What is Roadschooling Anyway?

April 2, 2016

"Roadschooling" is an unofficial term that simply means doing "school" on the "road" and for families who travel often it is necessary.  For us, we decide ahead of each trip how much school we're actually going to do while we're gone.  We are a homeschooling family enrolled in a public charter that offers an independent study program.  This works well for us because we can take everything with us or we can work ahead or catch up later if we don't want to take it along.  Our decision whether to "roadschool" on a particular trip comes down to a few factors: How long will be be gone?  Where are we going?  How busy will we be?

But regardless of how much school work we take along, everyone ALWAYS has a silent reading book and a travel journal.  I don't care how busy we're going to be, there is always time for reading and recording memories of the trip (see travel journals).
 

2 Tips for Success

1.  Utilize travel time!  If you have a long flight or long drive, don't waste it.  Of course everyone would gripe and complain if I made them "work" on the entire journey there, but I like to have them rotate through a few activities like: complete one math assignment, then read one chapter, then you can have an hour of screen time or watch a movie.  Depending on how long your travel time is, you can get through a lot of rotations like that.

2.  If you're going to do school on the road I recommend picking a time and place and staying consistent with it.  I think kids are freshest in the morning and so I like to pick that time.  We set up our school materials in the location where we will be working (the same table we'll have breakfast at) and set the expectation from the beginning.  "Tomorrow morning we will complete these assignments before heading out to the pool." 

Links to Expert Roadschoolers

Introduction to Roadschooling
From Wandrly, this blog is very informative and inspiring!  Personally, I have found the projects section very helpful.

Full-time Roadschoolers
Ready to be amazed and inspired with families that have traded it all for a life on the road?  Check out these interviews:

Suitcases and Sippy Cups
One family's adventures in Roadschooling