Our Travel Program

At The Fulton School, we believe that travel is one of the best growth opportunities we can offer children.  We kick it off in Upper Elementary when students go away for two nights at a local camp.  

 

Our Middle Schoolers (7th and 8th graders) traditionally take an Outdoor Education trip in the early fall -- great for teambuilding so we start the school year off on the right foot.

 

And in High School (9th through 12th grade), we offer two trips per year: one week-long domestic trip in the fall and one  longer international trip over spring break.

 

Why all the travel?  Well, the obvious reason is that you get to see and experience things you cannot see and experience at home.  From an educational standpoint, this is pure gold.  Seeing the Great Wall of China or Ellis Island brings history to life; hearing and speaking Spanish all day brings a foreign language to life; orienteering or cooking like a pioneer brings geography and social studies to life. The children's brains are literally rewiring throughout the experience. You can't help but learn in the midst of travel!  

 

Secondly, and more subtly, it's really good for your children to have some days (and nights) away from you.  It's preparation for adulthood after all, and the more gradual it can be, the less traumatic it will be.  They learn about themselves in a different way when they are not with you.  They learn to take care of situations for which they might otherwise go to you; they learn to comfort themselves a bit more (especially at night); they learn that they are their own entity outside your home; they learn that they can do hard things!  All of these lessons are a recipe for building self confidence (their belief in their abilities, qualities, and judgement) and self efficacy (their belief in their capacity to influence situations outside of themselves), and those are two of the qualities we most want them to develop for a meaningful adulthood.

 

It's part of our priority to educate the whole child... to nurture their character growth, their curiosity, their understanding of their place in the world, and their passion for life and learning!