Our homeschool plans (for a year of not knowing where you’ll be)

Hi reader, Right now my family and I are finishing up last minute preparations for the trip… Who knew a list of to-do's could be so long?!?! … and I got a lot of questions regarding our homeschool curriculum, so I took some time to write it all down for you to enjoy (while I'm playing tetris with our trunk and bags, LOL). First a few "pre-faces"... The state of Georgia requires that we spend 180 days studying 5 subjects: reading, writing, math, history, science. One "day" is 4 ½ hours. Every state is different so check HSLDA for your state requirements. We needed a curriculum that was SUPER flexible. Part of our year will be mostly offline (Epic Road Trip), some of it will be international, and some of it will be state-side but not in Georgia… It couldn't have a start or end date, require a lot of textbooks, require regular student/teacher sessions, or require equipment/supplies we couldn't pick up at a typical Walmart. Oh, and it had to be AFFORDABLE. I've tried Tapestry of Grace and Sonlight in the past (when the kids were little). They both have pro's and con's, but neither were going to work for what we needed this year. I don't want to spend the whole year worrying about checking all the boxes for homeschool (because that's part of the beauty and flexibility of homeschool, right?), so I've divided up what we're doing based on the legs of our Skip Year and the specific needs of each. I majored in Criminal Justice, minored in Math, taught college when the kids were little, and now write professionally... so I feel pretty comfortable teaching the kids for a year. This is where we've settled for Epic Road Trip: Reading: I'm gathering a massive list of old classics, new classics, books by authors they love, and books directly related to where we're visiting. They each have Kindle Paperwhites (we bought these), we're Amazon Prime members (so we have Kindle Unlimited), and we're also hooking them up to Libby so we can borrow from our local library. Writing: Daily journaling in a spiral notebook. They'll also record their History and Science as part of their writing. Math: We'll be using Saxon math for the whole year; 8/7 for The Girl and TBD for The Boy. History: All about the national parks! They'll collect data as we visit and hike and on the last day at each campsite, the kids can choose either a project, paper or performance. I've set criteria for them to follow (5 facts, 2 problems/solutions, 1 story) and they can choose to work independently or collaborate together. Science: Summer Stargazing course by Intoxicated on Life. Luke and Trisha are blogging friends of ours and gifted in teaching science (as well as Sex Ed, FYI). This free course is PERFECT for the national parks - no light pollution! I signed up early so I could get early access to the content and I'll have it saved/printed before we leave. I'm using three planners from Debra Bell, The Ultimate Homeschool Planner for me, the Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens for my son (9th grade) and the Ultimate Daily Planner for Students for my daughter (7th grade). Part of our goals for this year include personal development (responsibility, time management, etc.) and these planners seemed a perfect fit for us. Note: If you want links to the specific products mentioned above, click here! This keeps our supplies for each kid at just:  1 spiral notebook 2 math books (workbook + textbook) Planner Kindle Pens & pencils And then I will have: 2 math teacher aides Planner Laptop Pens & pencils & sticky notes It's nothing fancy, but for this first leg of the trip, it's exactly what we need! ALL my best ♥, PS - If you haven't been keeping up, my family and I are taking one year off from typical life. It's called a Skip Year and we'll be traveling, homeschooling, making memories, learning life skills and pretty much NOT be at home. Our first leg is the Epic Road Trip and we're spending 8 weeks visiting National Parks. I'm sharing updates along the way via Instagram, Facebook, and email when we can! Popular on the Blog this Week Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast This slow cooker pot roast is SUPER easy and with just 15 minutes of hands-on time, it practically cooks itself! Use 5-minute homemade cream of mushroom soup and serve with a simple salad with homemade Italian dressing and dinner is DONE! Read More Here How to Regrow Food in Water Did you know you can regrow food in water? Save money and eat fresh with this simple tutorial! You'll be surprise to find out how easy it is! Read More Here Crock Pot Refried Beans Skip the canned beans and learn how to make this authentic & easy crockpot refried beans recipe! Use dry or canned beans, or make refried black beans! Great for burritos made with cilantro lime rice and homemade tortillas. Read More Here Freshly Updated Homemade Herbal Shampoo Bars These homemade shampoo bars will naturally nourish and strengthen your hair! Most salon or store-bought shampoos are expensive and full of chemicals. Try this easy and affordable shampoo recipe that is perfect for travel and so much fun to make! Read More Here How to Care for Cast Iron I LOVE cooking with my cast iron skillet, and I have all of the secrets to doing it right! Here is a step by step tutorial for Seasoning Cast Iron, plus cooking and cleaning. Did you know that you can cook everything from pizza, to cornbread, to desserts like brownies in a cast iron skillet? Oh yes, you can!   Read More Here Easy Stove Top Mac & Cheese The best homemade mac and cheese just like your grandma would make, ready in less than 15 minutes and made from scratch with real food ingredients. Read More Here

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