Back when my brother & I were 11 & 12 years old, (1957) my dad decided we were old enough to join him on his annual week long deer hunt. He called the school to tell them we'd be off for the week and of course they objected, but Dad told them there's lots more to learning than what you get from a classroom. The pricipal said he couldn't really disagree with that and told us to take the week off & enjoy ourselves.
When we went back to school a week later, Dad sent the pricipal a large venison roast and he never again objected to us taking time off school.