Roadschooling: What It Is and Why It Might Be Perfect for Your Family
Does your family love to travel? You may love the homeschooling approach called roadschooling.
What Is Roadschooling?
Many families love the flexibility that homeschooling provides.
Homeschooling allows you to choose what you teach, how you teach, and even when you teach.
The ability to choose your own schedule means you can pick and choose the days and times you homeschool.
Roadschooling takes it one step further: you decide where you teach.
With roadschooling, you can embark on an educational adventure anywhere.
Simply put, roadschooling is homeschooling while exploring the world.
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Travel at the Center
Roadschooling makes travel the centerpiece of the homeschooling curriculum.
Think of roadschooling as a unit study.
For example, say your family is traveling through the Southwest of the United States.
You could visit the Grand Canyon and learn about its geological history, or explore the ancient ruins of Mesa Verde and delve into the lives of the Pueblo people.
These experiences would form the center of your history, science, geography, and literature study.
You learn the history of the Southwest. For science, you study the native plants and animals.
You trace maps of the places you travel for geography. For literature, you read books set in that area (fiction and nonfiction).
Your student keeps a journal with descriptions, pictures, and illustrations.
Your roadschooling is peppered with field trips. Every place you stop is a chance for experiential learning.
You can visit national parks, cultural monuments, landmarks, and historical sites. It’s like traveling through a history book!
Benefits to Roadschooling
Why roadschool? There are a host of benefits.
Hands-on Learning
Roadschooling is not only a chance to make memories as a family, but it is also an unforgettable hands-on learning experience.
So much of learning today is “let me Google that.” Roadschooling provides a chance to learn from what you actually experience.
Real-life Learning
Roadschooling is a journey that equips your family with a multitude of practical skills, transforming everyday situations into valuable learning opportunities.
Researching destinations, planning routes, making budgets, and sticking to plans are all part of the roadschooling experience.
Family Bonding
Roadschooling means you will spend hours on the road with your child. You have the time to connect with your child.
This is an opportunity to really get to know one another and have in-depth conversations.
You have time for contemplating life, telling jokes, asking questions, and pondering answers.
You will have adventures and make memories that your kids won’t forget.
The Challenges of Roadschooling
Before you jump in the RV, consider the challenges of roadschooling.
Cost
First, there is the cost. Traveling is expensive, so research and see if it is within your budget.
Can you work remotely? In recent years, remote work has made road schooling possible for more families.
Routine
Every day is a new adventure; that’s incredible!
However, the day-to-day changes can make a consistent school schedule challenging.
As a homeschooling parent, you must plan lessons and lesson times in advance.
Stress
Roadschooling requires that your family shares a small space. This can cause tension to build.
Add logistical challenges like navigation and breakdowns, and you sometimes have a stressful environment.
Choosing Roadschooling Curriculum
Before you start roadschooling, check on the homeschooling laws in your home-base state.
Make sure you implement a plan that abides by your state laws.
When it comes to roadschooling curriculum, you have several options.
Skill Subjects
Most roadschoolers choose a formal curriculum for math, writing, and reading.
These skill subjects need consistency.
Unschooling
Aside from the skills subjects, some roadschoolers do unschooling.
They let their student’s interests guide their educational choices.
Online Learning
Online learning is the favorite method for many roadschoolers.
You can follow an online curriculum like Easy Peasy.
You can also take online classes that employ on-demand video lessons or live lessons with certified teachers.
Create Your Own Unit Study
With travel as your curriculum centerpiece, you can create your own unit study.
You pick the theme (your travel area) and select the theme-based resources for the various subjects.
Life Learning
Some roadschoolers cover the basics (reading, writing, and math) and let the real world teach the rest.
These families don’t supplement with any other curriculum besides the three R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic).
Instead, they let their various field trips supply the learning content.
Deciding If Roadschooling Is the Right Fit
Though some families are full-out road schoolers, others road school only for a spell.
They take a season or a year to explore the country as a family.
Both types of roadschoolers have these traits in common.
Love of Traveling
This is a must. You have to love to travel.
Roadschoolers find travel exciting and are spurred on by new adventures.
Yearning for a Simpler Life
Roadschooling means dialing back your commitments. Travel is what you do now.
If you like the idea of paring down your various individual activities and engaging in one activity as a family, roadschooling may be for you.
Prioritizing Time with Family
Roadschoolers enjoy the dedicated time with their immediate family.
Roadschooling Adventure
If you love adventure, new places, and family travel, roadschooling may be the perfect homeschool method for you!
