Community Forums

LMTurner74 · 03-16-2014, 01:27 AM

We are currently homeschooling our 14 year old son. We love taking quick weekend or 3 day weekend trips around us (DFW, TX) for educational RV trips. We tend to do alot of math & history; as well as, geography when we travel and set up camp. Does anyone have any ideas about places to go, lessons to teach or homeschooling in general?
Thanks!

KT4Wextra · 03-16-2014, 12:37 PM

Just a comment on home schooling. My oldest son and wife home schooled their son and daughter. My grandson graduated from the University of Ohio and got his CPA and is now a senior auditor for the State of Ohio. My granddaughter is doing very good in the healthcare profession. My daughter has been home schooling my other granddaughter for about 7 years now. She is 14 also and they live in Tomball, TX after moving from Tullahoma, TN. She is very interested in astrology and science. They have weekly get togethers with other home schoolers and do occasional field trips. Home schoolers get a chance to study what interests them rather than get indoctrinated by some teacher with an agenda.
Good luck with teaching your son and hope he does well in college.

jeffwit · 03-16-2014, 12:44 PM

We (meaning my wife

) homeschool our 3 (ages 12, 10, and 8). Part of the reason we do it is the flexibility it gives us in picking our travel dates. And we absolutely use our travel as part of their education. As an example, last summer we took a trip from GA to Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and NYC. Prior to and during that trip we had lessons and discussions about the history that occurred at each place. It really makes the lessons come alive when you can say, "and that happened right HERE).

3catstravel · 03-16-2014, 05:31 PM

This would be more than a long weekend. You could consider going to Huntsville, AL to the Space Center there. They have space camps that your son could take part in. Along the way, you could study a lot of history of the Civil War. You could check out the uniqueness of the Mississippi River.

MoeBelly · 03-16-2014, 05:41 PM

As far as history: (from N to S)

Boston Freedom Trail - Revolutionary War/Colonial America
Gettysburg
Harpers Ferry/Antietam Battlefield
Washington D.C. - Smithsonian (just about anything and everything here), National Archives
Mount Vernon
Petersburg, VA
Jamestown, VA
Charleston, SC

just to name a few.

Libero · 03-16-2014, 05:49 PM

The Smithonian would be on the top of my list.

djbmsu · 03-16-2014, 07:37 PM

The Chicago Museum of Science and History and congratulations on educating them. Our Public education system is a shambles !

Bumps · 03-16-2014, 08:08 PM

We homeschooled our three kids. WooHoo! Long time ago, now, but the travels were central to the experience. Not only did it allow us to travel all four seasons, but also to be greatly involved in the educational experiences of our kids. We were able to be onsite for a lot of their history and geography studies, of course, but also found civic and scientific itineraries. They were absolutely terrific times with our kids that we would not trade for ANYthing.

To your question, as the kids got older and developed interests of their own, we let them research the routes and pick the destinations that aligned with their studies. It really took a lot of the pressure off mom and dad, created opportunity for additional research and homework, while at the same time investing in the interests of the kids. They had great ownership and pride in their trips. I will never forget the route we drove when we studied the space program: Space Camp, Space Center Houston, Kennedy Space Center, Wright-Patterson AF Museusm, and Cosmosphere ... all on the same loop. But it was their elective subject that year, and that was our "deal."

On another trip, the two boys wanted to test the performance of a [homemade] potato gun at different elevations. We started at 12,000' in Colorado and drove west, stopping at 1000' elevation increments. At each stop, the boys carefully set up the potato gun, weighed the potatoes, measured the wind, measured out the target zone, took pictures, launched three potatoes, and documented each test result. We attracted the attention of the State Highway Patrol a couple times, who [to our surprise] became great encouragers as they watched the two young boys conduct their experiment. The final potato launch was at sea level at Huntington Beach (now, that IS a different story!). The boys were not able to prove their theory that a potato would fly farther when launched in higher altitudes, but the educational/family experience made the trip and experiment priceless.

To a great extent, our "homeschool vacations" defined our family and were foundational in making us as close a family as we remain today. And the kids got a first-class education to boot!

Great memories, great purpose. Have FUN with it!

\ken

psaint · 03-17-2014, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KT4Wextra

Just a comment on home schooling. My oldest son and wife home schooled their son and daughter. My grandson graduated from the University of Ohio and got his CPA and is now a senior auditor for the State of Ohio. My granddaughter is doing very good in the healthcare profession. My daughter has been home schooling my other granddaughter for about 7 years now. She is 14 also and they live in Tomball, TX after moving from Tullahoma, TN. She is very interested in astrology and science. They have weekly get togethers with other home schoolers and do occasional field trips. Home schoolers get a chance to study what interests them rather than get indoctrinated by some teacher with an agenda.
Good luck with teaching your son and hope he does well in college.

Are you sure it's "astrology and science" and not "astronomy and science"? Astrology is psuedo science and shouldn't be confused with reality.

MoeBelly · 03-17-2014, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psaint

Are you sure it's "astrology and science" and not "astronomy and science"? Astrology is psuedo science and shouldn't be confused with reality.

Astrology deals with how the stars and planets affect human behavior. Astronomy is the study of space and bodies beyond the earth's atmosphere.

Astrology gives us horoscopes.
Astronomy gives us paths of near-earth asteroids and comets.

Libero · 03-17-2014, 08:36 AM

Good comment re "Astrology" but just perhaps the person does horoscopes which are generally hocus pocus IMHO but people do it and make a living at it.
:-) :-):-):-)

But on home schooling, in the right setting, it can be great in many aspects, abeit by moving around in an RV could impact the social interaction with a cross-section of peers it does allow kids to often get better training aids.

I know of families who pool resources to mutually school thier children and stick to a diciplined education regimen and the results are fantastic. Other scenarios may not turn out as well. Each case had to be judged on its own merit.

Sounds like things are working out OK for those who have posted here.

450Donn · 03-17-2014, 08:51 AM

There are so many places to see and visit that would be wonderful educational experiences for home schoolers. My and all of the civil war era sites/battlefields would be a great start. As you get north places like the Henry Ford museum and Greenfield village, historic Williamsburg! Most of the Massachusetts coast would also be great especially Boston for its freedom walk! The uss constitution and way more than I can think of. Then, closer to home places like los allimose NM would be great for more recent history. In reality, anyplace in this wonderful country of ours could be a history lesson all by it self.

PyrateSilly · 03-17-2014, 12:04 PM

A couple of weeks ago we got home late and our neighbor informed us that we had a delivery and he had the driver put it behind some stuff so that it would not be noticed by just anyone walking by. Turns out the 2 big heavy boxes weren't for us but someone else about 2 miles away. UPS delivered to the wrong address. They were from K12.com. We ended up just taking the boxes to the lady that was homeschooling her son while she did home health care for a lady. Did not know if you guys knew about K12.com

On another note, while our son is not homeschooling our granddaughter he is teaching her way faster than the school system is. She is 7 and in first grade. Reading at 6th grade level and when she finishes a book they have her do a "book report" on it. Just a paragraph right now but it gets her ready for when she will have to write them in school. On math the teacher asked the kids if you can take 10 from 8. The kids said no but Lisa says yes. The teacher tells her that they are not studying negative numbers yet. The class may not but she is, mom and dad are teaching her as fast as she wants to learn.

wa8yxm · 03-17-2014, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMTurner74

We are currently homeschooling our 14 year old son. We love taking quick weekend or 3 day weekend trips around us (DFW, TX) for educational RV trips. We tend to do alot of math & history; as well as, geography when we travel and set up camp. Does anyone have any ideas about places to go, lessons to teach or homeschooling in general?
Thanks!

Well, grab a history book for starters.. Though my Darling Daugher was not home schooled, We visited such places as Philadelphia and Gettysburg. Plymouth rock and more. All areas of historical importance..

Of course any travel teaches geography.

And as you travel never forget what state you are in,, And take the chance to talk about that state and how all of the states are important to the country.