Home Schooling on the Road: What an Adventure!

My husband and I recently stayed at a North Carolina KOA where we met a couple who are fulltime RVers with their three children. They work at KOAs in different parts of the country where they get free camping and a stipend in exchange for working. They've been at it for over a year now and have visited many places out west with their children. I asked their oldest, a girl of about nine, what spot she liked the best. Yellowstone was her choice. We heard a lot about the beauties of Wyoming and the Rockies, but they just moved east and haven't visited Virginia yet. I know they'll love it when they do and I described some of the wonderful treats in store for them in my home state.

I was reflecting later on what a fun education their children are getting. Imagine learning about America and its geography by visiting the different states. Each is so unique. Think of learning about rocks and minerals while studying the deposits in the Grand Canyon and discussing the many ways that mountains and gorges develop. Travelling through midwest farmland is a great opportunity to study about crops and farming methods, how the dustbowl happened in the thirties and the importance of being good stewards of the earth by practicing effective land management.

In North Carolina the cotton is ready to harvest and workers are picking sweet potatoes that have been dug up. No doubt the children have observed it. Maybe they passed through a town that calls itself the strawberry capitol of the south like we did. (I think it was in Louisianna.) Out west I'm sure they saw longhorn cattle grazing on ranches.

When I was homeschooling I loved travelling to significant places in American history. We travelled to where the "miracle in Philadelphia" took place. We could almost hear Ben Franklin telling a woman who asked what form of government the Consitutional Convention had approved, "a republic, Madam, if you can keep it." Walking the battlefield at Gettysburg was an almost mystical experience as we listened to a costumed docent share her experiences as a nurse on the battlefield bringing aid and comfort to that living hell.

We studied pond life at a marsh where we picked up Fiddler crabs and watched coots dive for food. We climbed lighthouses and imagined men in storms at sea encouraged by their beacons. I still look back on that time with delight.

One thing we never studied (and I trust the young mom I spoke to would say the same) was how to put a condom on a banana. But that's just one more benefit of home schooling.