{"id":21181,"date":"2013-02-28T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2013-02-28T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/?p=21181"},"modified":"2014-03-03T22:21:16","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T03:21:16","slug":"tips-for-homeschooling-while-traveling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/tips-for-homeschooling-while-traveling\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Homeschooling While Traveling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is a post from contributing writer Angie<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"homeschooling<\/a><\/p>\n

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the freedom it gives us to travel.\u00a0 While we never used to travel, we’ve taken advantage of being able to travel at off times in the last several years, and it has been wonderful.<\/p>\n

We always seem to run into a quandary before trips, however.\u00a0 Is this going to count as school attendance or not?\u00a0 While I know that there will be some out there who will remind me that learning happens every day, please believe me that I know this.\u00a0 However, I sometimes get picky about what counts as an instructional day as per my state’s requirement.<\/p>\n

Due to that pickiness, I have used some of these tips to help myself when we have decided to take trips.<\/p>\n

Tips for Schooling While Traveling<\/h2>\n

Research Before Your Trip<\/h3>\n

While you might have just been thinking about a week-long trip to a condo with nothing to do, a little research might turn up many amazing learning opportunities.\u00a0 Google makes it so easy to find out that a hands-on science museum geared toward children might be in the very next town.\u00a0 It just involves doing a little research and planning first.<\/p>\n

Our beach vacation one year turned into an amazing history lesson when we found out that an hour away, we could go to a naval air museum.\u00a0 It was a learning experience for all of us that we would have missed out on if we hadn’t done some research beforehand.<\/p>\n

Look at Your Trip with an Eye Toward Education<\/h3>\n

Prior to that same beach vacation, I figured we would just hang around and not do much of anything.\u00a0 Instead, I realized when we were there that my kids were learning much more about the ecosystem of the beach, how to spot jellyfish and Portuguese Man-of-War, the science behind kite flying, why the ocean water would be so cold even though the weather was so warm, and more.<\/p>\n

\"learning<\/a>
\nThese were all things that they would never learn from a book the same way that they internalized them at the beach.\u00a0 Learning is everywhere, and when you view a trip like that, it can be pretty astounding how much your children are learning.<\/p>\n

Bring Portions of Workbooks<\/h3>\n

This is just a small tip that worked for us when we took an extended month long trip.\u00a0 We wanted to continue to work on some of our bookwork, but I didn’t want to pack an entire suitcase just for books and workbooks.\u00a0 Instead, I ripped out only the work that I wanted to get done during our time away.\u00a0 This was just a little sanity and space saver that helped me a lot while traveling!<\/p>\n

Take Advantage of Audio Books<\/h3>\n

If your trip is going to include a long car ride, audio books can be a great option for keeping children occupied while also fitting in extra instruction.\u00a0 On one thirteen-hour car trip, we listened to a novel as well as some of our Story of the World chapters.<\/p>\n

Create a Journal or Scrapbook about Your Trip<\/h3>\n

One of my favorite assignments when I was in school was during a family vacation to Florida.\u00a0 My teacher sent some work for me to do, but she also asked me to write in a journal every day about things that we had done that day.\u00a0 Even though it was while I was in fifth grade, I still have that notebook, and it has become a precious memory of my first time out of the Midwest, which included adventures like seeing the ocean and going to Disney World.<\/p>\n

A journal is a very authentic way to work on language arts skills, and can cover composition, vocabulary, spelling, and more.<\/p>\n

Another option is to keep a hybrid journal\/scrapbook to include pictures and souvenirs.\u00a0 While this seems easiest to do once you’re home, I would encourage you to have your children work on it each day during the trip while the day’s events are the freshest in their minds.<\/p>\n

Plan to Not Worry about School<\/h3>\n

Sometimes, it’s just nice to take a vacation.\u00a0 Let whatever learning happens just happen and leave the book work behind.\u00a0 Don’t worry about counting attendance days.\u00a0 Embrace the fact that homeschooling means you can take a week off in the middle of February just because it’s your prerogative.<\/p>\n

More Homeschool Trips & Vacation Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n