Would you have let the kids miss school?

I think as long as my kids are good students, doing well in their classes and are not in the middle of exams or something of that nature, I would allow them to miss a couple of days, sure. As you've said, sometimes the adults' work schedules only allow them time off while the kids are in school and, if you don't take them then, they won't go anywhere at all. I do believe that experiences, like travel, can be of great benefit to a child's overall development. What I don't agree with, for example, is my daughter had a classmate that used to model for an agency. Her mother would routinely pull her out of school to go and do modeling assignments because they never gave much notice of them... she would get a call in the morning saying "Have Katelyn at such and such a place by 2 p.m." and she would go and pull her out of school. Her rationale for doing that was that she was "only" in elementary school so it "didn't matter." I think she really fostered a belief in her child that school was unimportant and that's a bit of a murky place to go. In your case, it sounds like your kids had a great trip :) I love Ottawa... it's driving distance for me, so I try to get there at least once per summer. My daughters are 15 and 18 but we love to go there because of all the museums, events and the fact that it is always so clean and you can literally leave your car behind and walk everywhere. Loved your picture from the Sparks Street Mall - so cute :) Was there anything going on along the mall during your trip? One of the times we went, they had a busker festival there... loads of buskers/street performers singing, dancing, doing routines... was so much fun!

Yes , I would let my kids go on that trip . They won't learn everything in school let experience guide them and you as a parent if you think its best for them then go for it , as long as its a cultural trip or atleast they learn something from it to comphensate for the absenses in school. but of course don't do it often just ocationally go on to trips just ask your kids for thier opinion's first before going ahead and planing a trip out of town.

Yes I would have let the kids miss school, its not like you do it all the time so once in a while does not hurt. If my hubby gets a job and we can pay for our holiday then my kids will be off for a week! But they are not off school very often so it should be OK.

I probably would have let them miss school. They always go to school and normally miss no more than 1 or 2 days out of the school year. My oldest is home sick today and it's the first day he has missed all school year and there is only 8 days of school left

If i will to have kids next time,i feel them letting them miss school for awhile and go for a trip is okay,but we have to consider into some factors too.Firstly,we must see how long the trip duration will be,if the trip is going to be long,i don't think i will bring the childrens go.Secondly,will it affect their studies because if they are missing schools,they are missing alot of stuff that the teacher is going to teach and they may have difficulties catching up with the rest when they are back in school.So,we must consider properly before making that decision whether to let them miss school.

Yes, I don't think there is anything wrong in missing school. Today, at least that's how I see it, when I was younger I didn't want to miss school. What you say, however makes sense and even the arrangements that you have made seem to me very logical. They missed for two days, instead of more, you timed it with your friend's and your husband's time to take time off. Don't worry too much about it. I am sure that the kids enjoyed themselves, and like you said, traveling does open their minds a lot. They didn't miss school to lazy about all day, but they have an experience to share and it will help them, so you did the right thing!

we allow that when it's really a need to bring the kids. having two-three absences i think wouldn't hurt. but I'll make it sure that when we have plans, it's always important that we include the kid's schedule in school too. they might not want to be absent and there will be a lot of explaining to do with them when they know that they will miss school.

Yes I would. We did it on the 5th of May. Took a week and went to Florida for a family visit. My daughter went back on the 13th. And today was the last day of school. Sometimes, when it is the only time in the schedule you just have to go for it. And besides, how many times in life can a kid say I visited the capitol of another country? I am almost 40 and can't say that!

I don't think it's a big deal. Though with my daughter stuggling in school I would prefer her to go to school rather than take her on a trip. As she views life as rewards before the work.... But you know when I was in gradeschool my Aunt & Uncle took me on trips 1-2x a year to places my mom could not afford nor had a desire to visit. So not only did I get to go to Disney & other places but I also got HOMEWORK! *LOL* I hated the idea of being on "vacation" and yet having homework to do.... but looking back at it I don't remember the homework that I had to do as much as the things I got to do.

yes i would have i mean it's a family trip they got to visit another place and learn something they can't learn in school, plus the school year is almost over, i don't think 2 days is going to hurt them.

Traveling and exposure to new things is as important to childrens education as is formal schooling. There are ways to provide the lessons learned at school and submit them. Personally I don't think a week is too long at all. If you are concerned about missing school, above and beyond what I have mentioned, you could have the child(ren) in question do verval or written reports (stories) on the things they were exposed to. As for the schools, they can miss the $ from the childrens absences. The $ value of the life education is far more than they would receive.

Good question. In retrospect, the two days they missed in school would have most likely not left any lasting impressions on them. Nor would those two days put them back academically...assuming they are pretty much up-to-date on their work. But, this trip they took has created memories that will last a lifetime. Schools take field trips all the time for the soul purpose of teaching children. There was nothing wrong with letting them miss two measly days of school for something like this.

I dont feel like you have done anything wrong! My parents let me miss school for various things when I was younger. Sometimes it was just a day - like the Farm Show. Other times it was for a family trip. As long as your kids arent missing school all the time and arent behind, its no problem at all! In fact, it will probably encourage them to do better. They know if they dont do well in school it wont be possible again! I also think that you have taught them a lot. School is important, but it isnt everything. Family is a number one priority. There are ways to learn outside of a classroom. I think more people need to learn those lessons. That is a great picture. It sounds like and looks like it was an amazing trip!

Yes, I would have let them miss school. Sometimes the school schedules are just too rigid and our kids need something different. I think this is one of those cases. I think it's so cool that you were able to take them on that trip. I am sure they'll remember it for a long time. :-D

We don't do it often...but yes, it's been done before. My older son missed school for more than a monthe when I went home to my mother's to have my second child. But that wasn't a vacation for him because I did homeschool for the 3 months that we were there (around 3 weeks of no-studies at school during the time). He missed almost another month of school when he was quarantined when his dad had the chicken pox and he also caught it...this was the last but one year of kindergarten...so it was okay. Last January, we had an emergency in the family. It happened the day before school reopened after Christmas and New Year vacation. So, we had to leave suddenly to our hometown. Both the kids and I (I was working at the same school) took a week off then.

I have let my kids miss school for a trip. My oldest daughter actually missed a day of school this past year so we could go on a day trip because it was my husbands only day off of work. I dont mind, in my opinion they can just get the school work from another class mate or the teacher. It's not going to "kill" them to miss a few days. :)

When my daughter was in Jr high we she missed school for a week so we could travel to Jamacia. It was the only time i could get vacation. I told the teachers in advance and get her school work all lined up. She took it with her. It was Easter time and the trip was like a learning experience in itself.

I don't think it harms the kids to take a few days off school every now and again especially if they are doing okay and there are no exams etc. It is too good an opportunity to travel to Canada! You are right in saying that the experience can be a culture lesson too. My sister took her little girl out of school for eight weeks when they travelled from Australia to Italy. The teacher provided homework for them to work on while away and when my niece returned to school she was fine. It was a once in a long time thing, not the sort of trip you would take too often in your lifetime unless you won the lottery or something! Your kids are gorgeous by the way!

Absolutely. School should be a very important part of a child's life but it should not be the end all. The child will be fine missing some days to go on vacation or anywhere else. The main point of school is learning and children can learn and be taught in any environment. Sometimes the leraning out of school enriches their learning in school as they get hands on experience and get to ask questions and see how things work. It was my daughter's own school that taught me this, to relax if she has to miss school. When she is home even if she's sick we find a way to turn it into an opportunity for her to learn and develope. Your trip sounds like the perfect "field trip" for your kids. Please do not be stressed about it. You did the right thing and taught them something they could not learn in their classroom.

i think it is okay to let kids miss school. school is a training place and that means they just don't follow rules there. sometimes somethings have to be done and the training there is whilst they miss a day or two of training in school the valuable lesson they ought to learn from that is they have to learn to adjust with whatever the class would be doing the day they go back .