Home Education on the Move

Moving is always a major upset in the realm of home education. You tear down your inspirational environment to be moved to a new location. It takes several weeks of packing and unpacking to get back to a semblance of "normal". This move is even harder because we are still in between homes, staying in a hotel and with family at various times while we look for a house. This is particularly challenging! It is hard to keep everyone focused on home education when there are so many distractions with extended family. There is also a big lack of enthusiasm for home education while staying in a hotel as it feels too much like a vacation.

Here are some things we do to stay on track during a move or while traveling:

• Stick with the basics - Don't add new items, systems, or principles into the mix. Stick to a basic outline of simple topics and books. Do not start any new methods for education like a new writing program.
• Travel light - Only take books you know you will use. The last time we moved we took too much that we never touched. Utilize eBooks and eBook Readers to make your book box even lighter. We use our laptop and Android tablet to read many free classics for Nook and Google Books.
• Technology - Utilize resources online, both free and fee based, that do not require textbooks like Khan Academy, Aleks Math, Old Fashioned Education, Main Lessons (Baldwin Online Literature Website), Ambleside Online, and Netflix (lots of documentaries on Instant Play). Most hotels have free Wi-Fi as do McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, and public libraries. We were able to find open Wi-Fi spots by simply driving into the parking lot of McDonald's and did not need to go inside or buy anything.

If your travel time is short, it may be fine to just skip the Structure Time, not Content key. But, if you will be traveling for an extended period of time, it can feel overwhelming to miss too much study time. Plus, I find that too much time on their hands leads to losing progress and enthusiasm for working hard. With a little bit of planning and some flexibility on expecting rigorous study, keeping up with home education on the road can be accomplished without too much headache (just a little one).

Weathering Trials While Home Educating

I've been incognito for about a month on my blogs. We received news in December that my mother is dying of corticobasal degeneration, a rare extreme type of Parkinson's. There is no cure and no treatment, just a steady, rapid decline to dying. There is more info on that on my family blog at simplelifelearners.blogspot.com. I'm getting back in stride a bit, even though not fully up to everything I need to do.

This is one of those times when life throws you an extreme curve ball that hits you on the head, knocking you out for a few moments. You come to rubbing your head and thinking, "I did not see that coming at all." In homeschooling terms, this is a trial in life that often throws people off their plans. Our family is no exception to this.

Yet, we must go on...the kids are enrolled in some online classes that have specific start times and due dates. As Scholars, they have responsibilities to keep up with their education even through the hard times. As their mentor, I need to keep with their needs and continue to provide the right environment for a Leadership Education.

Our grief is there, but we also find fulfillment and joy in continuing to study and work towards our goals. Our beloved mother and grandmother is a trooper and an example of someone weathering her trials well. She keeps a smile on her face even when she can't say what she wants to say to her loved ones. She shows us through her beautiful smile. She reads constantly, even through her trials, showing us her great love of books. We honor her by moving forward and keeping ourselves on track for our goals in life.