Summer holiday with the kids cancelled? Why not try this instead…
It looks like summer holidays, at least in the UK, are cancelled. We may be able to travel without our own countries, but if there’s going to be a second wave of COVID-19 then travel seems ill advised. So what to do with bored, expectant kids instead?
We don’t have a perfect solution, but we do have some ideas. Why not take advantage of that prized childlike quality - imagination?
A few weeks ago a teacher got in touch with us to ask us if we could make a workbook for France. She told us that her class were supposed to be travelling to France but their trip had been cancelled. So instead she decided to do a ‘French week’ with all her students in their online lessons - everything themed around France. She wanted us to make a workbook on France for the kids at the end of their week, as a treat and to summarize everything they learned.
You can download the France workbook for free here
So if you’re going to be stuck at home with disappointed kids all summer, why not take a leaf out of that teacher’s book? Plan a virtual summer holiday - you can go anywhere in the world! All you need to do is pick a country and then organize some activities. Here are some ideas of things you can try:
Get downloading
First we recommend that you see if there’s a Deliberate Travel workbook for your destination. Each workbook introduces kids to a different country. Our first page always covers the basics - the language, the capital city - and the second is a map with key cities and road marked. But the workbooks aren’t about giving kids the information - children need to look for the answers themselves, following the instructions. It’s a great way to encourage kids to develop research skills and push them to start exploring!
Find or print out a bunch of different maps
Work out how you’ll get to your destination - by plane, by boat, walking perhaps? How long would each of these options take? What about neighbouring countries? Are they safe to visit?
Sing along
Try and find some music for said country - if you type the country and “music” into YouTube you’re sure to find something. Most countries have some kind of distinct musical style, whether it’s traditional or more modern. Jamaica has Bob Marley, Ireland has oodles of traditional songs, England has the Beatles, France has Edith Piaf. Even if the songs are in a different language, they’re a great way for kids to get a “feel” for a country, and contribute to a little holiday ambiance.
To the kitchen!
Get cooking with some recipes from each country. It’s almost always possible to find simple versions of recipes from different cultures. If you’re going to India you could make Kati Rolls or a simple curry. For France, it’s easy to make macarons or Quiche Lorraine. Measuring ingredients, planning a shopping trip, reading instructions are all great skills for kids, plus they’ll learn to cook something at the same time.
Or plan a picnic
If you don’t feel confident with cooking, you don’t even need to. Most supermarkets are well stocked enough now that you can find traditional foods from different cultures. Get your kids to plan a picnic menu, then have a themed midday or evening meal.
Find some movies
This may be easier with some cultures than others, but there are plenty of different ways to incorporate travel into the films your kids watch. What about Spirited Away for Japan, Ratatouille for France, Paddington or Wallace & Gromit for England or Coco for Mexico? If you’re feeling adventurous you could even try watching a film in another language. I watched plenty of foreign films in language classes as a young child and enjoyed them immensely, despite having no idea what was being said.
Les Visiteurs is the story of a sword-happy Medieval lord and his servant who are transported from 1123 to 1993 by accident and cause havoc in their attempts to get home.
Or a book
A brief Google search will throw up all sorts of different books you can read to learn about different cultures, for all age groups. Our favourites are Madeleine for France, Kensuke’s Kingdom for Japan, and Trolls by Brian Pilkington for Iceland. You can find many more recommendations in our Blog section.
Finish with a big event
When I was young we had a Latin banquet at school. Everyone dressed in togas, had to bring a traditional dish - cooked according to traditional methods as closely as possible - and recite some memorized Latin poetry. We reclined on school tables covered in sheets and all had a “Latin” name (mine was Cloelia). Although a Latin banquet may be beyond the brief, you can finish the week with any kind of big event - a themed party, a dinner, a movie night, a quiz. Anything that involves the family will give children a focus for their learning and make them feel enthusiastic about researching new things.
There are so many ways to make a ‘virtual holiday’ feel real for kids - you just need a little research. If you’re strapped for time, or overwhelmed by all the recommendations out there then sign up to our newsletter. Every time we release a workbook, we send it out by email, along with recommendations for related content and activities. We include links to good websites, songs on YouTube, recommendations for films, TV programmes and books.