Hi, Mom here, chiming in briefly about educating our kids on the road. I would like to start by saying that even though homeschooling is often a mom-dominated world, and we continue that in our family, that’s definitely not the only option. Many dads homeschool, too, as do grandparents and other family members. (Check your laws though; at least in WA state, it legally has to be the legal guardian in charge of the homeschooling experience.) There are working parents homeschooling, and many outsource specific subjects or topics to other family members, friends, or community members. So I’m writing this post because, in our family, I have led the charge on it. Just know that there are so many ways to homeschool. There are others like you, and it’s totally okay that you’re reading this article, no matter what role you fill in your family.
Education Options
So, you have a LOT of options for educating on the road, beyond even homeschooling (which I’ll get into). First of all, you could use one of many public or private online school options. My state uses K12 for public online school, and many also use Connections. So if this is a route you’re interested in, check out your local public school’s website and see what options they have. (You’ll need your domicile address for this.)
There are also private schools that offer online enrollment and attendance. Now, here, you need to be careful. At least in WA state, the state only considers private schools that they have approved to be a school. So for example, if you are a legal resident of Washington state (no matter where you physically are in the world), and you enroll your kiddo in Pearson Online Academy, unless they’ve been approved by WA state’s board of education, the state of Washington won’t consider your child enrolled in school. It would be considered a curriculum choice. You’d still have to jump through all the hoops for homeschooling your child (which in WA state, aren’t bad). So check out your state’s laws and what they consider to be a private school if this is something you want to explore.
Homeschooling Options for Educating on the Road
Finally, there’s homeschooling on the road. The big, huge, wide world of homeschooling. If you’re just getting started, check out this step-by-step guide. In WA state, it’s legally called “Home-Based Instruction,” so you’ll be looking for HBI laws as opposed to homeschooling laws because there are no homeschooling laws in WA state. If your legal residence/domicile state is Washington, then I recommend WHO – Washington Homeschool Organization. They know all the skinny on homeschooling/HBI laws in Washington state and will help anyone, whether or not you’re a member of the organization.
Those private online schools I mentioned earlier are one avenue you have for homeschooling. If you want that structure and accountability, if your kiddo thrives with online classes, then one of these may be the perfect fit for you. Of course, if you’re traveling, they can make things a lot harder, too. For one, you need a really good internet connection, wherever you are. This might not be an issue for you if you’re planning to always stay near big cities, or if a parent already works online and already needs strong, consistent internet access. But if you want to explore a lot of national parks, you enjoy boondocking, or you just want to explore lesser-populated areas of our country, or maybe other countries (where your internet options are going to be different), then that might not work for you.
Things to Consider
Another thing about these first three options – online public school, online private school, and an online private school used as a curriculum choice when homeschooling – is they tend to be rather rigid in their structure and requirements. Check with the particular program you’re thinking of using, as every program is different. There are exceptions everywhere, but they typically require your child to attend one or more classes live every week or even every day. Again, some kids and families thrive with this structure, and this might make one of these programs the perfect fit for you. Others struggle to maintain this rigid structure, particularly while traveling and exploring new places.
Another thing to consider is the content that is being taught. Public online schools will follow whatever their state’s requirements are for public schools, which could be a good or a bad thing for you. Many private schools are religious, though there are more secular options now than there used to be. And being religious, or not, could be either good or bad in your eyes. It’s about what works for you, so just be sure to check these things out so you’re getting the best fit for your family and your child.
Self-Paced Options for Education on the Road
There are also many self-paced online options for educating on the road, both free and paid. Khan Academy is pretty famous for being free, online, and very comprehensive, but there are several others out there. IXL and Oak Meadow (they actually have several options: a very expensive online school with live classes, a self-paced online curriculum, and a physical book curriculum) are just two others. These can be a good fit for many students, offering flexibility and freedom, and yet still offering structure and guidance.
Then there are physical curriculum options. Personally, I love paper books, but not only are they considerably more expensive (usually), but if you’re living and traveling in a small space, taking up a lot of it in homeschooling supplies might not be ideal. On the other hand, a physical book doesn’t require internet access, so many traveling families do choose a physical curriculum. And here your options range from all-in-one, boxed curricula, to picking and choosing individual curricula for individual subjects.
You Can Make Changes Anytime You Want
I want to stop here to make a few points when it comes to any educational choices you make for your children. First of all, they’re not set in stone. You can always change your mind. Now, if you’re in a great online school and you leave it, you might not be able to get back in (though online schools usually have larger enrollment caps than in-person schools), but otherwise, you can always change your mind. Many families start on one path and change their minds at least once (but often more!).
Not only does it take a while to figure out what will work best for your child and your family, but needs also change. So what works great this year might be a horrible fit next year. Your kids might also have different needs from each other. One child might do best with a highly structured online school, while another needs more freedom. This can be challenging for you to manage, but it is totally okay.
Deschooling is Really Important
This is one of the reasons most seasoned homeschoolers recommend a period of deschooling first. Deschooling is not just a time to figure out what your needs are, though, it’s also a time to reset and recover from schooling, and often it’s more important for the adults. Most of us went through multiple years of public school – K-12, then if you have any college credits. Before having kids, I went through 18 years of schooling: 13 years in K-12, 3 years to get my bachelor’s, and then another 2 for a master’s degree. That’s a lot of schooling!
The standard recommendation is 1 month of deschooling for every year the PARENT attended school (either public or private), though I think more is often needed. For me, personally, I decided to homeschool before I even got pregnant with my son. He’s 8 at the time I’m writing this, so that’s over 9 years that I’ve been deschooling myself. Now, my kids, having never attended a formal school, really didn’t need any sort of deschooling. But I’m still finding areas I need to work on, so it’s an ongoing process, and not necessarily very quick.
Follow Your State’s Homeschooling Laws when Educating on the Road
Finally, make sure you’re following your state’s laws. HSLDA recommends following the laws of wherever you physically are, but the general consensus among those traveling is that you only need to follow the laws for wherever you establish your domicile when educating on the road. This is one of the reasons so many travelers choose Texas as their domicile state, as it is so easy to homeschool there. It would definitely be difficult to follow the laws of wherever you physically are, especially if you are traveling quickly, as state laws vary widely.
Okay, now it’s time to depart the world of schools and curriculum. There are so many more options for homeschooling! I am going to touch on three of my favorites, but please know that there are as many options as there are people homeschooling.
Unschooling
First up: Unschooling! Now, this is a hard one to define; ask 10 different unschoolers what it is, and you’ll likely end up with at least 12 different answers. But generally, it’s child-led education; following the child’s interests and needs. Most unschoolers don’t use a curriculum, but there are also those whose kids request public school. The parents want to honor the child’s choices, so off to public school those unschoolers go. And there’s everything in between.
Unschooling can work really well when educating on the road, as there is so much to learn naturally. There are all the logistics of traveling: how far are you traveling, how fast are you going, how long you want to drive in a day, etc etc. Budgeting. Life skills like RV or truck maintenance, and cooking. Then all the places you’re going to! Most traveling families enjoy visiting parks, museums, and other interesting places, and there’s always so much to learn. There are science and history museums everywhere, the East Coast is filled with historical landmarks and educational opportunities, every state and location has something that it’s famous for, and more. The possibilities are truly endless.
Unit Studies
Another favorite way we homeschool is using unit studies. In my family, these can probably best be described as themed unschooling. Someone chooses a topic (sometimes I do, but often it’s my kids), and then we find resources. The older my kids get, the more they find. Then, we explore at will. We’ve done history this way, science, and my favorite is probably studying different countries.
Gameschooling
My last favorite way to homeschool is gameschooling, and you can read all about that on my blog. I have a Gameschooling 101 article, a list of our favorite resources, and reviews of games. A new review is published every week. We also have corresponding YouTube videos for many of the games. You can watch us play the game to better decide if it’s a good game for your family.
I hope this gives you an idea of the possibilities when it comes to educating your children on the road. At the end of the day, remember: You have many options. If something isn’t working, then you can change it. You can change things up as often as you need to.
Have fun!