Episode 64: Road Trips (Part 4) - Real Itineraries and Ideas
This last episode of our Road Trip series is our favorite! We take you on a few of our memorable road trips - across country, to San Francisco, and even a couple local Donut Road Trips! Also, we discuss the question, can I work and homeschool? Check out our other road trip episodes for planning 53, adding an educational component 56, and the do’s and don’ts 60.
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Show Notes
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Scoop on the Coop
Mandi’s homeschool science unit study on the human body continues. She talks about their most recent read-aloud, Wonder, by .R. J. Palacio which tells the story of a boy who has to learn how to face the world with an abnormal face. (Wonder references the first book of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. So if your child is ready for that series, start with book 1.) She also references a beautiful book she is borrowing from Jessica - Anatomicum and it’s workbook. Both Jessica and Mandi love Operation Ouch as part of this unit study.
Jessica has started a new Space unit study by Gather Round Homeschool. She loves it and recommends it as an easy to implement unit study. She is also using Mr. DeMaio’s space videos. (For more about Mr. DeMaio, check out our interview with him here.)
Road Trip Real Routes
We share a California road trip from San Diego to San Francisco, a cross-country trip visiting multiple national parks, an overnight donut road trip, and a co-op half-day donut road trip.
San Francisco
Stops along the way: Bravo Farms and Casa De Fruta.
Books: This Bridge Will Not Be Gray, This is San Francisco, Kid’s Travel Guide to San Francisco (activity book for each major location)
Activity: Lego kit for older children, Lego kit for younger children
Cross-Country Road Trip
Get ready to take notes! Jessica offers so many tips for road-tripping across country…like utilize visitor centers along the way for extra learning and a clean place for a restroom break. Jessica had a number of books ready to share with her children in case their interests were piqued.
Books: 50 States, 50 States Activity Book, Who Pooped? (There’s a whole series for the various national parks.), Where is the Grand Canyon?, Guide to the National Parks and others.
Activity: Gaining camping and hiking expertise are life skills that will enrich your children for the rest of their lives. What a great gift to give them! Try making camping stops along your drive along with your hotel stays to dive deeper into making memories in nature. Also, if you are aware of animals that might make an appearance, prepare your child ahead of time by trying a unit study of animals on your trip. Make a Bingo game or scavenger hunt list to check off the animals they see along the way.
Donut Road Trips
We spell ours out for you on our blog post, How Our Donut Road Trip Made Me Awesome! This one was an overnight one, but we also discuss a half-day donut road trip you can take with your homeschool friends!
Coop Q & A
Can I work and homeschool? Yes, you can, but it may take some schedule finessing. We share some examples of a full-time teacher, part-timers, a dance teacher, and even a full-time lawyer! The biggest factor is, do you have someone (family member, homeschool friend, outsourced enrichment, yourself) who can be with your children during the day? You do not need to stick to a 7:30 AM -2:30 PM schedule. Your children can learn at any time! Weekends and evenings can be their coordinated learning time. We explore many options in this segment.
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