There is the homeschooling on the road we do as we shuttle between lessons, games, field trips, practices, and such.
And then, there is the homeschooling on the road we do when we travel for vacations, family outings and extended periods of time.
How do you stay organized through it all?
Here is what we do -
Homeschool on the Road in town -
Each kid has a large three ring binder with tabs for each subject. Each week, I pull all paper work they need for the week, punch it and put in the binder under appropriate tab. Then all there school work is one place. Then if we have to school on the road they can grab, their binder and maybe one other book (reading or novel) and have everything they need. This makes it very easy to keep up with all they have to do and how much progress they are making. I usually empty their binders once a month and file the pages for documentation of work completed. This is our first year of doing this, and I love it. It is even handy around the house.
Homeschooling on the Road out of town-
This year, we spent the biggest part of November in California visiting family. I knew we were taking a big chunk of time off for Christmas, so I wanted to make sure we continued school on the road. Granted it was a scaled back version of school, but we did need to accomplish something. I also knew that I did not want to transport all our books to and from CA. I could not afford it and I did not want to risk losing any curriculum. So here is what I did - I pulled worksheet and reading pages that went with what I wanted to study while we were gone. Oceans, California, Thanksgiving, Math Concepts, Etc. I arranged them in the order I wanted them completed and then I bound them into a booklet. I own a small binding business, so I bound them with comb binding here at home. You can get books bound comb or spiral at any office supply store for around $4. Each kid had one bound book with all work to complete while we were gone. It saved on luggage and no fear of losing our curriculum. Worked out great and when we got home I just filed the completed book away for each kid.
So those are my ideas - Now I can't wait to hear yours!
Comment Away, Girls!
Great blog BTW! When traveling through states in the car, each child had a small 1/2 inch three ring binder with tabs for each state we were traveling through. I put them in order of the states we would be driving through. In the clear front cover of the binder, I copied a US map and highlighted our route. We would sing out the name of the state slowly as we went across the state line. Then they would know to go to the next section. I also found it fun to stop at visitors centers for fun stickers, maps and such. For each state I found worksheets online that included coloring pages for the state flag, state bird, state flower and some states had word searches or activity pages. I also copied some pages out of the children's atlas. On new trips we can add new states that we haven't visited. They love having a record of the states they've visited. Thanks for sharing your ideas! Love the bags for the homeless. We may have to try this. How do you pass them out? Do you walk on the sidewalk or pass them out through the car window? I worry about safety, but I guess I need to trust that God will protect us. God bless!
ReplyDeleteLove the new blog Rachel. Thanks for doing this! We don't take many trips out of town anymore, but we do seem to 'vanschool' quite frequently while running errands or to/from places. I have a blank spreadsheet on Excel for each child that I print out each week. Sunday night I fill it in with their work. They also each have a backpack that is always stocked with paper/pencils etc. whatever they need and would usually forget. If we have to go out, they load up their backpacks with their schedule and books and we are ready to go. I like your idea of the 3 ring notebook. That might be nice!
ReplyDeleteDawna - thanks for the idea! Great way for the kids to experience all the places they have been. About the kits - we usually hand them out the window at the corner. But when moved we there is a park in town where we go and deliver - on these occasions the kids stay in the van and pass the bags to me while I deliver them. If God tells you to feed somebody, He will protect you :)
ReplyDeleteDawn - Thanks for the comment. Love the term "vanschool"! Like the backpack idea too. And I do the spreadsheet thing each week, makes my life so much easier :)