Category: Travel

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Homeschool Most Popular Posts

Our Homeschool (Roadschool) Core Subject Curriculum

Our Roadschool Core CurriculumI’ve been asked what we are doing for homeschool for our kids. Let me tell you about my experience putting together a curriculum for my 2nd grader, kindergartener, and pre-schooler.

It was awful.

I was so incredibly stressed out it was ridiculous. I felt that everyone I talked to had a different answer, a different way of doing things, was super vague (oh, just do what you feel is right for your family), and only seemed to add to my overall sense of hopelessness. Okay, it wasn’t that bad. I did receive some great ideas from friends on Facebook, but I felt that most ideas and programs didn’t fit the needs of a full-time traveling family.

There’s so much information out there that I had to narrow it down. I found a few blogs I liked, my favorite being Confessions of a Homeschooler. I felt like her blog was simple, easy to understand, and we thought similarly enough that I could translate what she was doing to my own situation. I purchased a few of her curriculum units – Pre-K Letter of the Week (for Cara), the K4 (for Andrew), Road Trip USA, and the Classic Literature Unit. In hindsight, I probably went WAY overboard but I was feeling a bit self-conscious and nervous at this point. Plus, I really just wanted to be prepared.

Then I spent the next few weeks trying to put together a spreadsheet for our schedule, printing out cute little labels to emulate the workbox system (but with folders because we weren’t going to have room for large carts). I went through an entire ink cartridge printing papers, putting together folders, and trying to figure out what on Earth we were going to start with. I about drove myself crazy. And don’t get me started on the cost for laminating said supplies at FedEx.

And with all of that, I felt like we didn’t really even have the CORE subjects. The really important ones. So I went with workbooks. And I love them. We’ve almost ditched everything else and just stuck solidly with those. I think my brain handles it better as there’s less prep for me to do (because I don’t get a lot of time to myself anyway and I don’t want to spend it figuring out what we are doing for school tomorrow). I just look ahead, assign them the next 5 or 6 days worth of assignments on a sticky note taped to the inside of that particular book and they run with it. When they run out of listed pages to do (I usually assign 2-4 pages every day in each book) they ask for more. Actually, they tell me they don’t have an assignment and can they PLEASE skip that book today? Occasionally I’ll let them.

I also try and mix in other assignments with their books. For reading or phonics, Andrew gets to play with his Tag Reader Flash Cards, or he’ll play Context Clues with Rachel. They also have apps on the tablets that they use for Spelling and Language Arts (that’s a whole other blog post). This way they are not doing the same thing every, single day, because that would be boring. I want to excite them. Also I feel like sometimes the workbooks don’t go as deep into a subject as I’d like so I’ll hunt around and try and find them extra practice. All while trying to be mostly offline because our internet expenses are already through the roof.

I feel like this really works for us. We don’t do school 5 days a week, every week. Some weeks it is more, some weeks less. We try and take every opportunity to explore our surroundings as we travel, and I refuse to limit a hands-on learning opportunity for the sake of a paper schedule. Two nights ago we did school after dinner. Their folders are small enough they can take them in the truck and work as we drive. We make it work, and the kids are progressing through their materials faster than necessary anyway.

So that said, here are the books that we use for our kids. Why these particular books, you ask? They had them at the local store and I could browse them before buying them. We definitely tailor these books to our kids though. We skip around, we exclude, and we definitely don’t make them repeat a concept if they get it. We don’t believe in busy work.

Rachel (2nd grade)

Spectrum Math, Grade 2 She’s actually almost done with this one – we’ll probably move up to Grade 3 by January. I think Sam has her do maybe 1/2 the problems. If she aces a pre-test, he’ll skip the whole section.
Spectrum Reading, Grade 2
Spectrum Writing, Grade 2, and Scholastic Story Starters (online)
Spectrum Spelling, Grade 3 Level 2 just seemed to easy and she BEGGED for level 3. Why not?
Spectrum Language Arts, Grade 2  This one I feel is the most lacking. 2 pages on adjectives and that’s it??

Andrew (Kindergarten/1st Grade) 

Andrew is a bit of an enigma to me. His birthday is Aug 24th, so technically he should have started Kindergarten last year but we held him back so he’d be the oldest (Utah school deadline is Sept 1st). The kid blew right through Kindergarten appropriate curriculum in like a week. The K4 unit I bought? Completely too easy for him. I’m hoping to use it for Cara… He reads like a 2nd grader but has trouble in other subjects. I think if he were in public school he’d be so bored he’d want to poke his eyes out every day. He still likes to color, match shapes, do mazes, and cut things out but I see less and less of that as we go on.

Spectrum Math, Grade 1
Spectrum Reading, Grade 1
Writing – we do handwriting practice in a random book my mom gave us – he had terrible handwriting when we started. Much better now.
Spectrum Spelling, Grade 1  We started halfway through this one.
Spectrum Phonics, Grade 1
Kumon My Book of Money: Dollars and Cents We skipped the first book and went straight to this. Still very repetitive so we do about half the assignments. He actually finished the whole book today.
Kumon My Book of Telling Time: Learning About Minutes I didn’t love this one. It is SO predictable that once he got the pattern down, he didn’t even have to try. Plus they put all the numbers in there between the bigger numbers (2-4, 6-9, etc.). We did about 10 pages and then I just printed out Time Clocks for him to do. Now that we don’t have a printer, he uses an app on the tablet.

Cara (preschool)

She’s only 3. I did 2 years of preschool with the other kids, but I really just don’t think she needs it. However, she feels very left out if she doesn’t get to do school. The Confessions of a Homeschooler Unit that I bought involved WAY too much printing. Way too much color printing at that. I just didn’t want to deal with it. So, we found a less than $10 preschool activity book for her at Walmart. It includes colors, shapes, letters, that sort of thing. We’ve worked our way through letters A-C solid and everywhere we go she points out all the A’s. Cara suddenly shouting “MOM! LOOK! THERE’S AN A!” is a common occurrence in our daily adventuring. During school time, She’ll play toys, play outside, or watch the other kids.

The one thing she absolutely LOVES is her Polka-Dots. The girls is obsessed. I finally broke down and bought her a book to go along with it because a) she loves them, b) they keep her entertained for longer, and c) we don’t have a printer to just print some from online.

Oh – I’m almost forgot. Her other favorite thing to do is watch the Leap Frog DVD’s. We’ve ripped them into the computer so she can watch on one of the tablets.

Well, there it is for now. As with all homeschooling families, I’m sure our curriculum will change over time and we’ll adjust as we go. What do YOU do for homeschool? Any other ideas or suggestions? I’m all ears.

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Tips & Tricks Washington DC

5 Tips for Visiting the US Capitol with Young Kids

A trip to the US Capitol while visiting Washington DC is definitely a must do. The building is both architecturally & historically significant and with just a little advance planning you can make the experience a good one for both you and your kids. We put together 5 tips for visiting the Capitol with young children.

When we visited: Oct 2013

Ages of Children: 8,6,3

Ceiling of the US Capitol Rotunda

1. Schedule with your Senator

This is by far my number one suggestion. Of course, it also means that you have to plan ahead as most offices suggest that you submit your request at least a few weeks in advance. Mike Lee, who is one of Utah’s Senators, has an easy to navigate website with “Visit DC” right on the homepage. You fill out the online form with your available dates and which tours you’d like and one of the interns will get back with you via email or phone to set you up. In addition to the Capitol, you can also request tours for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court and the National Archives. Just note that you’ll meet your guide at the Senate Office Building, NOT at the Capitol itself.

The advantage of doing this is that your tour group is simply… you. Your guide can tailor the experience to suit your family’s needs. Ours skipped the video presentation (not enough time and we’d have to wait 20 minutes in the Visitor Center), and condensed a lot of the material so the adults still received interesting information and the kid’s attention spans weren’t maxed out.

2. Where to Park

Always a tricky question. We got lucky (although we got lucky a lot parking in downtown DC) and found spots for both us AND our friends on Constitution Avenue near 3rd St. We paid with the Park Mobile app and walked approximately .5 mile to our Senator’s office. All of the parking closer to the Senate Office Buildings and the Capitol building are permit only so plan on a bit of a walk no matter what and bring a stroller if your kids tire easily.

Alternatively, the Senate Office Buildings are only a .5 mile walk from the Capitol South metro station.

3. Ride the underground Train

Another perk of scheduling with your Senator is that you  walk over to the Capitol via the underground tunnels and there is a TRAIN. What kid doesn’t love a train ride? Granted it is super short, but all the kids loved it. Our guide informed us that when Congress is in session (and debating an important piece of legislation), many of the Senators go back and forth between their office and the Capitol all day. While a train ride may seem a bit on the lazy side, walking that .5 mile over 20 times a day would definitely take its toll.

IMG_2699

4. No Food or Drink Allowed

You can’t even take it in with you and just not eat it. If you have any food or water in your bags you’ll have to throw it out. Luckily, our Senator’s office informed us of this BEFORE we got to security. We stuffed all of our food and water into one backpack and left it with the interns at the office.

This is where parking close came in handy – once the tour was completed, dad ran to the truck and grabbed our cooler with lunch and we picnicked on the Capitol lawn.

5. Find your state’s statues

Each state was allowed to contribute 2 statues and all have done so (make your kids do the math to find the total number). Many are scattered throughout the Capitol and a fair number are located in Statuary Hall. Unfortunately, my kids weren’t as interested in a statue scavenger hunt as I hoped they’d be but they are still fun to find.

Utah has a statue of Filo T. Farnsworth (American inventor & pioneer) located in the Visitor’s Center, and also Brigham Young (Mormon prophet & pioneer who led the Saints to Utah) located in Statuary Hall.

Have you visited the United States Capitol? What was your favorite part?

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This Week on Instagram

This Week on Instagram: Nov 9-15, 2013

What we have been up to this week: Cleaned up and cleared out of Virginia! Yorktown, Historic Jamestown, our first Airstream Caravan, and catching up with college friends.

This Week on Instagram Nov 16 2013

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Daily Life Faith Mommy Diaries Most Popular Posts

Its Time to Live Your Dreams

My brother told me that we are “living our dream”. I had to sit a minute and contemplate exactly WHEN this became our dream. I promise we haven’t always had wanderlust. We bought a practical 2800 sq foot house in Lehi after college graduation. We loved putting in the yard, fixing up the storage room, getting to know the neighbors. The kids had dance class, soccer, gymnastics, pre-school then kindergarten and first grade. The goal was to make enough money to do the things we love – my photography business, Sam’s side projects, cycling, backpacking, camping with our family. We were normal. We had normal people dreams.

Then our dreams starting shifting. Perhaps it started last year on our 5 week adventure to Northern California. The time away seemed forever and we were both nervous. He had a 240 mile hike, I had to entertain the kids for two weeks, there was camping with the family, and living in small spaces. But surprisingly – we flourished. We blossomed as a family. We’d never been closer or happier. The kids loved it – I loved it. Our days were filled with finding new locations to explore, new playgrounds, new splash pads, new libraries. We’d go to Target hunting for clearance deals on play-doh and craft materials. Living outside our comfort zone was exciting. Listening to my kids sleep at night was intoxicating. I wanted them close. We were both more patient, more in tune to each other, more in tune to what our children needed. I was a better mother. He was a better father. Everything was exactly the opposite of what we expected.

And so, our dreams changed. Suddenly our house was too large with too many distractions. Our kids slept down the hallway and I couldn’t hear them at night. There was “stuff” everywhere. Meaningless emptiness that filled the corners of the place where we lived. We wanted something else. Something simpler. Something that removed the distractions, the everyday routine of sameness that filled us up and left little satisfaction.

Our dreams were refined and focused as we traveled from Utah to Virginia to house swap with a family. The house swap itself started out as the Grand Adventure. The National Mall, The Pentagon, The White House. These were words and phrases barely used in our west coast vocabulary but tossed around without a second thought by those living on the fringes of our nation’s capitol. How exciting to be where it all started. What history!

And then came Kickapoo. A seemingly insignificant, random state park between Nauvoo, Illinois and Dayton, Ohio that captivated us with its beauty, simplicity, and peace. So, we stayed. And worked. And rode. And played. And realized that this, this wandering, wasn’t broken and didn’t need fixing.

We love Virginia. The family we are/were exchanging with is amazing, we couldn’t have asked for a better house swapping experience. We just came to realize in a home exchange, you are still living in a house. Its not yours, but there’s still too much “stuff”. Too many distractions, too much space between you and what is really important. So we set about finding another way. A way to fulfill our refined dream of simplicity and closeness as a family.

And we did. We now own and live full time in  a 2008 Airstream International Signature Series 27FB with a truck to pull it. It is a little piece of heaven on Earth. Is it small? Yes. Is it hard to be with your family ALL the time and not drive each other crazy? Sometimes. Are there hobbies, friends, sports, and luxuries that we had to give up in order to do this? Most definitely. Is it worth it? Every. Single. Moment.

family eating breakfast in an Airstream

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Holidays & Bdays Maryland Washington DC

Halloween at National Harbor “Chillin with My Peeps”

The Event

I normally am obsessed with Halloween. Seriously. I love everything about it. Not the creepy part, but the fun, costume parade, trick-or-treat, decorate, dress up part as evidenced by the last 3 years of Halloween documented on my blog here, here, and here (Wow, check out how LITTLE my kids were in 2010).

This year has been totally different. I told the kids they could be whatever we could find costumes for in the attic (in a house that isn’t ours) or that we could easily make or borrow. I have 2 Halloween decorations on my front porch, and really, I just haven’t been excited. I think its the stress. Of being far away from home, our normal traditions, our family and friends. We are homeschooling and it hit me Monday that meant  any “class” Halloween party would be all me. Add to that Sam leaving tomorrow for a business conference for 4 days, and then the fact that we are leaving Virginia for good in less than 2 weeks. I’m just….overwhelmed. Unfortunately, Halloween was the first to feel my lack of motivation to do anything extraordinary.

Sounds depressing, right? But then somehow we managed to get out the door in the afternoon and follow through on our plans. It made all the difference. Way back in September we attended a few children’s events at National Harbor in Maryland. They were great little activities and the coordinator tipped me off about a Halloween event they were planning called “Chillin’ with my Peeps” co-sponsored by the National Harbor Carousel and the Peeps Store. It was awesome. We paid $3 per kid for unlimited carousel rides, received the ultimate collection of treats at the Peeps store and got to walk around in the perfectly temperate, October, East Coast evening trick-or-treating the other businesses located at National Harbor. Total win. As we were treating, we even decided that one of the restaurants smelled SO good that we absolutely had to go back for dinner. So we did.

I’ll be honest, we almost didn’t go. Its always getting out the door that is difficult, but once you do things tend to be magical and tonight was no exception. Our kids officially proclaimed this as the “best Halloween ever”.

The Costumes

Andrew got to choose between The Hulk and Batman. I secretly am glad Batman won especially after Andrew’s  previous year of being Spiderman. There’s just something classical about being a super hero. He got pretty excited about swinging his cape around for me too. Totally my inner photographer’s dream.

(Can I just say that when, and if, we finally settle down I want property with TREES? Lots of them. Lots of un-landscaped trees and bushes. This is seriously our side yard here in Virginia – probably 5 feet from the driveway. I love it. The light is beautiful, the trees are turning and I had to just walk outside to get the perfect backdrop. I’m hooked.)

After an activity with other girls from our church where they raced to wrap each other in toilet paper, Rachel decided she wanted to be a mummy. I didn’t argue, figuring it would be easy enough. She’s such a good sport. I started wrapping her up and I saw her eyes go wide as she quickly rethought her decision. Too late, kid. Too late. Of course, Mummies all wear purple tennis shoes. Didn’t you know that? 🙂

If you ever decide to do this – buy more than 3 yards of fabric. We went through it pretty quick and I felt we could have used at least double that! Super easy though – white long sleeved shirt, white leggings underneath and wrap away with torn fabric strips! We used safety pins tonight (as opposed to the church party last night where she came unraveled pretty quickly) and Rachel even told me they made her costume look MORE authentic. Only she didn’t use the word “authentic”. I’m not THAT good of a homeschooling mom.

I’m pretty sure Cara could be anything she wanted and she would still looking freaking adorable. I love this girl. Pumpkin costume was WAY to small (not my attic, remember?) but I found some glow-in-the-dark pumpkin pajamas at Target that we put underneath and it turned out fabulous! She was in heaven.

And that’s that. Total win on surviving a major holiday away from family and friends. Any guesses on where we will be next year?