Just because you aren’t in school during the week of Spring Break doesn’t mean that you can’t learn something! Here’s how to get your Spring Break learning on!
Spring Break Learning Staycation: Your House
I recently had a baby, so we’re definitely spending most of our Spring Break in this mode. But that doesn’t mean that learning has to stop.
In our house right now, Spring Break might look like my family going for neighborhood walks and exploring the foliage as we walk by. It could be that we go to the park and talk about force and motion while swinging and sliding.
If we get really adventurous, it could even look like us foraging for clovers or dandelions in our own front yard so we can brew our own herbal tea.
But it may just look like a game night. Probably every day. I’m a believer in the educational value of playing games. And I’m a bigger believer in family time.
You can also turn your home staycation into a celebration of science! Check out my previous post on At-Home Science Explorations.
Spring Break Learning Staycation: Your City/Nearby Cities
In past Spring Breaks when we have chosen to stay close to home, we still get out and explore. There’s something about putting on your “tourist hat” that allows you to see things from an entirely new, absolutely refreshing light.
Sometimes that means that my family’s spending time at museums…and sometimes it means bringing math into a shopping trip!
We live in the southern portion of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and that means we have a lot of art and science museums locally and that we aren’t very far from other cool things. We also have multiple zoos, aquariums, and botanical escapes. Spring Break is usually when we renew our memberships to a few of these places (the Perot Museum and both the Dallas and Ft. Worth Zoos are our top three places to support!).
Chances are, even if you don’t have that many options where you are, you do have something nearby. Doing a staycation this way makes it feel like you’ve traveled somewhere, still emphasizes learning, and checks the box of family time.
Spring Break Learning Vacation: Explore, Explore, Explore!
Every two or three Spring Breaks, my family goes on a vacation. We’ve skipped these trips the past few Spring Breaks so that we can make this one happen. Last year was a trip year for us. We went to Walt Disney World.
Explore! Explore!
While there, we explored my favorite park: EPCOT. It’s. so. magical. I adore the World Showcase and learning about different countries and cultures. And the other side is a science dream!
Does my family know how to make Disney so much fun? Yes. Do we also learn a lot while we’re there? Every time.
We explore all of our vacation venues with an educational eye. I highly recommend it. It makes the trip (and the learning!) so much more meaningful.
Explore Some More!
Once, my family and I camped on a Tennessee farm for two nights on our way to Virginia. We explored the area, but also the farm life. We looked at crops. We picked tomatoes and blackberries. We ate alongside guineas.
You can do it, too.
- Going to the mountains of North Georgia? Learn about the Appalachian Trail.
- Spending some time in Colonial Williamsburg? Learn about why the Revolutionary War was fought.
- Camping trip to Colorado? Learn about the local wildlife.
Do you keep learning on breaks and vacations? Tell me your tried-and-true methods for learning while relaxing in the comments.
