Homeschooling can be a touchy subject but it doesn’t have to be that way. Our kids went to a nice public school and we pulled them out to homeschool a year before we decided to go full-time. The first year of homeschool we were in a sticks and bricks (aka house) and the second year is this year and on the road.

There are hard days but that’s with any school your kids attend. 

We use a HUGE variety of resources. Our unit study is a great tool. It allows me to read a chapter about whatever topic is going on that month (Asia, astronomy and such). Once I read the chapter, each child has their own worksheets to complete according to their grade level. It teaches them everything except math. It’s fairly quick to accomplish but we can dive deeper into the content with videos and activities. Most of the stuff they learn applies to things that we come across in everyday life so it’s actually useful for them. In our sticks and bricks we did the unit study 4 days a week. Since we’ve been on the road, we’ve only done it maybe 1-2 times a week.

Math: our math has stayed the same both years because it works for us. It’s with Math-U-See and includes an instructional dvd, hands on counting blocks, a workbook and a testing book (used to help ensure they’ve comprehended each skill). This works great for us so I do not anticipate changing math. We do anywhere from 2-4 pages each school day depending on how long it will take each child to accomplish. My goal for them is not to “time” how much they’ve done but to understand the concepts of each skill without overwhelming them. Math is a hard subject so if it’s really hard that day or they’re having an “off” day then they do 2 pages. If it comes easy to them that day or they are just getting the hang of a new skill then it’s 4 pages. We predetermine it before they start each school day.

The MAJOR difference:

In our sticks and bricks we would go on field trips with our homeschool group or head to the museum every once in a while. This is MUCH different on the road and here’s why. Our days are full of adventure and taking advantage of what’s around us. Our kids are slowly CHOOSING to learn and no, I’m not kidding! This past Saturday night they were in the living room giving each other math problems complete and testing each other (for real!), something like this is not uncommon. They will ask to research different things they’ve seen and such.

Their minds are curious so when we see new animals we research them. Once we see something in person and know what it is, where it comes from, what it eats and such.

We watch Horrible Histories and Horrible Science (our favorite and used as a “treat”). If you haven’t taken advantage of these, I highly recommend it and it’s free if you have amazon prime!

State parks are our favorite because they usually have a Junior Ranger Program. Each of the kids get workbook packets (sometimes 1-4 packets per park) and it’s FREE! When the kids complete the workbooks they get recognition from the park rangers and a badge to show off. The kids get so excited about it that they will work until bedtime to complete it. It’s packed full of information from each park so it’s always different and relevant information that we can use while hiking and being in the area. The state parks usually have a little exhibit area too! Hands down, our favorite homeschool tool!

Our second favorite is going to every ASTC we can find around us! If you don’t know what that is, it’s science centers that are linked in with each other so you can buy one membership and then visit the others free with your pass (some restrictions). For example: our Cincinnati Museum pass allowed us to get into the NASA museum and Children’s Museum in Houston, Science Center in Orlando and more. We try to go to everyone and spend the whole day there. It’s fun for everyone and they usually have classes and hands on activities to teach the kids. It’s truly amazing! Okay, maybe this one is my favorite resource!

When our kids are interested in something we research it like crazy. The best tool to use is what they’re naturally curious about because they just soak up the information like sponges. 

Geography has been huge for us. I made our dining table into a big map of the US. The kids look almost everyday at where we’ve been, where we’re going and have started to learn each state and KNOW what that state looked like and feels like. They remember what kind of sand it had, what the rocks looked like, if the roads were flat, what animals we commonly saw, different foods, the people and how the trees varied. It’s amazing!

Some days we use games, building concepts and science experiments for the whole school day. If we’re in a place for a while or it’s raining and we’ve decided to stay home all day then we break these out. They’re fun to do and they’re learning at the same time. Our games include math games, geography games, history games and more. We actually have a whole cabinet dedicated to them which says a lot considering how little space we have. If you want to see some of the games we use click here.

We also include a lot of reading. The kids are required to read for certain amounts of time each day and it must be educational. We’ve brought a TON of books with us so they have plenty to choose from depending on what they want to learn; sharks, polar bears, astronomy, you name it and we probably have it. They also get free reading time in which they can read whatever they want to read about.

Our kids have also met other kids from different cultures and the kids will learn from each other. For example, in 4 months on the road they have met kids from Israel, Canada , Sweden and more. The kids play and sometimes random questions come up about their cultures. They’ll compare foods they eat, we will look up their countries on a map and dive into their cultures. It’s fun, they remember things about their friends! We even keep in contact with a lot of them still. It’s amazing!

Guess what, some days we do nothing! That’s right, some days everyone is cranky or we’ve had too much stimulation from busy days that we just “veg out” and just “are”. These are the days that we watch Horrible Histories, Horrible Science and such. It allows our brains to catch up before the next adventure and that’s okay! We’re learning so much that we NEED a break! I should also note that we have decided to homeschool all year round. It’s what’s best for us and our kids get plenty of breaks when we visit family, are spending time with new or old friends, want to just go to the beach, do touristy stuff or for a hike and other things. Typically though, we always learn SOMETHING everyday. As parents that homeschool, we have rewired our brains to teach them little things here and there at all times without realizing it sometimes.

Our days vary since we don’t have a regular schedule. Before traveling full-time I assumed that travel days would mean we would get a lot of schooling done, that’s not the case. In the truck it’s hard to do anything with a pencil due to the shaking of the truck, turns, space and such. So, we do a couple of apps like Duolingo and Adventure Academy or watch a couple videos and have discussions about what we see on the road (random statues, signs, nature, animals and such), recap what we just left and begin planning what’s next.

No, our school is far from traditional and we LOVE it! 

You can click here for some of our homeschooling games! Join us at www.instagram/our.journey.to.happiness to follow our journey!