"Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go."
One of the many perks of homeschooling is that you and I get to set our own school year. We're not tethered to the strict calendar of the "professionals" up the street. We can visit grandma--and whoever else we want--anytime we want.
Even so, time spent going from this family get together to that one can sometimes be a bit of a strain on our short-term learning plans. If we're being really honest, it can often make us feel guilty, as if all that time spent in the car traveling here and there is a waste.
But it's not. And here's why:
Traveling can actually provide learning opportunities that your kids would never experience otherwise. Many people call this type of education “worldschooling” because it's learning that can happen anywhere and at any time--even in the car, even during the holidays.
Below are a few ways you can turn your necessary Christmas and New Year's travel into a worldschooling adventure.
(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)
Let the Kids Help Plan
Travel planning is actually a fantastic learning opportunity that many parents fail to see. Everything from budgeting to route planning can help your kids develop math, reading, problem-solving, and general life skills.
Let your kids in on the planning process. You won't regret it. Need some tips on how to pass the route reigns to them? Here's a few to get you started.
Provide a Travel Allowance
Usually, I’m not big on giving my kids money when they haven't worked to earn it. That said, a travel allowance can actually be a great learning tool that can help your young adventurers understand the value of a dollar and begin to grow their budgeting skills.
Most parents limit a child's travel budget to extra spending cash for buying souvenirs and small gifts, but I'd recommend giving your kids enough money to also pay for necessities like food and entrance fees. This will provide a natural opportunity to guide them through the process of considering what they want to purchase in light of what they actually need to purchase. You can also use this allowance to help show them how to make their money stretch.
Download Educational Audios
Generally speaking, traveling means spending time in the car or on a plane. Instead of sticking a movie in front of your kids, why not use this boring time more productively? There are tons of great audiobooks and podcasts out there that can provide hours of entertainment and a starting point for some excellent conversations.
I highly recommend the following podcasts for kids:
Brains On!
Story Pirates
Tumble
Wow in the World
Or these audiobooks for long distance travel:
Echo
The Ramona Quimby Collection
Mr. Popper's Penguins
The House at Pooh Corner
The Knights of Arrethtrae series
Stop at Historic Sites
Holiday travel often allows you to see historic sites dressed in period decor. If you’ll be passing any significant landmarks on your route, make a point of stopping to have a look around. Learn how people would have celebrated the season in that area of the world or in light of that particular time period. What's more? Many historic sites offer holiday treats for guests to sample that showcase unique food traditions of that region.
Check Out National Parks
If grandmother's house is quite a distance away, consider a short detour through a National Park. These natural treasures offer countless learning opportunities and give kids a chance to reconnect with nature while also expending excess energy. Definitely a win-win. Afterward, encourage your children to journal about what they've experienced on a National Monuments and Parks notebooking page.
Here are some of my tips for visiting National Parks with kids.
Visit Museums
Of course, museums and zoos are also great educational attractions and can be found in almost every city in the US. Plan on seeing the museums in your destination city with family and friends by grabbing annual membership to thousands of museums, zoos, historic sites, and aquariums all over the country for one low price.
Here are some tips on making the most of museums with kids.
Learn About Your Destination
You're bound to learn more during your trip if you take a little time to learn about where you're going before you get there. Prior to traveling, research the history of the place, as well as any fun regional differences between there and home. If you’re visiting a foreign country, be sure to also investigate the culture. Do a bit of reading or watch some informational videos before you go, both to help prepare your kids for the trip and to give them some things to look out for during your visit.
For longer, cross-country trips, provide an opportunity for your kids to recount their experience in a travel journal or a few notebooking pages designed to help a child document what he's learned about individual states.
Want to know more about schooling while traveling? I’d love for you to check out my Roadschool Guides over at Wonder Wherever We Wander.
Thank you for talking about how you can continue your education while traveling and traveling. This is very helpful for us as we often travel with our family and sometimes our daughter misses some of the learning material at school. We spent a lot of time booking tickets until my friend told me to read bookvip reviews and see how other people describe their experience of interacting and planning trips with them.
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