Schooling on the Road
This would have to be one of the biggest topics between travelling families and a question we get messages about a lot.
To be honest when we first left on our “Lap” in Jan 2018 it was one of the hardest parts of Full-time travel.
When we first started, we had a 10-month exemption from school but the worry and guilt that came along on a daily basis was hard for me and we put way too much pressure on ourselves and couldn’t find that balance of being parents, teachers and travelling full-time.
In 2019 we decided to continue our journey travelling and decided we needed more structure for the kids and schooling. We decided to give distance education a go and enrolled our 3 eldest boys.
We soon felt ourselves drowning in “schoolwork” fighting, arguing, rushing just to get the school work done. With constant tears from the kids it quickly became like a chore! Instead of actually focussing on what our boy’s needs where we felt like we were doing a load of unnecessary work and fights for what!
We got to a point we were questioning our choices and deciding where we went from here.
After speaking to a few other travelling families and reading a few blogs and other peoples experiences, we decided to head down the home-schooling path and it was the best decision we ever made.
As parents were still learning every day and I wish I had all the advice and answers. What we have learnt though is how our kids learn, what interests them and what doesn’t, the pace they need to work at and how to get them focused and when it’s time for something new.
There is literally an opportunity to learn with everywhere we go and almost everything we do. They don’t realise it at the time but we do and we take the opportunity to get their minds thinking and learning without them even knowing
Things that take them out of their comfort zones. Things that in a classroom they may (if their lucky) learn about while sitting at a desk with a book and a pencil. Instead they are out there in the real-world learning hands on in real situations, in real experiences and things most adults only dream of.
They have been in Lava tubes, walked the rim of a volcanic crater, swam with sharks, they can change a car tyre, collect wood and start a campfire. We learn about our history and the importance of our aboriginal background and searched caves for rock art. We have learnt how to milk camels and our eldest could tell you everything there is to know about the great barrier reef and the importance of looking after and keeping our oceans clean. They learn resilience, team work and make friends everywhere we go. They meet people from all different walks of life and backgrounds and everyone is their new “best friend”. Now they know how to read a map and sail the Whitsunday’s on a catamaran navigating tides, the winds and finding snorkelling spots and places to anchor.
Don’t get me wrong we still do some “boring” stuff too! The writing, the reading, the spelling and the maths which is important. Not only are they still learning every day, we are also making life long memories together as a family while they are still young. Giving them a childhood full of experiences, adventures and living in natures very best playground. Something I hope in 10 years from now they will look back on, remember and be grateful for.
****This is our own personal experience! Every child and family are completely different and have different beliefs or expectations. This is just our journey.****
Cheers,
Tom & Aimee
4 Boys and a Caravan