by Lisa Rinaldo

Imagine hiring a brilliant, fascinating tutor for your elementary-aged children, to accompany you to exotic (or not-so-exotic) places when you travel during the school year. Now imagine that tutor is YOU! Integrating travel opportunities into your child’s education can be the chance of a lifetime to broaden their horizons in exciting ways, both personally and academically.

Statistics show that approximately 1.3 million U.S. students are currently homeschooled---for a great variety of reasons—and many of their families take advantage of these flexible teaching schedules to include travel throughout the year, not just in the summer.

There are almost as many reasons for homeschooling as there are families. These include:

--Custom-tailoring curriculum to a child’s needs, either for challenge or remediation

--Matching curriculum and approach to a child’s particular learning style (e.g., visual, kinesthetic, or auditory), or special strengths

--More one-to-one time for parents to transmit their own life values and morals

--A flexible schedule to accommodate students who are actors, musicians, or involved in competitive sports, such as ice-skating

--Travel opportunities

Many parents intuitively know how to “reach” their own children, making them perfect teachers, with or without a state teaching credential. The most successful homeschooled student is one who is receptive to parental guidance, communicative, works well independently, and is a self-starter who sees learning as a moment-by-moment adventure, rather than as arbitrary assignments that are given in a classroom. If this describes your child, then he or she will be a natural at learning while traveling!

Before you go, it’s important to know what the state academic standards are for your child’s grade level. These are the concepts and skills that are considered essential for a student to master, in order to be ready for the following grade. Most states have these listed on their department of education Websites, or you might acquire a printed copy from your school district.

HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
TO GET ANSWERED BEFORE YOU TRAVEL:

--Does my school district give credit for independent study assignments, and if so, for how long? What proof of completed assignments will be required? Will I need to submit lesson plans, and keep grade logs? Can these be faxed or mailed in from wherever our family is traveling?

--If my district doesn’t allow for homeschooling, is there a county or regional office of education, or a private program that will issue my child credit and advise on curriculum and pacing?

--What books/online resources, if any, will I use to support experiential learning? Should I take texts/workbooks provided by my district, or use materials available at a local teacher supply store?

As for supplies, tuck a few spiral notebooks, pocket portfolios and manila envelopes into your child’s backpack (preferably one with wheels). Add some pens and pencils in a zippered pouch, some watercolors or watercolor crayons, a sketchbook, colored pencils and a basic digital camera for your child’s use. How about a set of CDs for French or Spanish lessons? Don’t forget CDs of your child’s favorite music, and books “on tape”. The plane ride will be the perfect time for the little ones to dive into reading new books purchased just for the occasion. If you’re taking a laptop, add educational software for math or phonics practice. Make spelling fun with lists of words that relate to wherever your travels take you.

Wherever you go, remember to ask your children what THEY’D like to learn about there. For example, a jr. higher visiting Hawaii might like to find out about the history of surfing, and write a short report. Elementary students might prefer to learn about how the volcanoes of Hawaii erupt, draw pictures, and write a paragraph or two, summing up what they’ve learned. Classroom teachers often use a simple chart called a K/W/L Chart. It outlines what one already Knows, Wants to know, and then has Learned afterward. This would be a great tool for family travel as well!

When planning your child’s learning experiences, the standards will guide you in knowing whether you’re on target. Is your 3rd grader supposed to be learning metric measurement? What better opportunity than vacationing in Europe! Other math can also be integrated into daily activities, such as reading train timetables, and adding up lists of expenses. Writing opportunities abound---letters and postcards home, descriptions of places visited, journals about one’s daily experiences and cultural tidbits. Even P.E. becomes out-of-the-ordinary: walking the streets of Rome, hiking in Yosemite, skiing in the Rockies (or Pyrenees!), swimming in the Pacific, sailing in the Mediterranean, and more! Don’t forget the museums you’ll spend time in, where art will spring to life for all grades, and 6th graders will be intrigued, not bored, by ancient history. For those 5th and 8th graders, what could be a better way to learn about American history than by visiting Williamsburg, Virginia?

The real world is the best classroom of all---a place where geography and history come alive, science is all around you, and foreign language is learned on its home turf.

So get out the map, and begin planning!

Lisa Rinaldo lives in Foothill Ranch, California, USA and has worked as an educator in Orange County for 33 years. Her two favorite pastimes are travel outside the U.S. and spending time with her grandbabies in Scotland and Oregon, USA. To contact Lisa: lisarinaldo@hotmail.com