Just because your children are staying safe at home, you can still show them the world, explore places and cultures, and indulge their curious young minds. Here are some ways you can give them adventures from home.
Escape With Stories
Books and films are excellent ways of taking children on adventures and giving them some much-needed escapism during the unusual time we’re all experiencing. If they’re getting stuck into an adventure story (that’s set in the real world!), get out the Atlas and show them where the story happens, look for pictures online and talk about that culture – find out what they’ve learnt in the book, and tell them anything you know.
Documentaries are a wonderful way of showing children the real world. Not much beats a David Attenborough for seeing the multitude of colourful species and cultures across the globe!
Go On Micro Adventures
Alistair Humphreys is a popular adventurer in the UK who has tried to make the idea of ‘adventure’ more accessible, with the hashtag #microadventure. These micro-adventures can be anything from camping in the garden or exploring a new place, to creating a den in your living room.
Why not see if your children can make some kind of vehicle (a plane, train, rocket, time machine) using anything available at home (an old cardboard box, a tent, tables, chairs, blankets, whatever they want, providing you’ve said its okay!), so they can take you on an amazing #microadventure. Be prepared to do some imaginary play with your children once they’ve built the vehicle, allowing them to tell you all about the places they’re taking you to and the weird and wonderful sights along the way. It is a brilliant way to indulge their creativity and sense of adventure.
Take Family Cultural Excursions
Create themed family meals that transport your children to, and teach them about, a specific country. For example, go on an adventure to Italy for the evening! Show everyone where it is on the map, ask what they know about the country, print some Italian flags to colour (and use as placemats for your meal) and introduce some simple phrases so they get a sense of the language. The activities can culminate with learning about the cuisine – cook pizza or pasta together as you listen to a playlist of traditional Italian music, then dress up as if you’re on holiday and eat together as a family. You can choose any country you like… you might need to do a tiny bit of research first, but then you’ll have a fun, educational activity that includes all ages!
Explore The World Through Online Travel
While the coronavirus has pulled up a physical barrier for travel, it has been a phenomenal way to make people and places around the world more accessible online. The National Geographic explorer classroom is a good place to start, as it is a direct link to live broadcasts. They also offer lots of documentaries on travel topics through the Disney plus app, which is currently free.
Apple Maps has developed a brilliant flyover and virtual tour feature for various cities around the world. If, for example, you search for New York City, you can have a virtual tour of the city where you walk the streets as if you were a tourist there, all from the comfort of your own sofa.
Some of the world’s most well-known museums have opened themselves for online exploration, giving virtual tours that you can watch from home. There’s a list of the best ones here: travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
The Adventure Jar
While real adventures are being put on pause for the moment, the time will come again when we are able to explore the world. Why not start an adventure jar for your family? Every time any of you think of something you’d really love to do ,or a place you’d like to see, but you can’t, write it on a piece of paper and put it in your adventure jar. When normal life resumes, you’ll have a jar full of wishes that can (hopefully) come true.
Rugby School Thailand is currently running a successful remote learning programme that has been tailored to the different age groups across the Pre-Prep, Prep & Senior School.
