What is Roadschooling?

Roadschooling means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Just as one homeschool experience is different from another, roadschool experiences vary like the moods of a two year old (I should know… I’ve got one).

While roadschooling parents choose curriculum, methods, and styles of teaching like homeschooling parents, the main difference is that roadschooling parent are… well… on the road, not just for a short period of time (like going on a vacation or taking a field trip), but on a longer journey or possibly even as their full-time lifestyle. What makes roadschooling different from homeschooling is that in large part, the family’s adventures on the road are what shape their education. Instead of just reading about historical sites, they see, touch, and absorb history first-hand from these sites. While students in traditional classrooms are learning about landforms from pictures and 3D models, roadschoolers take walks through deserts, hike to the tops of various mountains, pick flowers from grassland plains, and maybe even rock climb to the top of a plateau. While a homeschooling family might make a lapbook about caves, but never see one because there aren’t any nearby, a roadschooler might go spelunking to see first-hand the path of water drops as they drip down stalactites and stalagmites as well as animal inhabitants of the cave. While not all roadschoolers have these specific learning adventures, there’s an endless supply of learning experience possibilities while on the road that you just can’t experience at home or in the classroom.

These are just a few of the experiences we've enjoyed this year...

There are days where roadschooling and homeschooling might look very similar. While roadschoolers often have frequent experiences like the ones mentioned above, most people have “classroom” days too. Books are read, crafts are created, lapbooks are constructed, and SHHHHHHHHhhhhhh… a worksheet may even be completed.

Even though all roadschooling families have this mobile commonality, the differences of how this is done vary widely. Some families bike across the country, while others travel in their cars and stay in hotels across the nation. Other families camp out in tents at various state parks, while others enjoy the comforts that recreational vehicles offer. Some families travel around a state, while others a country, and others fly, bike, take train rides, and more around the world. With roadschooling, the possibilities are limitless.

The reasons people choose this method of schooling also vary. Obviously, if you’re traveling, you can’t keep your kids in public school, so schooling your own child is the only way to go. Some families travel just to get away from all the hustle and bustle of leading a traditional lifestyle. The tiny house movement and being debt free are also strong incentives for some, while other families choose it for the broad experiences traveling gives their children. Sometimes a family member travels a great deal for work, leading them into the nomadic lifestyle. While there are many other reasons, the last one is what led our family to the road. You can read more about why we roadschool and check out Our(stationary) Roadschooling Set-up by clicking the image below.

My goal for writing about this topic is not to sell you on roadschooling your children or to prove that roadschooling will give your child the best education, but rather to enlighten you about its existence. There are a large number of families hitting the road and the number increase daily and yet it’s not a well-known or well-accepted way of living. Once a family sells their home or moves out of an apartment to live in an RV, skip from hotel room to hotel room, or camp in a tent, they are considered “poor” and “homeless” by the world. The saddest part to me is that families have had their children taken away from them because there are ignorant people in this world that won’t accept this lifestyle as a way people can appropriately raise their children.

I’m grateful that my friends and family have been supportive in our decision, but there are many who venture out into the world without this support system, with the people who love them most disapproving of their choice.

My friends, this is a choice, just like you might choose to live in a larger house or decide to downsize to a smaller house or apartment. It may not be something you would consider for yourself, but if you have a friend or family member that mentions they are interested, be supportive. Love them and keep them in your prayers. It’s not an easy decision to make for most. Venturing out to do something new and unknown is scary, but living on the road isn’t something anyone should look down on. Wonderful experiences will create memories that will last a life time for your whole family!

God Bless You on Your Learning Journey ~
 

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