Planning a few fun family activities to share with your son and daughter? Looking forward to seeing the Royal Canadian Circus when it comes to town this spring or summer? Looking for ways to engage your children and make the excursion educational? A trip to the circus can be very educational for your children. It teaches children about character development, team work, and problem solving, gives them a chance to experience history rather than reading it in textbooks and inspires them to do better.
The following are 5 ways to make a trip to the circus an educational experience, and not just a fun family activity for you to enjoy with your children.
History Lesson
A week before you visit the circus, take a trip to the local public library. Ask the librarian if they have any books about the history of the circus. While reading the literature with your children, you will find that the circus has been around since Ancient Rome. That’s over 2000 years of history to be learned. Obviously, the circus has evolved since then, but the idea/concept behind it still exists.
After your visit to the Circus, ask your child(ren) to reflect: 1) how was the experience different/similar from the circuses in the past?; 2) What new features made the circus a fun, enjoyable experience for the entire family?
Character Development
A trip to the circus can also teach your children a lot about character development. The acts being performed are complex and require a great deal of training. None of it would have been made possible without the performers’ ability to be optimistic, to persevere despite challenges, to work as a team, and to retain a positive attitude at all times. Review the following positive character attributes with your child beforehand and see if you could spot at least 10 of them at the Royal Canadian Circus.
Team Work
Most of the acts require at least two people to work together to make something thrilling and entertaining. For example, the strongest stunt performer is the foundation for holding up agile participants. You can’t reverse that and have a wonderful pyramid of people! Watch closely to their body language, such as slight head movements, looks and nods. This form of non-verbal communication is open at all times between the team members and is needed for smooth and effective performances and transitions. There’s a lot of examples for your children to take away and use in the classroom, playground and at home.
Inspire to Do Better
The circus is the only form of entertainment where the children are guaranteed to enjoy themselves as much as their parents and grandparents, making it an affordable day out for the entire family. Seeing the skill and intelligence of performers at close quarters can only foster admiration and respect. As well, it could motivate children to try new things and set new goals for themselves in life and in academics by leading by example.
Problem Solving
Conflicts inevitably happen when you put together a group of unique people. Performers come from varied backgrounds and have different work styles and habits. As you watch the circus, take notice of how the final product is put together and how each participant contributes to the success of the final product. Seeing this will help students have more respect for diversity and for the differences that make us special and unique.
The Royal Canadian Circus’ Spectac! 2017 show is undoubtedly a fun form of family entertainment that you will enjoy with your children. We will be generating smiles and endless “ooo’s” and “awe’s” this year in Surrey, Vancouver and Abbotsford in May, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Regina in June and July. In August we’ll be in Etobicoke, Ontario near Toronto. We’ve also got shows scheduled in Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray and more. So check us out for the best in unique fun family summer activities and entertainment. We look forward to delighting you all beyond your imagination!
Purchase circus tickets by visiting the Buy Tickets section on our website. For customers looking to bring the entire family for mother’s day celebration, we offer 2-4-1 ticket deals (limited time availability). Use promo code: “hire wire” to reap benefits of the discount.