending on the topic chosen), my children got to participate and as young adults in the professional world, they STILL talk about all the stuff they learned and what they got to see! And yes, we were on vacation.

One thing kids get to see if real poverty. You don't see that in the US.

I have been on Native American reservations in this country where the living conditions could make you weep.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Not much really. Sorry if that makes me an odd girl out, but this isn't an educational experience. It's a vacation.

You've never learned anything on a Disney Cruise, or any cruise for that matter? We learn everyday. Especially new experiences. Kids, what they can learn, because they are still learning about life, is a whole heck of a lot. Just talking to a CM about what Disney might be doing to prevent pollution and save the sea life would be educational. The geography involved in sailing a ship across the ocean has educational value. They can learn how the ship was built. Math, science, writing (having them keep a journal), and as a PP pointed out, sociology.

Any and all vacations have an opportunity to be educational.