 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
We're planning a mini-season (4 Valleys) with at least one child next year.
Can anyone offer any advice on how to go about it with kids - youngest is 6.
We're looking at going for several weeks and wondering what to do about school. How might her school react to this news? Can we home school her while there or should we look for a Swiss school?
How do kids respond to weeks away from home - not sure if she will miss her friends or get sick of skiing/boarding.
How much piste time and ski school is a good idea?
What are the unforeseen problems and costs?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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marmalade, The first thing that springs to mind would be health cover, the Swiss basic cover is very basic and anyone working in Switzerland must take out a top up plan. What you would be required to do for a short stay or would an annual travel policy be acceptable? I am not sure but some of the Swiss resident Snow heads will know a lot more than me.
The other is that schooling will be in French, is the time long enough for your kids to get any thing out of it, so would home schooling be better. Still there are people that take their kids out for a year to do the round the world thing so its all possible.
hope it all works out for you, good luck
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| would an annual travel policy be acceptable? |
our annual policy covers stays up to 60 days - but many don't. If you had the right policy, it should be fine. Children do miss their friends and social intercourse. We lived and worked in Fiji once, and because we frequented places where cruising sailors anchored for weeks/months at a time we met a number of families with small children doing the "round the world thing". The kids were desperate for company. So desperate that two little girls went up to my daughter once, and just said "please can we play with you?". That sounds ordinary, but actually 8 year old girls are often much too shy to do that. They played with a kind of desperate concentration - they came up to the house to watch a video, they became instant best friends, they wept buckets when their parents sailed them away. It did make me wonder about the lifestyle they were leading, which in many ways was enviable. But if it's just four - six weeks, that's just a long holiday. If you are prepared to put in a lot of time with them, on and off the slopes, they should have a great time. Putting them in a French school for just a few weeks would seem a little cruel - maybe they could join in some local ski school classes, which would give them a taster, and improve their skiing? Swiss ski schools presumably have loads of different stages for kids, like the ESF? If they did, say, 4 or 6 weeks of progressive lessons they would make big strides; if they just ski around with you it would be more boring for them, and not as good for their skiing.
I think I'd take all the kids, not just one. Make a plan for their school work. How old are the older ones? Would it be possible to take a friend for the oldest one? We took our kids for long periods, all over the world, when they were small (work, not play), but the older they are, the harder it is for them.
And, to make the best of the opportunity, don't do English telly. The times spent without it, in our kids childhood, turned them all into voracious readers.
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marmalade, impossible to know exactly how the UK schools will react - they'll probably want to know that the children are receiving some continuing education while away, so have some plans in place (tentative, of course) before you ask them. They may also have strong views on when you shouldn't go. If they're supportive, they'll likely provide info on what the classes will be doing that term, and even allow your kids to keep up with homework by e-mail. It is worth looking at the local schools as well - even if you don't want your kids to go full time, it still might be good for them to go in for specific classes and social interaction - English lessons perhaps, music classes, that sort of thing. I read an article once about a load of British families doing this, so they set up a little winter-time school for the Jan - April term - that was in France, though. Better still, make friends with a Russian oligarch so you can share his kid's private tutors...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The school thing depends how long you'll be away for. For the whole season, I imagine you'll have to provide some satisfactory alternative schooling. Signing them up for the local school should do it, for what it will be worth. I doubt if the new school will care if they show up much or not. Some places in the Alps must have English lang schools (if you want that), I'd imagine, given the number of Brits infesting them.
We took our kids out for a month when they were 8, no problem. We added that month to the summer hols for a bit of travelling, but a month plus either Easter or Xmas hols isn't exactly a season, is it? We were away from home for 10 weeks on our travels, moving around a lot (3 nights in one place was the most, IIRC). We all had a great time and would do it again tomorrow if the chance arose (as it will in 4 years' time). By the end of the 10 weeks, the kids and the OL were ready to come home; I could have kept on indefinitely, I think. Moving around is obviously different from being in one place (you're not moving around, for one thing), but if your kids are reasonably robust, they'll love it. My kids would kill for a season on the snow (I wouldn't, I'd rather travel around).
Good luck.
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Thanks all.
pam w, The older kids are fifteen and studying for GCSE's so I think we'd get prosecuted if we took them out of school for any length of time. I thought they could join us during school holidays. Hopefully grandparents will cover the rest )or I'll fill the freezer and install CCTV at home!)
I think we could extend our insurance to cover a longer period next year so that would deal with medical concerns.
I think home-schooling and email contact with school is probably the way to go. I'll buy the Head a bunch of flowers and put it to her next week. Keep your fingers crossed.
The local ski school in Nendaz is called Neige Adventure. Looks quite good - anyone tried it? I was thinking of getting her a few lessons each week so she mixes with other kids. I'm a bit worried that she will miss her friends and miss playing with kids her age so hopefully ski lessons will resolve that. She's not a gregarious child so I don't think she'd go up to another child and make friends otherwise.
I'm still wondering - do they just get sick of snow/skiing? How long does it take for the novelty to wear off?
Oh, and does anyone know any Russian oligarchs they can introduce me to? 
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marmalade, I'm totally with Pam on this.
Her comments re insurance I assume you have already researched and sorted ... don't forget 3rd party liability etc. Switzerland is not the EC ... as if you didnt know.
I can think of nothing worse for a young Brit child than somewhere like Nendaz for a 'few weeks', especially if she is 'shy' as you suggest ,although fluency in French would help .. a bit. It is hardly the bastion of 'Brits Abroad' with an ex-pat community. Our friends put youngsters into that 'school' for a couple of days iirc ... quickly taken out... they were poorly looked after.
Moving 'for life' and absorbing the lifestyle would generate different comments from me.
From what you say ... she'll hate it when the novelty wears off ( 2 days??) and you decide to ski all-day , dumping her with people to whom the poor kid can not relate. Not to mention taking her away from her current 'little friends'.
Frankly, I think you're being unfair to the little mite .. apologies if this sounds rude 
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The thing is, everything depends on the kid. My son would have been in clover skiing all day, every day. Lack of other kids would not have mattered in the slightest. My daughter would also have loved the skiing but would eventually have missed other kids and the mental stimulation of school, I think.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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If the eldest are 15, why not wait a year or two until they are old enough to look after themselves? Seems a bit unfair to dump them in the middle of their GCSE studies with their grandparents.Your youngest will probably miss them too.
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Tough on the grandparents, too. I can't see my folks standing still for that.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If she is currently6, does that mean that next year will be a SATS year for her? I can't see the school being happy at her prolonged absence if it is. If you are going to go at all, why not do the whole season, and put her into a proper school.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Frankly, I don't think there's ever going to be a perfect time to do this. If I wait til next year the boys will be even closer to thier GCSE's.
If I wait til the year after the youngest will be in year 5 and it will be harder for her to catch up... and so it goes on.
As for SATs, I don't think exams are that important at the age of 6 - if we lived in most European countries she'd still be kindergarten so I don't think 3 or 4 weeks of home schooling will harm her.
Grandparents are more than happy to house sit with the boys for a couple of weeks so I don't think it's too tough on them - they aren't elderly.
From a selfish point of view, I have a degenerative disease and if I wait a few years I may not be able to ski at all so it's probably now or never.
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You know it makes sense.
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marmalade, then take your chance.................... . BTW, I agree that SATS aren't important.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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marmalade, terrible thing to have to deal with. Sorry to hear it.
On the subject of timing...if you went out somewhere before Xmas and came back at the end of Feb half-term you'd get 2 months. You could have a lovely snowy Xmas with all the kids, ship the older ones home for school and then have them come out again at half-term, then all go home together. You'd meet loads of people over the Xmas period, local and non, and maybe that way would meet kids of a similar age to your youngest. You can tell I'm a bit envious, to have given it that much thought!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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marmalade, I'm sorry to hear that. go for it. I'm with vetski, on the timing front as well. Make an effort to get to know locals though - very important. BTW, most french kids I meet can read and write properly by age 7 - they go to maternal school at 3 and 'big school' at 5 here. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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FAQ
Go and do Zermatt instead ...live life for every single ounce you can wring out of it ..... even better if the 'kids' can enjoy with you .... I won't be 'sad' for you ( sorry) but really hope you 
We really regret not staying for a whole year and enjoying the summer in the Alps.....more people than we relaised are doing/ have done he same thing, its great.