How to Homeschool While Traveling
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One of my favorite benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility to travel during the school year. We take advantage of this homeschool perk multiple times a year. Despite being in control of their child’s education, a lot of people worry about how to homeschool while traveling.
We just returned from a trip back to the East Coast to visit family so I thought this would be an excellent time to tell you how I homeschool while traveling.
First off, I’m not a hug fan of bringing our every day school work with us when we travel. I have done it before, but I do not recommend it under normal circumstances. It lead to a bit of resentment over doing schoolwork on ‘vacation’ and just wasn’t worth the hassle of dragging curriculum across the country.
Instead, I prefer to fill our travel days with natural learning opportunities.
How To Homeschool While Traveling
Look for educational opportunities
There is an educational opportunity in almost every task. At the airport my children are in charge of reading the signs to determine which gate we need to go to and they figure out how to get us there. This is a pretty basic part of traveling, but they are building confidence and life skills for when they eventually travel alone.
Plan plenty of field trips
If you look hard enough, you can find a field trip opportunity anywhere. I like to find field trips that might not be available at home. Research historical events in the area you are visiting. Check online for any museums that might interest your children.
We have taken a few trips during this current school year and have visited an aquarium in Maui, walked along the historic C&O canal, toured the colonial area in Williamsburg, and checked out the National Zoo.
Bring good books
I know I said to leave the curriculum at home, but that doesn’t include reading material. Traveling almost always involves lots of down time – waiting for a plane, riding in a car, etc. Bring along a few books to keep everyone entertained! You can bring along novels that complement your curriculum or let your kids choose whatever books look good. We always travel with our kindles loaded with books (and a few movies).
Chat with older generations
Nothing compares to hearing about the past directly from someone who lived it. We live on the opposite side of the country from the rest of our families so we prioritize visiting family on our trips. We try to make sure our kids see their grandparents a few times a year. On our most recent visit, my kids had a chance to chat with their great-grandmother. She lectured them about the dangers of smoking and I’m sure it made a bigger impact than when they hear me say the same things.
How do you handle trips during the school year?
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