Beginner RoadSchoolers - RV-Dreams Community Forum

FreelyLivingLife · RV-Dreams Community Member

Beginner RoadSchoolers

retread · RV-Dreams Family Member

What fun! Sounds like you already have a great plan for your kids, especially considering their ages. The number and types of curriculii are extremely overwhelming and with time, even more options are available!

For what it's worth, I think you've still got time to settle on any one curriculum. Your state of residence will vary on their requirements, usually beginning with kinder or 1st grade. When they're little, it's so terrific to keep things interesting so that a love for learning can foster. How terrific to do so with travel!

When we started out 10 years ago, we chose a highly structured curriculum mainly because we didn't have the confidence we now have in customizing a variety of materials that meet our kids needs (and ours as teachers). We also learned to modify or switch our materials when something didn't suit us well!

Only one specific suggestion - http://www.starfall.com/ is a free online program that teaches phonics and beginning reading. Our kids used this as a supplement to other materials we were using (mostly read aloud and beginner books).

Blessings!
Linda

Kerri · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi! Linda gave you some great advice. We've used Starfall too, and my little girl loved it!

We've been unschooling for 14 years now, so I can't weigh in on choosing a curriculum - we don't use one. Not using a boxed curricumlum frees us up in so many ways - no heavy books, saves money, no fighting boredom or being desperate to finish X # of pages or test when we are "supposed" to. We live our life, learning each and every day (me just as much as the children). There are so many opportunities for amazing learning to occur. My daughter sometimes wants to work in workbooks, so we do. My son hated them with a passion, so we didn't.

Do what works for you and your family. Finding out exactly what works is sort of like learning to FT - trial and error are the rule. But if you aren't spending tons of money on curriculum - buying things used at thrift stores and library sales, checking half.com for good deals, picking up workbooks ($Tree has some good ones) here and there - you won't feel bad about tossing something which just doesn't work for you.

Your home state and it's requirements will determine a great deal of what you do - compulsory age, testing requirements, etc. If and when I need to choose a domicile, I would pick Texas based on their homeschooling laws and lack of income tax. Our base will be Alabama for the time being because we still have family/property here, but that may change in the future.

When my children were little (they are now 21 and 9), I just read to them, enjoyed them, played with them and let them play. In fact, that is what we still do!! Whereever their interests lie - building (or tearing down

), painting, books, whatever - let them follow their interests. Unschooling is also called "delight-directed education" - I love that name because it describes what we do - but unschooling is easier to type, so I use it! Remember that you are choosing to not send your children to the public school systems for some reason. For us, they just do not provide what we want, so why would we recreate a system which does not work for us?

I LOVE hearing about other families on the road! I hope you have all sorts of wonderful adventures, and maybe we will see you down the road!

Kerri in Alabama

-- Edited by Kerri on Sunday 14th of February 2010 08:48:51 PM

-- Edited by Kerri on Sunday 14th of February 2010 08:51:49 PM

Ravenlotus · RV-Dreams Family Member

Does anyone use the K12 program? Our state is really strict on keeping up with grade level and testing. I was just wondering if anyone has tried this and what they think. Thanks.