Dam Square - Amsterdam

In February 2004, our family went on a six-week adventure in Amsterdam.  Before our trip, I spent an endless number of hours preparing.  You might think I was getting the essentials ready–you know, organizing rain gear and making sure each family member had clean underwear…  But no, I was preparing our curriculum.   I needed enough materials to educate THREE CHILDREN for SIX WEEKS!

My husband had already warned me.  On *this* trip, we were not going to pay the airlines the over-weight-limit surcharges for our suitcases.  We were going to pack light.  That meant a very limited number of books would be accompanying us on this trip.  I spent DAYS creating our learning plans. I decided what each child would be working on each day throughout the six weeks and then photocopied the appropriate portions of their textbooks.  I also copied worksheets, quizzes, and tests and assembled craft projects in resealable plastic bags.  Each child had a six-inch binder with everything he would need, including a binder zipper pouch with pencils, pens, erasers, markers, and crayons.  Yes, I am a geek!

After we recovered from our initial jet lag, the children and I pulled out the binders and began working.  The first day didn’t go so badly.  But things got progressively worse.  My middle son spent many hours staring out the window, watching the boats sail through the canal in front of our apartment and studying the people below. It was quite a struggle to get him to do any work.  My oldest son was battling George Washington.  He had chosen a book about Mr. Washington for his book report.  But he had no interest in the book (photocopied and in the binder, of course).  Instead, he was fascinated with a book he found on the shelf of the rental home, a book about the German occupation of the Netherlands.

On one particularly frustrating day, I decided to set our schoolwork aside and take the children to the grocery store.  Until then, my husband or I had gone to the store alone, as the stores in Amsterdam can be rather crowded and it was quite a long walk.  But we were out of some essentials, and quite honestly, I needed some Dutch chocolate therapy!

Grote Markt - Haarlem

The children and I spent about two hours in the grocery store that day.  It started off as a fun game.  We weren’t able to read the Dutch text on the food packaging, so we started guessing what things were.  Hmmm…..looks like a small bag of potato chips, but why is there a German Shepard on the front?  Ah, it also has the Purina logo!  Tomaten Soep?  Tomato Soup!   We then started to compare Dutch packaging to what we normally find in the United States.  Hot dogs in glass jars. Spiced raisin bread in a can.  Mayonnaise in a tube.  (I would have guessed toothpaste, but it was in an aisle with the ketchup and mustard.)

Next, we converted Euros to Dollars in order to compare prices.  We even factored in the exchange rate! We explored the enormous display of cheeses, and a very nice English-speaking gentleman told us how the different types of cheeses are made and even gave us samples to taste!  Finally, we had the ultimate fun–we bought some items and we had no idea WHAT they were!  (As it turns out, the cardboard carton in the dairy section labeled “Vla” is a thick, drinkable pudding.  Very yummy!)

The next day, I pulled out our binders again and the children groaned.  In fact, you’re probably groaning while reading this and thinking “How dense can this woman be?”  Ok, I won’t torture you any longer.  I finally gave in.  We didn’t touch the binders for the remainder of the six weeks!  Instead, I handed our Amsterdam tour guide books over to the kids and told them to plan our itinerary.

Each night they spent hours looking through the tour guide books, choosing the places they would like to visit. They looked at pictures, read descriptions, and even read insider tips!  Our vacation planning turned into a family project.  We purchased large sheets of blank newspaper print from a print shop and created an enormous wall calendar with each day’s activities.  We plotted our destinations on a map and planned our transportation routes via the local train system.  We also kept a running log of expenses for museums and attractions we visited, along with our transportation and food costs.  My oldest son also began writing a journal about our experiences in Amsterdam.

Madurodam

We were busy every second of the remainder of the trip!

We went to the Amsterdam Historisch Museum and learned the history of Amsterdam and the importance of the canal system.

We toured The Dutch Royal House (The Queens Palace) and learned about the Dutch Government and compared it to the US Government.

Queen's Palace

We went to Vondelpark and learned about the native plant life, fed the waterfowl, and took in an outdoor children’s theater production (in Dutch, but the children still liked it!)

We toured the Oude Kerk (Old Church), a architectural marvel, built in the year 1250.

We took a boat tour of the Amsterdam canals and learned about the waterway system and studied the unique bridges.

Amsterdam canal

We went to the Anne Frank house and learned what life was like for Anne and her family while they hid from the Nazis.

Anne Frank House

We visited Lord of the Attic, a secret hidden church built during the Reformation when Catholics were forbidden to hold public services.

We visited the Scheepvaart Museum and learned about Dutch Maritime History and general shipbuilding.  We also had fun on the Eastindianman Amsterdam, a remake of the original ship that sailed in 1749.

We went to the Museumplein, an amazing cultural area and visited the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.

We visited Rembrandthuis and learned about Rembrandt’s life and studied his works.

Cheese Delivery

We visited the highly entertaining and educational Alkmaar Cheese Market (Kaasmarkt).  Watch the short video!

We toured the Gassan Diamond Factory and learned how to distinguish real diamonds from replicas.  We also learned about diamond excavation and the 4C’s to remember when purchasing a diamond.

We toured the Dutch Resistence Museum (Verzets Museum) and learned what life was like in the Netherlands during the German occupation.

We took a day trip to the sleepy little town of Haarlem and visited St. Bavokerk, a Gothic-style church supposedly built sometime before 1500 AD.

We took a day trip to The Hague (Den Haag), the International City of Peace and Justice, and visited Madurodam, an amazingly fun miniature replica of the Netherlands.

Madurodam

We took a day trip to the coastal town of Zandvoort and dipped our toes into the frigid waters of the North Sea.

Zandvoort

We took a day trip to Zaanse Schans, a village depicting Dutch life in the 17th and 18th centuries.  We watched craftsmen create klompen (Dutch wooden clogs), learned about cheese-making, and toured a working windmill.

We took a day trip to Kukenhof and saw amazing displays of brightly colored tulips and other plants.

We took a weekend trip to Paris, via a high speed Thalyus train.  We visited the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Louvre

And we did a lot of grocery shopping!

As you can see, our trip was full of amazing experiences.  My children learned about culture, history, geography and many other subjects in a hands-on, enjoyable way.  And *I* learned a lot about my children!

This post was written by Jennifer G., homeschool mom of 3 and Lesson Pathways Team Member.