Our classroom
…but our school is at home. When I started blogging about our travels, I had whimsical ideas that I would share about our travels while answering questions about great hotels for families and fun roadside stops. Interestingly, though, most of the questions I get are about homeschooling. Most of the time, the questioners are genuinely curious, but there is always a hint of ‘you know that’s weird right’?
The kids pull their assignments from these drawers for self directed learning.
Although homeschooling is increasingly becoming more wide spread, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I have had a bushel of glassy eyed panicked expressions and people who back away slowly when they discover that we school at home. Quite accustomed to this reaction, I have become well equipped to talk people down from the “isn’t that illegal and what about socializing” ledge.
That big comfy chair in the corner is my teacher’s desk.
Lest you be afraid I have jumped the travel blogging shark and will from here on be a denim jumper wearing radical touting the evils of public schooling, let me offer a disclaimer. I do not think public school is evil (although some reform is in order) and I do not think that homeschooling offers a superior education for every child. I freely admit that my kids are missing out many things by schooling at home. They are also benefiting in ways that they would not if they were in a brick and mortar school. This seems to show up most in our travels.
Printing Hieroglyphics during our unit study on Egypt.
So interconnected are our schooling and our travels that it is hard to say which came first. Most obviously, homeschooling allows us to travel during the off season when the prices are lower and the museums are empty. It also allows us the freedom to travel for an extended period of time. I would almost be tempted to say neener, neener at this point, but I assure you I pay for this little benefit while teaching verb conjugation and long division.
Our curriculum is also a big impetus for our travels. We use a literature based, living books curriculum, which is just educationese that means that we don’t use text books and we read a lot. Whenever possible, I strive to create opportunities to immerse ourselves in our reading and that often means traveling to a site that correlates with the topics we are studying. Let me tell you, there is some education magic in reading about Lewis and Clark while paddling down a river or reading about slavery while huddled in an Underground Railroad site.
Paddling along, reading Lewis and Clark
Our yearly travel plans and the arrival of our curriculum go almost hand in hand, as we use one to plan the other. After studying Greece and Rome, we bought our tickets and explored the pages of our books face to face. The Middle Ages and Renaissance prompted a trip to England and Italy. In the coming years we will study ancient cultures and eastern cultures. Egypt and China, anyone? Be still my heart.
Bodiam Castle to wrap up our lesson on the Middle Ages
Back to those burning questions. No, we don’t homeschool for religious reasons, but we know many people who do. Yes, we do have lots of opportunities to socialize: scouts, Sunday School, sports and weekly co-op. No, homeschoolers do not have to have teaching credentials, but I do have a teaching degree if that makes you feel better about the whole thing. No, I do not have an angelic amount of patience, and I occasionally dream of the big yellow school bus taking away all my troubles.
And yes, we know it’s weird. That’s actually one of the reasons that we chose homeschooling for our family. You see, with only one chance at life for us and our kids, we want to make it extraordinary. One of the unintended side effects of schooling on the road less traveled is that the kids have become accustomed to feeling somewhat foreign. Along with this they have developed a relative comfort with the differences of others and feeling of confidence in new situations. My hope is that they will carry this confidence with them, whether it is in their own backyard or around the world.
Your children are so fortunate to be able to travel the world and experience historical sites first hand.
Best,
Emily from Nap Time Is My Time
It’s great you get to do so much travel 🙂 Looks like you have a really nice school set up, too.
Love the vivid, bright classroom 🙂 Travelling expands the mind .. so am sure your kids are super smart:)
Following on GFC from Monday Blog Hop !! Feel free to hop by my blog 🙂
I’l admit it. Homeschooling used to freak me out. When my elementary school had to bus all of us in 6-8 grade 45 minutes north to a less crowded school, many of my friends parents chose to keep their kids home and homeschool until high school. I thought that was nuts. They would be missing out on so much. You know what though. Junior high was traumatic. The bus ride was brutal. Maybe homeschooling would not have been so bad.
Now that I am a mom, and I watch other moms, I do wonder what will happen to our travels when D goes off to kindergarten. Would homeschooling be a better option for us? Will the school let me take him out for 3 weeks at a time so we can travel the globe? I don’t know.
Oh, and you know you can always count on me for a trip to China. D can teach your boys his 2 words in Mandarin. And I have a buddy in Cairo that I really need to visit 🙂
You are doing an amazing job lady! I love hearing about all of the wonderful and educational experiences you and the boys have. You inspire me to add learning in to much more of our lives, because learning ca be a whole lot of fun for all of us!
Hi,
I’m a new follower! It’s funny I came across your blog. I’m seriously thinking about home schooling my 10 year daughter . It’s amazing that you have time to run such a great blog. I will be back for home schooling tips!
iphonemom.blogspot.com
I love the words on the wall. Is that vinyl? This is a great classroom.
following you from Hop along with me Monday.
ladeedacreations.com
From someone who had worked in the “traditional” school setting for ten years, I would never hope to provide your boys with the type of education they are receiving. Europe is a video, China is a website, and the trek you have planned across North America were only stories of my past. There is much to learn from those brave enough to buck tradition and do what is best for their children. I admire you, much like I always have and if left up to me I would homeschool S,J, and A. You are my hero. Mike and I are planning our first trip to London with the children for three years from now. It’s a start! This summer it’s Yosemite and Texas in the fall!
WOW!!!!! I love all your students so dutifully at work….looks like such fun WHILE learning!
Fantastic. Thank you so much for playing along with Makes My Monday…I hope you will join in often!
Thank you for sharing this post. As someone who went to public schools growing up, I was really fascinated to get a glimpse at homeschooling in action. I think that–like everything in life–there are positives and negatives to both homeschool and public school. As you said, every child is different. It looks like what you’re doing works great for your family!
Great Post! I relish the idea of our weirdness as homeschoolers.
wonderful post! I love all the traveling you do, what great experiences! We are weird homeschoolers, also 🙂
Thanks for stopping by the Hip Homeschool Hop today and linking up! We are glad you did. Your classroom looks awesome and it is terrific you get to travel so much. What a blessing!
Have a Happy HHH Day!
Wonderful idea to read about certain studies while on location. Don’t know why I never thought of that before. I wish we could travel more like this and especially to some of the places you have gone! Italy?! WOW!
PS-Sometimes it really is OK to be weird. 🙂
Jessica,
As I slowly back away… just kidding! I have often pondered my ability to teach my children at home and whether it would be beneficial for them, or me. I am educated, I am blessed enough to not have to work and I have 4 kids! Last year when I had 4 kids with 4 different school schedules, I thought I was going to go out of my mind. One all day 4th grader, one morning kindergartner, one afternoon pre-k and a one-day-a week mother’s day out toddler.
I have spoken to friends who home school for one reason or another. Some of them didn’t want their children to be a part of the rat race of school, some of them didn’t like the subject matter. I never saw a child that was better off in a home school than they would have been in a public school. I saw minimal effort, lack of organization, wild out of control children that were allowed to play most of the day or watch tv after their work was done.
I also have three boys with learning disabilities that stretches my patience. However…. after meeting your charming, intelligent, well rounded little gentlemen, I must admit I have started considering it.
You have shown everyone here that the benefits of home schooling are defined by the teacher, you. If you truly take on the task like a mission in life and make it interesting, hands on, life lessons, you children will benefit. We had a “starter session” this summer. The boys were behind at school and my brainiac daughter wanted to do the entire 5th grade curriculum over the summer. So we started “summer school”. I ordered materials for all four children and started our daily school work. It was rough at first. My oldest boy is very easily distracted, the middle child has sensory integration disorder and the youngest is about 6 months behind developmentally. After figuring out the best teaching method for all the children, we started getting into a routine. I noticed that the attention that these boys required could NEVER be offered in a public school. We are nearing the end of the summer and my future first grader is reading and doing math, counting coins and telling time. The kinder-gardener is sounding out words and writing with proper hand writing techniques. The youngest is now writing his name and working on all of his letters and numbers.
Although I’m not ready to home school full time, I am much more prepared to help then during the year with home work and keeping ahead of the teachers at school.
You have shown me a “successful” home school environment that I am going to integrate into our public experience. We also have been going to the zoo or the museum every week. Last year I would have told you that there was no way I could take my kids to a museum by myself, but you have given me hope, suggestions and tips that have made our outings a success!
Thank you for your blog Jessica.
Wendy Argenbright “Okie with a Texas Heart”
I don’t think many people do home schooling here in NZ. I look back on my childhood and wish I had the opportunity to travel like your family but realise that my mother would not have made an ideal teacher – lol. Every thing she told me was contradicted by the teachers at school. I applaud you in the great job you are doing.
Love your classroom! And the travels, I wish we could do that!
I absolutely LOVE this post!!! I wholeheartedly agree with everything you touched on. Your schoolroom is amazing as well! As someone who is just starting out with a kindergartner (although I homeschooled him for pre-k), and creating our small homeschool room, I am very imposed with your set up. Thanks for inspiring all of us homeschooling families to enjoy the unique & enriching experience of home education!:)
We are very similar we travel a lot for our school lesson and read continuously. We just returned from spending five years in the UK and loved everything about it and got to travel to many great places. I have asked my kids if they want to return to school and they both are strongly opposed to returning to school, secretly I am very relieved:)
Anna-Marie recently posted…Playing in an old shoe factory