Turning a Trip into a Learning Experience

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Before you know it, summer vacation will be here. Whether you're planning a trip across the country or just to the next town to visit Grandma and Grandpa, there are plenty of opportunities to make it a learning experience for your children.

"Many skills can be learned or expanded while you're on the road," according to educator Deborah Davis of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. "Take advantage of the time you are traveling to build on skills, introduce your child to new things, and really see the world around them."

Even before you get in the car or climb on the plane, get your child involved in planning for the trip. Look up your destination on a map and see how far you'll travel. Challenge an older child to figure out how long it will take to get there by car, if you're driving 55 miles an hour. What if you were going by covered wagon or on foot?

Visit the library and search the Internet to find out about your destination and the places you'll pass en route. Make a list of things you'll look for once you're on your way and check them off as you see them: an old railroad station; the town hall; an historic building; a field planted with a local crop; a water tower, and so on.

Davis has a long list of suggestions to turn a car ride into an adventure rather than an excuse to ask repeatedly, "Are we there yet?" Among her ideas:

• Read the number of miles to your destination as posted, check the odometer, and occasionally determine the remaining distance.
• Bring art materials so children can draw the outline of the state you're traveling in and mark the route with cities, towns, lakes, rivers, and other geographic features.
• Call out a number and ask your child to look until he or she finds one on a license plate, a road sign, or mileage marker.
• Play a word game: think of all the words you can that begin with the same letter as fox (or school or rabbit). Go through the alphabet and take turns finding a sign that starts with each letter in order.
• Encourage children to follow your route on a map with their fingers or a marker and to say where they've been. Older kids can use the key to estimate miles between points on the map.

It's fun to collect things that will remind you of your trip long after you've returned home. Buy postcards of the places you visit and have your child write his impressions on the back. You can mail the card to yourself at home or punch holes in the cards and string them together as the trip progresses. Collect brochures and other souvenirs that can be compiled into a personalized scrapbook or make an illustrated journal, recording your daily experiences. Years later, you and your child will enjoy reliving your travels!

This column by Rhonda Barton is provided as a public service by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, a nonprofit institution working with schools and communities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.