Our 6th Year of Homeschooling / Roadschooling in an RV 2023-2024
We have just begun our SIXTH year of homeschooling, which honestly blows my mind. I never thought I wanted to homeschool, but when we decided to travel full time in an RV, I knew that meant figuring out what learning on the road would look like for our family!
It’s been an ever changing experience, as we switch things up each year.
Our kids are in 7th and 5th grades this year, and I just wanted to share what we’re doing since it’s a question we frequently get asked.
Staying Organized
Raising future adults
As our kids have gotten older and more self-sufficient, we have realized they both like to work off a list. We have a shared family note that they can access on their phones which tells them each day what they need to do.
It has a circle that can be checked off by each line, and both kids love completing tasks and checking those circles!
One of our goals in raising our children has been to raise independent kids who need us less and less as they become adults.
I see this take place more and more each year and it brings me a lot of joy to see both kids take on more responsibility and needing Aaron and I less and less in life, which includes their schooling.
They both know I’m always here if they have any questions about anything or need help at all. I find them coming to me very seldom, and their abilities to do their schoolwork independently builds their confidence a lot and is showing them just how capable they are!
Daily Checklists
Their daily checklists not only include school assignments, but also daily tasks they need to complete around the RV.
They have daily chores such as washing dishes and cleaning the table, and I even include things like making their beds and brushing their teeth on their lists. Even at ages 12 and 10, sometimes we get to lunchtime and they realize they haven’t brushed their teeth, so I do still put it on the list while they’re continuing to build their personal hygiene habits!
Reading
Reading is a big part of our lives, and each day they read a book of their choice silently for 30 minutes, and I read a chapter of a book of my choice to them aloud. I choose books they might not choose themselves. I often get classics, award winning books, and books with challenging vocabulary words.
I like to pause when I get to a word they might not know and we discuss the meaning. Sometimes there are words I don’t even know and we look up the meaning together! We’ve all broadened our vocabulary by doing this. (We’re currently reading Island of the Blue Dolphins.)
Library
When we stay put for seasons at a time, we get temporary library cards. Different library systems do this different ways. In Las Vegas, anyone can get a temporary card. In Riverside County, CA, kids can get a regular library card without showing proof of address and this card is good for a ton of libraries in Southern California.
We check out books from libraries when we can, and visit the library at least once a week during these times. Libraries offer great programs for kids such a story times for younger kids and things such as chess clubs and crochet clubs for older ones that our kids have thoroughly enjoyed through the years.
Other ways to get books are through book exchanges with friends, little libraries and thrift stores. If your family enjoys reading without the physical book in hand, getting a kindle and reading that way is an alternative option.
Miacademy
We have a lifetime subscription to a website called Miacademy. My sister actually purchased it, but the family plan she chose for her two kids includes subscriptions for four children, so she invited our kids to join in on her plan.
It’s for grades K-8 and includes tons of subjects. We’ve only been using it for a week so far, but the kids are liking it.
Both kids are:
Doing daily vocabulary practice
Taking a U.S. Government class
Taking an Earth Science class
Taking a Drawing Essentials and Art class.
Casen is taking a course on Music Reading and Calista is taking Song Writing.
Miacademy offers many other courses as well. The kids can log on each day and see their learning path, so they know exactly what they need to do each day.
Instructions are delivered through a combination of:
Video tutorials
Interactive games
Web-based practice exercises
Printable materials
The variety of instructional content-types cater to various learning styles. Every lesson is structured into three segments: the instructional phase, comprised of video lessons; the practice phase, featuring multiple sets of brief exercises; and the assessment phase.
Students are rewarded with virtual gold for completing online activities. The My World area of the program lets students use the gold they earn to purchase virtual products. You can try it out by paying $1.99 for the first month, cancel anytime and get a refund if you’re not satisfied.
Math
For math, we’ve used Teaching Textbooks for years now. It’s hands off for parents, interactive and fun for kids, and works great for our family. They have an assessment your child can take to see what level they should be in, and you can try it for a whole month before committing, which is really nice.
Current Events
Each day we watch the latest CNN 10 episode, which is a 10 minute snapshot of unbiased world news, created specifically for students. This helps us stay connected and knowing what’s going on in the world around us.
Spanish
We all have been learning Spanish by using the Duolingo app for years now. We get to practice Spanish in real life when we go to Baja for several months each winter! Speaking with real Spanish speaking people is what helps us the most.
Writing
The kids get writing and typing practice in different ways. They write or email letters to family members, practice signing their name on notebook paper, and enjoy coming up with their own projects such as writing down the lyrics of their favorite songs just for fun!
Other Subjects
We have a list of subjects the kids have shown interest in that we will dive into one at a time throughout the week, and because of the timing when we started school this year, we started off with diving into 9/11.
We have studied the political history that led up to the tragic event and had some deep discussions on religion, politics and war because of it. Some other subjects on our list that we will dive into this year include world religions, entrepreneurship, money, mental health and drugs, just to name a few.
We will use different sources to study these subjects, such as documentaries, books and learning from other people.
School Overseas with Boundless Life
In the spring, we will be moving to Portugal for 3 months, where Calista will go to school and be taught by a Portuguese teacher who speaks English. (Casen will be too old for the education program).
We did this program this past spring as well, but we did it in Syros, Greece. We will join a community of other families through an organization called Boundless Life. We had a life changing experience in Greece last time and are SO excited to do another cohort with them.
I have written several articles on our experience with them that you can read about:
Living, working and going to school in a foreign country is such an incredible experience and I can’t recommend it enough. Traveling internationally and immersing ourselves in a different culture was such an eye opener. We all learned so much and are ecstatic to do it again!
Boundless Life was an excellent opportunity to socialize with other families who were digital nomads, and it was the best community we could’ve asked for. Traveling internationally typically has its challenges regarding socialization, and unless you’re traveling with a group or joining specific communities for traveling families, it can be tough.
We find that with our typical style of travel (which is RV travel) we have tons of social interactions. We have met so many families who also travel full time in RVs and we often travel in caravans and/or meet up over and over all around the country.
If you want to learn more about how we’ve built a community on the road, read this article.
A Learning Lifestyle
The last thing our family does, which is more of a habit to initiate into your family culture, is have regular, intentional conversations. Kids naturally have lots of questions, and it can be easy to brush them off.
However we have a policy that every question gets answered. It may not be right away, but we make a note of it if it’s not the best timing and always come back to discuss it. If it’s something we don’t know or have an answer for, we find out together.
This shows our kids that their questions do matter, and that we are always learning as well. Family dinners are important to us, so there are great times to have meaningful discussions. Spending time together right before bedtime is also a special time when many deep discussions take place.
Our motto is that LIFE is learning and the world is our classroom. There are so many opportunities and ways to learn, and we are committed to encouraging our kids’ curiosities and helping them navigate the world around them. We are a source of encouragement and gladly share our experiences and wisdom with them.
Being their biggest cheerleaders and a strong support system for them as they grow and navigate the changes and challenges that come along with puberty and entering the teen years is so important!
We have a unique opportunity that many others don’t have, by homeschooling and being a very big part of their daily lives. We don’t take that opportunity lightly. Our days with them are numbered and we make a conscious effort to make the most of this time.
We don’t have it all figured out, but are always here to answer any questions you may have or offer encouragement that you can do this too, if you’re considering homeschooling! Feel free to leave any questions or comments you have below.