If you are one of the many parents who now find themselves at home, trying to find ways to keep kids busy and moving forward, check out At Home Lessons for Kids. They are not meant to replace school and it isn’t specific to any subject; rather, the focus is on activities that focus on kindness + connection. Immerse your kids in tasks that focus on the positive in a world that seems a bit scary right now. To learn more about it, Click Here.
Week 3 – Plan a Virtual Vacation
The goal of this week’s set of activities is to plan a virtual vacation for you and your family. There are many amazing and fun locations to visit around the world so let’s discover some place new!
Suggested Level: Grade 4 to 8
Parents: Adapt as needed for your child’s academic and interest level.
Making a collage of pictures is a great way for little ones to share highlights of what they have learned
| Monday | Select & Introduce Your Travel Destination |
| Tuesday | Culture, Traditions and Special Holidays |
| Wednesday | Places to Visit and Things To Do |
| Thursday | Local Food and Restaurants |
| Friday | Fun Facts & Putting it All Together |
Monday – Introduce Your Travel Destination
Today, take some time to explore different places around the world that you would like to visit, explore and learn more about. Do you love roller coasters? beaches? mountains? exploring castles? animals?
If so, search for the “best roller coasters in the world” or “best animal safari adventures” and this will be a great starting point to choose a vacation destination. You will find so many amazing places to visit!
Once you have made your choice make some jot notes on some key information about your destination.
Examples:
- World region (map)
- Flag
- Population
- Languages spoken
- Landscape
- Weather
- Popular sports
- Currency
Tuesday – Culture, Traditions and Special Holidays
Now, let’s learn some more about the people who live there! Find out some interesting information about their culture, traditions and family holidays.
For example, Canada is a country known to have a diverse culture. It has strong historical ties to Britain and France so it has two official national languages – English and French. Some favourite past times and traditions include ice hockey during the winter and camping during the summer. Special holidays that are observed include Canada Day on July 1st, Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October and Christmas Day on December 25th.
Wednesday – Places to Visit and Things To Do
Once you reach your destination, what will you do when you get there?
What are the most popular things to visit and see?
What are the most popular things for kids and families to do?
For example, if you are travelling to Toronto, Ontario, you may include the following on your things to do list:
CN Tower
Canada’s Wonderland
Toronto Zoo
Royal Ontario Museum
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
Thursday – Local Food and Restaurants
What are some of the traditional foods at your destination? For example, Canada is known for maple syrup, poutine and peameal bacon (among many other foods, depending on the region in the country).
What foods would you like to try?
What restaurants will you go to?
Friday – Fun Facts & Putting it All Together
Finish of your travel planning by making a list of “fun facts” about your destination that you have discovered along the way.
Then, put it all together and take your family on a virtual vacation. Include pictures and even videos. A great way to present this type of project is with Google Slides, PowerPoint, Prezi or another type of presentation app.
Tip: Include a list of the web sites you used to gather your information.
A printable PDF copy of the Plan a Virtual Vacation Lesson is available here.
Happy Travels! KJ