Homeschooling On The Road

Math on the go

Our life, our routine, our plans, our everything...is always changing.  I put my plans on the calendar in hopes that "important things" might one day get accomplished.  As if writing things in pencil makes them set in stone.  Right.


My scheduling goals for school this year including these: 
- getting a school week done in...one week (as opposed to stretching it out over several in the name of being "laid-back")
- doing most of our homeschooling (over furlough in the States) in the car 
- and then finishing first grade (for Run) and pre-school (for Huy) before their birthdays this fall.  


I think I can...


I think I can...


I think I can...


(name that children's book!)


So.  To stay on track and begin trial-runs for goal #2, we had home school in the car today.  As expats who have to answer to the Thai government every now and then...we are required to travel to the border every 3 months to officially leave the country and then return again to keep our visas alive and legal.  Today, we traveled about 4 hours (one way) to the Burma/Thai border for our visa "run."  Instead of getting frustrated by another hitch to my schooling plans, I modified our school day to happen on the road.


We did our bible story (waiting in the car) while Dad bought breakfast at 7-eleven.  I love raisin bread and Dole apples from a bag.  What can I say?


We prayed at the end of our story, broke for, well... "breakfast" and and after the last bit was eaten, we started bible verse memorization.  Huy and Run both memorize news verses each week.  If you don't count my kids verses, I do not even memorize a verse a week.  Looks like Mommy needs to catch up and get with the program.


After that, I handed out crayons, pencils and workbooks and began Math.  Huy worked on finding shapes, Run did his Horizon's workbook and his addition flash cards, Kyla scribbled on copy paper stuck to her new clipboard.  Clipboards are a mommy's best friend.  Did you not know this?  It's a fact.


Now, because I get wicked car sickness if I read a lot while travelling, Treavor and I switched roles and he read aloud to the kids.  You gotta love a man who can read Mother Goose Rhymes and folk tales without grimacing.  He was a trooper.


After a break for our border run, and a long nap-time, Run finished his school day with a spelling test.  I handed him some note cards written with his spelling words for the week and he studied a bit before doing his test on a Magna Doodle.  


Overall, it was a successful day!  Hey, we're not teaching Trigonometry yet, so I think doing what I can teaching from the front seat instead of the usual couch seat is totally do-able.  


What do you do to maximize your travel time?  Have any tips for encouraging on-the-go learning?