A number of times, people have asked me what it’s like to homeschool Mikhaila and Zoe. To be honest, it has been incredible! We have had such a great time as a family learning so much about the places we’ve been. The girls are enthusiastic learners and are game to try new things as they arise. Their fabulous attitude motivates us to find fun and interesting ways to keep the learning fresh.
Here is a reflection on our experience so far:
How is Homeschooling with the girls?
Both Mik and Zoe have been amazing on the road. Homeschooling changes depending on where we are and what we are doing. Some days we work for one hour, while other days, we might work for 8-10. It all depends on what we are doing at the time. Of course just visiting the countries and the different sites have taught them so much. But it has also covered a lot of their curriculum such as geography, history, literacy (reading, writing, media and oral), the arts, science, etc….
A “typical” day might look something like this:
Wake up and do math – we always try to do math first so we can get it done when our brains are sharp. If we’re on a tight schedule – then we do it when we return that day. Math is easier when they do it everyday and are in a “groove”. In addition to everyday math needed for travelling, we are making our way through the curriculum with a variety of operational work and problem solving.
For each new country we visit, the girls do some basic research on the country so they are aware of the culture and basic facts about the place. We use a site called “Culture Grams”. There is an elementary version that Zoe uses, while Mik uses a secondary version. It helps to introduce a country to the girls and lets them know what to expect.
As part of the site – it gives them some basic language:
Hello/Goodbye – Please/Thank yo – Yes/No
The girls are also taking language lessons with an app called Mind Snacks.
It’s a fun way to practice a bit of language and introduce them to the sounds. They both pick up languages quickly. We haven’t focused too much on the app as we think it’s more important to have them try the languages with people. As we’ve travelled, we have tried to use French as much as possible so the girls can see why it is so important to keep up with their studies. In Europe, most people speak 2-3 languages so it’s great for the girls to see how important languages are. It was funny, we spoke more French in Morocco than we did in France!
As for the blog postings, when we visit a new city/place, we have a list of things we will blog about (some fixed and others more spontaneous – depending on what happens). The girls get to select which topics they are interested in and then they are in charge of taking notes when we visit, asking the tour guides questions etc… When they return home from the tour/visit, they are expected to brainstorm and start a first draft right away while everything is fresh in their memory. Mik likes to use the app iBrainstorm, while Zoe prefers to use Popplet.
Then we use the writing process to finish the post. This includes:
- brainstorming and first draft as mentioned
- picture selection and uploading of images to the blog
- hyperlinking to other sites to support their writing, or previous blog posts that they can connect to
- conference with mom/dad
- revisions
- tagging with key words – they are learning about SEO, (search engine optimization)
- post is then scheduled to come out on a particular date
How long this process takes is determined by where we are and what we are doing. Sometimes the girls can visit a site and get everything done in one day, while other times, it may take them a couple of weeks if we are busy or if more research is needed to be done.
Overall, we have been incredibly happy with how they are doing with their work. If anyone looks back at their writing back in July and compares it to now, there is a huge difference in their content and style of writing.
In addition to their regular blog posts recounting our trip along with different forms of writing, they have also done some special projects:
- Harry Potter – UK – Zoe
- King Arthur – UK – Mik
- Remembrance Day and WWI and WWII video – France, Belgium and Germany – Mik and Zoe
- Venetian Masks – Italy – Mik and Zoe
- Castles – An ongoing project as we travel through Europe – the girls are planning to build one when we get home and are collecting information on the structure and design of their future fort – we are also working online with an engineer who is helping us with the process.
- Holy Roman Empire and Ancient Civilizations – ongoing
- World Religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddism etc…
- For December, we are looking at the holiday season to see how other countries (European) and religions celebrate their special days (Israel and Hannukah)
We are very proud of their incredible efforts and achievements. We have two amazing daughters and it’s been such a pleasure to work with them and see how they have grown during our travels. If anyone out there can offer some other ideas for their schooling – we would love to hear from you. We want their learning to be fun and we are open to all ideas!
Comments
9 responses to “Home Schooling on a Global Field Trip”
Most impressive on so many levels. The self discipline ( I suppose with a wee bit of help from mom and dad) is amazing. But then they have great role models. How does it work carrying all the techie equipment ?
Hi Herta,
We all have our own tech equipment. I have a Mac, Oliver has a PC and the girls share a laptop. They also have an iPad mini each. They do all of their planning and writing on their iPads and then upload the photos etc… on the laptop. We all take care of our own tech which includes the different adaptors depending on the country we are in. So far, it has all worked beautifully!
Cheers,
Kat:)
I liked learning about this process. Thank you for providing such detail. Keep up the good work girls!
Hi Maria,
We’re really proud of them… they have done a great job writing and keeping up with their math work! They’ll be ready for school next year and then some. It may be hard for them to stay in their seats….hopefully they will go on lots of field trips!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Sounds like, and looks like, you are all very busy learning together; which is the best part of this process.
I think it would be wonderful if the girls could visit local schools; especially when you are staying longer in some places. They can report on similarities/differences. Perhaps they could even share their global field trip experiences with other students their age.
Hi Aunt Mary,
Going to other schools is/was something we have wanted to do. We almost had it organized in France and in Switzerland, but in the end, it didn’t work out. We’re hopeful as we go to Africa, India, and SE Asia we make contact with some of the other CS people that can help us visit some schools. In Israel, they were all on Hannukah holidays, so we missed there. This will be something we keep trying to do. IN the meantime, the girls have shared some of their work with my school, and they are skyping with their Sunday School friends tomorrow!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Very interesting post on home schooling! Sounds like a well-rounded curriculum and taking advantage of being in these wonderful locales to really bring the learning to life!
In terms of tools, two places that might be worth checking out for specific topics:
– Crash Course – This is a YouTube channel by the brothers John and Hank Green that covers a wide range of topics in Science and World History in 10-15 minute bites (crash courses). They do a great job of keeping things interesting and piquing interest (though which bits are age-appropriate you may need to vet!). I find it’s a great sampler/intro to certain topics that can serve as a launching point for more in-depth research.
For example, here was one Crash Course relevant to your recent Israel trip. And here’s the World History sub-channel of Crash Course.
– TED talks. In particular, specific talks both from figures hailing specific upcoming destinations as well as talks on topics that compare and contrast differences in cultures. In your post, you mentioned the use of French – that reminded me of a TED talk investigating the differences between certain family of languages on how they might unconsciously impact thinking. Even without speaking a language, it can be interesting to note language differences not just in terms of how they sound (though that’s interesting too! :)) but also what it can reveal about a culture.
From the blog posts, it sounds like you guys are already doing an amazing job at soaking in the cultural differences and the unique aspects of everywhere you’ve been. I think that’s such a fantastic way to encourage critical thinking and being able to see multiple perspectives! Travel can be a great way to be reminded of how relative and subjective things can be, even things that seem 100% obvious. This clip comes to mind on the topic of maps (starting at about 00:50) .
Hi Serena,
You are amazing – I love the way you think! THe map clip from the West Wing is a great way to look at different perspectives. The girls really enjoyed watching it and asked lots of questions! We also think the the Crash Course looks great too…thanks for sharing that site. Mik has been really focusing on the World religions, so the Israeli clip is particularly helpful. As for Ted Talks – we absolutely love them. They cover some great content and just show different ways of thinking and learning in our world. Just recently, I shared one with the girls that I felt was particularly linked to our trip…it’s on the Pursuit of a Memorable Life. Let me know what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLe-8y7Tddk&feature=youtu.be
Happy New Year!
Kat:)
Happy New Year to you too, Katina! 🙂
Glad the girls liked the clip and hope they enjoy the Crash Courses as well. RE: World Religions, there’s so much to come in that arena in your upcoming destinations, I’m excited for Mikhaila! In addition to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, I expect your destinations will include exposure to Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism (maybe even several versions of it as you move through the countries), and maybe even Jainism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Thanks for the link to the TED talk on the Pursuit of a Memorable Life. Good talk on seeking out new experiences. Some food for thought for sure. I agree with the speaker’s premise of breaking out of a routine, seeking change and new experiences. I also think that the focus should extend beyond the big ways we can do this in a “once in a lifetime” or even once a year ways, but in the everyday little ways. Those new experiences and breaking out of our usual routine/bubbles can happen even in less obvious/dramatic/physical ways – say intellectually, politically, etc. Stepping outside of our usual curated spheres of opinions/neighbourhoods/geography/culture/religion/politics and reading/watching/attending/discussing topics from a different or even the opposite perspective can be a worthwhile daily exercise.
On a separate note, you may have already discovered this speaker, but on the topic of making math interesting in maybe a less conventional way, there’s a fantastic TED speaker who truly makes Statistics relevant by applying it to global issues like poverty and population growth. His name is Hans Rosling and his talks are informative and entertaining.