Home educating while travelling

[ohmygosh123]

Has anyone done this with a child, and can you tell me more. Good bits, bad bits, bits you'ld do differently.

So I'm not drip feeding - DD loves school, loves doing even more learning at home, but also loves travelling with us and has a list of places she is begging to go to - so we are thinking about doing it in years 7 & 8, before she goes to a really good school that only starts from 13. Combination of living overseas and travelling. We've done alot of travelling, and I have itchy feet already - but we are giving ourselves a few years to plan this so we can get the most out of it.

Thinking of this for my son and I who will be Y7&8 and has a place at a 13+ school. I've got no idea what to do, where to start, if we can continue with music practice and academic work whilst travelling.

So I'd love to hear what your thoughts are at the moment and if you fancy some company! ;)

I read an article about a family who did it - they planned it miles in advance, and as they studied stuff at school etc they marked up on a map, places they wanted to go and why. Then once they had lots of options, they looked at how they could do it. I read another article that I can't find about a man hwo home educated his DD to get her into one of the superselective girls schools in London for the 11+, and as part of it they went to Florence, Pisa, Paris and basically all over Europe learning about history, art, Leonardo da Vinca and the maths of domes etc etc etc.

DD is only 6 at the moment, but already has plans to go to the Western American National Parks / the Wild West - pretty much Bryce & the Grand Canyon. I've told her she can go when she can do long walks in the heat ....so she's in training - literally!

DH & I have done alot of travelling - and are keen to take her off the beaten track. Although a lttle bit of me does worry about certain areas. I went round China on my own aged 20 quite happily. I would feel more cautious about some of the places I stayed with a child. Virtually everyhere I went in South America I would feel quite chilled about taking her back to. (Although would probably give Lima a miss as I've yet to meet someone who didn't get mugged there).

Can't imagine continuing with music practice ..... my mother took all that stuff to Australia when we went out there fore 6 months - the plane was a nightmare. I was 10 and she swept along with my carrying the bags! Will never forget all the bags and her leaving me to get them off an airport bus on my own - and then only coming back to scream at me for dawdling - errrr trying to get all the bags & cases off the bus mother dear! Made the bus driver laugh anyway.

I think part of the beauty of travelling is having less stuff - and I'm thinking that kindles and iPads will make the whole thing alot easier. I was thinking that other than maths, she could learn about whatever related to where we were at the time. Keep a journal etc.

We are considering travelling a bit too with our kids (age 8, 6 & 3). Thinking of taking them out of school for a year, (we will also be moving house during that time). Because our youngest is still so young, I don't think we'd go anywhere too remote. But are considering getting a campervan & just going off round Europe for a few months. The other alternative is to take 3-4 seperate long holidays over the course of a year maybe Iceland, north America & Europe. Can't decide which would be better.

Education wise we'd want to keep up with certain aspects of the NC, so they are not out of the habit when they go back into school when the time comes. But like youve suggested I think a lot of the education will actually come from our surroundings & the travelling itself. I think it would be a shame not to carry on with music though (dc1 has been learning guitar for 2years & will be doing grade 2 later this month). But if we get a camper I suppose we can just sling it in the back & if we go for the elongated holiday option we will just have lessons back home in between.