When I decided to write this blog I
first researched travel blogs, home school blogs, and even blogs on how to
write blogs. I realized there are
hundreds of these online magazines on any and every subject. I can try to find my specific niche, I
can try to be unique and different, or I can just be me. Write about my interests, goals,
passions and experiences. I love
to read, write, travel and hike, and I like to read and write about travels and
hikes. I love to learn and
teach. I am a retired home
educator, that is my children were educated at home and now have moved on to
other phases of their lives. I
miss the educational outings, the hikes in the woods as well as literary
outings as we discovered other cultures through books, music, art and my
favorite, travel literature. A
good portion of this blog will be dedicated to those different outings as well
as suggestions for other families.
While searching through the various
blogs I googled “travel + Home school” and found families that actually travel
and home school as a lifestyle choice.
In a way that had been my dream all those years ago when we started our
little school. I had visions of my
children reading about Alexander the Great followed by our discovery and
walking across countryside that he had conquered. I wanted to read about Leonardo da Vinci, study pictures of
the Mona Lisa, travel to Paris and stand in line for hours to view the famous
artwork followed by lunch in a Parisian café sipping coffee and observing the
life around us.
I found a blog of a family that has
travelled the world with their daughter.
She plays violin in Turkey and in Monet’s garden. She does algebra on a train ride across
France. She reads a history book
about Poland as she travels to Poland.
I then began to think about our home school, in our family room of a
very conventional home in the suburbs of Metro Atlanta. My first thought was of my poor
children and all the wonderful life experiences they missed, but instead I saw
them reading on our couch snuggled up to me or with each other. I saw them playing outside in their
yard and with their friends. I saw
them in home school co-ops giggling with their buddies, in scouts and church,
visiting family for long weekends, and our family sharing dinner around our
table. We were able to travel at
times, but our school had stability to it, one that I believe we needed. We were grounded to our home as
center. I know my children, and I
cannot imagine them doing math problems on a train or plane or car. We tried that many times while visiting
family and we found doing school at grandma’s house was not very useful. That was OK, I happily traded useful
school days for family time.
We travelled in our minds as we
read about “The Gods of Greece” and “A Childs History of the World.” We travelled as we cooked Indian food,
sang Mexican songs, and attempted to create our own Impressionist art. We studied folk tales of Japan, we drew
flag after flag and labeled maps of countries I had never heard of before home
school. We also physically
traveled all over our state as we studied Georgia history, and later West Virginia
history. One summer the kids and I
drove across the country making a loop from Georgia to Montana. I do not regret a thing about our home
schooling, from the choices we made to the ones we did not do. I may be “retired” but now I can relive all those experiences in the
blog, and hopefully share with you some tips and ideas for your own educational
adventures and travels.
Bon Voyage!
P.S. Life is an adventure and a journey, just reach out and enjoy
those opportunities that come your way.
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