Embarking on a full-time RV adventure with your family opens up a world of unique opportunities, and one of the most fascinating aspects is road schooling. Road schooling refers to the educational experiences that families gain while traveling on the road, turning every journey into a dynamic classroom. It’s a form of homeschooling that emphasizes experiential and hands-on learning on the road. The road schooling community is ever-growing as more and more parents are questioning the essential nature of their 9 to 5 jobs and look for ways to lead a more adventurous, fulfilling, and flexible life with their family.
About Road Schooling
Road schooling is essentially homeschooling but with more experiential learning. Instead of confining education to traditional textbooks, families integrate real-world experiences into their children’s education. Museums, historical sites, and nature reserves become interactive lessons, fostering a deep understanding of various subjects. Families can adapt their curriculum to suit their children’s individual learning styles and interests. Whether studying astronomy under the starry night sky or learning about ecology in a national park, the open road becomes an ever-evolving classroom.
In addition, road schooling extends beyond academic knowledge, giving kids many practical life skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, budgeting, and many more. Also, Constantly moving between destinations exposes our boys to diverse cultures, cities, and communities, fostering different perspectives and awareness. This dynamic lifestyle not only helps them gain friends and knowledge but also creates lasting memories across the country.
How it works for us
Striking a balance between flexibility and academic progress, we adhere to a curriculum aligned with state school standards. Daily, we engage in reading, writing, and math, as well as science, social studies, and health. We’ve discovered that keeping each subject to around 45 minutes helps maintain focus, followed by a 15-minute break before transitioning to the next.
On days without visits to museums or national parks, we cover approximately three to four subjects, ensuring a well-rounded stress-free learning experience for our boys. We engage in various learning methods, including bookwork, computer-based learning, hands-on projects, cooking recipes, building activities, and educational games, depending on the day. Again, the unique aspect of road schooling is the flexibility to tailor a curriculum and schedule that suits your children’s learning styles. What works for one RV family may not be the best fit for your family, and that’s perfectly okay! It might take some time to discover what works and what doesn’t, but it’s all part of the journey!
Online Resources for Road Schooling
While living a nomadic lifestyle, road schooling families use technology to their advantage. The internet serves as a gateway to virtual classes, online resources, and collaborative projects, ensuring that children have access to a diverse range of educational tools wherever their travels take them. One online platform we utilize is IXL, offering every subject and grade level, allowing students to learn independently at their own pace. Our boys really love this platform since the work is engaging and fun. Additionally, Outschool, an online education platform, provides live, small-group classes covering various subjects through video conferencing, offering a flexible and interactive learning experience beyond traditional schooling. These two platforms are just a glimpse into the multitude of online schooling resources available to families on the road.
Navigating learning while on the move can be challenging. Depending on our location, internet connectivity, and surroundings during our travels, we often find ourselves needing to adapt our school day. To accommodate varying situations, we utilize a range of learning tools for our boys’ academic activities. In instances of slow or nonexistent internet or when opting for a screen-free learning day, we turn to various workbooks with self-paced worksheets for every school subject. Alternatively, when faced with the challenge of being in a remote area without parks, museums, or libraries around we engage in our regular homeschooling routine or take on a fun, hands-on project in the camper.
Final Thoughts on Full-time RVing and Road Schooling
Contrary to the misconception of a solitary RV lifestyle, road schooling frequently involves a vibrant sense of community. RV families often connect with each other at campgrounds, establishing a supportive network that helps enrich the educational experience through shared resources and group activities. Many families we’ve encountered along the journey maintain blogs, vlogs, or social media platforms, enabling continuous communication to share homeschooling activities, plan meet-ups, and stay in touch.
In conclusion, road schooling for full-time RV travel families is a holistic approach to education that goes beyond the confines of traditional schooling. It’s a lifestyle that fosters a love for learning, and flexibility and creates lasting memories together as a family and with friends. As we and other full-time RV families navigate the winding roads of this beautiful country and beyond, our children are not just students; they are explorers, absorbing knowledge from the vast and ever-changing landscape and communities around them.
Read more about traveling with kids from Happy Trails Family:
ASTC Passport Program with Happy Trails Family
How Your Kids Can Become a Junior Ranger with Happy Trails Family
Boondocking as a Family of Four with Happy Trails Family
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