A Traveling Education

With so many wonderful things to do at home and in our own towns, you may not think that vacations need to be educational, but once you start home schooling, it's hard to stop! One of the best things about home schooling is that you don't have to travel when everybody else does. Just when the crowds taper off and everyone goes back to school, you can pack your suitcases. Airfares drop, hotels are empty, it's not as hot and we really enjoy traveling in the fall and spring, but we usually stay home most of the summer!

Don't hesitate to take a trip during the traditional school year. Your children can choose to take their lessons with them, do a unit study on your destination, or just call it one big field trip! My son likes to take pictures and does a photography journal in Power Point in the laptop while we travel in the car. We had a fabulous trip through Utah and the Rocky Mountains one September.

We also took advantage of the low, last minute rates on cruise travel and spent 12 days heading south to the Panama Canal one spring. We stocked up on books at the library and read our way down. We had a fabulous family vacation studying rain forests, geography, Spanish, Central American maps, history, and animals each day.

Travel is in itself one of the most broadening, educational experiences a person can have. Regardless of how, when or where you go, I encourage you to go often. John Steinbeck knew the addiction of travel and discovery, when he wrote:

The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage.

If you're looking for some educational guidance while on the road, here are some great books to get you started:

This will conclude Lesson 6. There's a few more things for you do before you're done, but you've been through a lot of information since we started!

In review, you should be comfortable with the following:

• Home schooling can take on any schedule you like, but taking a break is often a good idea.
• Testing may be required by your state and you'll need to know those laws.
• Standardized testing is available to home schoolers and it is a good option for tracking your progress.
• Record keeping can play an important part in documenting your children's work. Find a format that works for you and stick with it.
• Traveling is a wonderful way to home school!