Possible move, homeschooling as a nomad.

[Ohdanigirl]

Without going into it too much, it looks like we will be moving around quite a bit for dh's work. Depending on the assignments we will be at some places 2 months, and others up to a 18, and most of the time be living out of a hotel suite with kitchen. We will not know for sure, for about 3 weeks. (unless something opens up close to home)

 

Either way, I have to start planning, just in case. It will be pretty short notice, but I am sure there will not be a new opening close to home. I have no idea where to start.

 

Can I scan books and put them on a Kindle or Nook? What are must haves for hotel living. Do I need pots and pans, or do hotels have those in the room? What should I not take, so that we can lighten our load? What other things should I be thinking about?

 

Danielle

[EJCMom]

I've never stayed in a hotel room with a kitchen that wasn't fully stocked with pots and pans, utensils, dishes, etc. So I wouldn't think you would need to bring any of that. Since you'll be living on the road, I wouldn't worry about bringing things for every possible contingency. You can just buy anything you forgot wherever you are. I would also encourage everyone to pack fairly light. I wouldn't bring your whole closet, KWIM?

 

In terms of homeschooling, I would get everything on PDF that you possibly can and just keep it on your laptop and print as necessary. And remember, there is likely to be a library wherever you go. So, I wouldn't worry about bringing extra books either. I'd just plan on checking stuff out at the library. And any paperwork that you want to keep, I would plan on mailing home so that you aren't having to lug everything from one town to the next.

 

How fun! It sounds like your family is in for a real adventure! :auto:

[Ohdanigirl]

Thank you. I am very excited. I have really been wanting to travel around for while, and lucky us, Dh's job is going to pay for it. At the same time, I am very nervous, and maybe even freaking out a bit. Mostly excited though. I just want to cover all my bases, I will likely be giving away a bunch of our stuff.

 

Danielle

[RanchGirl]

Would the company pay for an rv and campground/rv park? That would be preferable to me.... I have done both, though I was the kid when we lived in hotels.

 

The only kitchen thing I would bring is a crockpot, they aren't usually supplied. And favorite spices and your cookbook, on PDF if possible.

 

If I can get a workbook in PDF format, I have the kids work it on the iPad with a stylus. We use PDF notes. Also a laptop and portable printer would be ideal. I would probably do the bare essentials (math, writing) and then explore the area for the rest of the curriculum if you have flexibility.

 

For PE, make sure the hotels have pools and bring suits!

[Mrs.Gregg]

My husband's old job he traveled a lot. Some assignments he would be in CA for 4wks-4mos, Upstate NY for up to 7mos, etc. The girls and I travels a little bit with him and while his current job he doesn't travel there is a very strong likely hood that he will travel once again. When/if he does the children and I will travel/homeschool with him.

 

Things I've thought about.

 

Online schooling as much as possible.

Minimum amount of books and make use of libraries when possible. Most libraries now have ebooks so that might be a great reasource.

PDF text books, and print what you must via a tumb drive and a store like staples.

Join every hotel rewards club that you stay at. It adds up. My husband lived at a residence inn for 7mos and we ended up with 25 free nights to use personally. :lol:

Get yourself a crockpot and travel with it, some hotels (like residence inn) do have pots and pands but some do not, I would have the bare minimum. A pot, a frying pan, enough plates, bowels, cups, for one meal per person.

---those things can also be purchased cheap at goodwill.

Abide by the homeschooling laws of your state of residence and keep GOOD records. HTHs some.

[hsmom23]

We have done this before and it's definitely an adventure. We did not have a kitchenette when we did it so I used my crockpot and grill and ate a lot of soups and prepared foods. The hotel served breakfast so that helped a lot. I only had one child beginning k at the time, but we used a file folder system in a filing crate and I planned out only what would fit in the crate. Will you be staying in the room the whole time? We had to go home on the weekend which made it a real pain cause we had to pack up every Friday and leave and then come back Monday.

 

We still travel and live full time in a fifth wheel camper. I have an iPad and I use MM on that but for the most part I just take what I need. I much prefer the camper :tongue_smilie: if you have any specific question, feel free to PM me. good luck and have fun with it!

[Liz CA]

Sounds like fun, for a time at least.

Even though I use computer and flash drives, I also like to have some things on paper in case of no wifi or crashes. I would have each child pack a backpack with school items only. Lightweight binders, pens, certain work books.

Whatever can be done online, utilize it. For instance math curriculum online, writing, etc.

If you are very good and organized with library books, you can use the libraries in the various places you are staying but Kindle and Nook may be helpful as well.

Keep us updated on your travels - or start a blog about this adventure. :001_smile:

[Mama Geek]

Dh is a contractor and we spend months at a time in hotels. Hotels with kitchens do typically have pots, pans, dishes, silverware, can opener, toaster. We also use a rice cooker and a crockpot, a couple of good knives, scissors and a good nonstick frying pan that we bring with us. You will want plastic containers for food storage/

 

We have laptops, a small printer, a laundry hamper, and extra hangers.

 

Room sizes vary alot. We have a storage unit this time because we have a very small room. I have a couple of rubbermaid tubes with toys and books for dd that we switch out every couple of weeks. I have a sturdy plastic file box that goes with us everywhere that I keep our important papers in, a box of envelops, stamps, stapler, scissors, tape, pens. We also keep a cooler with us for day trips. I have a box for vehicles that I keep plates, silverware, papertowels, etc in because there is almost always something missing in the hotel room and we need an extra of something. We had one hotel room that was big enough to put a shelf in, that was really nice. Dh uses a suitcase, but I have a duffel bag for my stuff and one for dd's stuff and one for the dog's stuff. I use the duffel bags for carrying laundry to the laundry room so it is nice to have a couple that are sturdy. You do have more options if you are traveling with out a dog or with a small dog. Get a GPS as well if you don't already have one. I also have a box of books to read through in storage. I will bring one or two at a time back to read.

 

DD isn't old enough to be officially homeschooling, so I am not going to be much help there. If you have any other questions let me know.

[AdventureMoms]

My DW has travelled like that quite a bit. I haven't tried it with kids and homeschooling (though I think it would be fun!) so I can't speak to that, but I'd look into what is allowed for accomodations. Often when DW had that sort of job, she was allowed to stay anywhere up to $X per night. Often for less than the price of a hotel with a kitchen, she could rent a vacation home or an apartment. This would give you a real kitchen rather than a kitchenette, and more space. Usually she got to keep the difference in price, as well. It does take more effort to find those places, and they aren't available everywhere, but it's a nice option if it works for you!

 

Once we stayed in a very nice house on the beach in Virginia for half the cost of a hotel! It had 3br, a big kitchen, and a yard with a nice grill. Obviously we weren't always that lucky though. :-D

[Ohdanigirl]

Thank you all for your suggestions. If we stay anywhere other than the hotel, we would need to cover it ourselves. His company is contracting with these hotels, and getting multiple rooms for multiple employees. He will actually be onsite at these hotels, so it is much more convenient for him this way. Otherwise, I would have loved to RV, or rent.

 

We have been pretty set in our curriculum, so I am going to be scrambling to find similar items on line or scan things.

 

Things we use tghat we need to take, scan or change:

 

Singapore Math

Lial's Math for middle school

R&S grammar

SOTW History (I have audio of 1 and 2)

Definitive Guide to World History

Wheelock's Latin

SYRWTL Spanish

Science projects :confused:

 

Things that are easier to deal with

 

My children read AO books, and we are familiar with Gutenberrg, Librivox, etc

 

 

I am thinking one backpack of school stuff each would work. Maybe limiting the clothes we take. I think I can make do with 3 pots/pans, a blender, and a crock pot. Maybe, I won't need the crock pot, as I barely use it.

 

I am filing the private school affidavit in Ca. Writing classes will be online. I am very organized with library books, so that is a great idea.

 

I hadn't even thought of the hangers and clothes hamper. Putting it on my list.

 

Any opinions on which E-readers would be best for our dc?

 

Thanks.

 

Danielle

[AdventureMoms]

Will the company pay to ship things from one location to the next? Some will, and that can make travel much easier! I also recommend a couple waterproof zippered pillowcases. They are very convenient for a lot of things! Laundry, transporting wet stuff, throwing all the clothes you just got shampoo on into until you can get to a washing machine...

 

Also, when I travel with kids, I really like packing cubes like these. It makes it much easier to pack and unpack and stay organized on the road.

[elegantlion]

I would look into:

 

flip flops or house shoes for in the room. hotel carpets can be nasty.

 

lap desks as not all room may have enough desk space

 

Surge protectors with long extension cords for electronics

 

a small safe for critical documents

 

If you're going to be in a room for a long period, I might bring my own comforters and stash the hotel ones in a closet.

 

Contingency plans in case of bedbugs

 

Collapsable bins for books and laundry. When you're ready to move they can just be broken down

[Nan in Mass]

Adding to Elegantlion's list:

 

Those camping seats that are a back and bottom (no legs) connected by webbing and fold in half to make something about the size of a boat cushion.

 

A milk crate of kitchen stuff. Probably two - one for the dishes and plastic bags and one for the pbj, bread, and other food. I've lived for a few months out of that plus two coolers - a big one for fruits, vegetables, eggs, and cheese, and a small one for milk. We had the extreme coolers and having a seperate one for milk meant that we didn't have to keep openning the main cooler. If you have a kitchenette, though, then you won't need this.

 

A few milk crates for the back of the car, because invitably you will wind up storing some things there, like perhaps your coats. You can run out to the car with an umbrella and then put on what you need once you are there.

 

Headphones and ipods (or something similar) for everyone for privacy/blocking out sound.

 

Headlamps for reading at night when someone else is trying to go to sleep.

 

I'd try to get stacking bins, one for each person, for the school stuff. I have homeschooled while traveling and I found that giving each person a box worked best. This is a main component of your lives and you just need to devote space to it. I think smallish stacking bins would take up less floor space when not in use than backpacks. (We had a cardboard box each that rode either at the bottom of the bunk (on the boat) or next to the child in the car (popup camper). These should be small enough to be carried out to the car and stacked in the back for trips to "do school" someplace else, like the library. That still means they can be fairly large, though. They need to be tallish so the books/notebooks can go in vertically so things can be taken in and out easily. If all else fails, small waste-baskets might work. You could cut cardboard down to make lids.

 

A backpack each for each child's entertainment and daily stuff (like sunhat, sweatshirt, ipod, book, some small project to do while listening to audiobooks, headlamp).

 

A few empty canvas bags or backpacks to pack for expeditions out.

 

I heartily concur about those flipflops.

 

You will probably want a small paint bucket to keep all the shower stuff confined. It is amazing how many toiletries one family needs. Sigh. You will also want a first aid box, not a bought one but one that you make that has bandaids, cold medicine, and asprin/tylanol/ibuprophin.

 

Trays. If you are living in a hotel room, you will do lots of things on the bed. Trays keep legos confined, let people eat neatly while sitting on a bed or rug, can be a hard surface for writing on, etc. We have found them well worth the space. When they have a project on them, they can be slid under the bed out of the way for the night. This lets you not have to put the project away. You can wash them and set them on the floor or a bed for food prep (give a child the vegetables to cut up, etc.). When you have limited surface area, they are invaluable.

 

Nan

[Ohdanigirl]

Adding to Elegantlion's list:

 

Those camping seats that are a back and bottom (no legs) connected by webbing and fold in half to make something about the size of a boat cushion.

 

A milk crate of kitchen stuff. Probably two - one for the dishes and plastic bags and one for the pbj, bread, and other food. I've lived for a few months out of that plus two coolers - a big one for fruits, vegetables, eggs, and cheese, and a small one for milk. We had the extreme coolers and having a seperate one for milk meant that we didn't have to keep openning the main cooler. If you have a kitchenette, though, then you won't need this.

 

A few milk crates for the back of the car, because invitably you will wind up storing some things there, like perhaps your coats. You can run out to the car with an umbrella and then put on what you need once you are there.

 

Headphones and ipods (or something similar) for everyone for privacy/blocking out sound.

 

Headlamps for reading at night when someone else is trying to go to sleep.

 

I'd try to get stacking bins, one for each person, for the school stuff. I have homeschooled while traveling and I found that giving each person a box worked best. This is a main component of your lives and you just need to devote space to it. I think smallish stacking bins would take up less floor space when not in use than backpacks. (We had a cardboard box each that rode either at the bottom of the bunk (on the boat) or next to the child in the car (popup camper). These should be small enough to be carried out to the car and stacked in the back for trips to "do school" someplace else, like the library. That still means they can be fairly large, though. They need to be tallish so the books/notebooks can go in vertically so things can be taken in and out easily. If all else fails, small waste-baskets might work. You could cut cardboard down to make lids.

 

A backpack each for each child's entertainment and daily stuff (like sunhat, sweatshirt, ipod, book, some small project to do while listening to audiobooks, headlamp).

 

A few empty canvas bags or backpacks to pack for expeditions out.

 

I heartily concur about those flipflops.

 

You will probably want a small paint bucket to keep all the shower stuff confined. It is amazing how many toiletries one family needs. Sigh. You will also want a first aid box, not a bought one but one that you make that has bandaids, cold medicine, and asprin/tylanol/ibuprophin.

 

Trays. If you are living in a hotel room, you will do lots of things on the bed. Trays keep legos confined, let people eat neatly while sitting on a bed or rug, can be a hard surface for writing on, etc. We have found them well worth the space. When they have a project on them, they can be slid under the bed out of the way for the night. This lets you not have to put the project away. You can wash them and set them on the floor or a bed for food prep (give a child the vegetables to cut up, etc.). When you have limited surface area, they are invaluable.

 

Nan

 

Wonderful.

 

I would not have thought about half of this stuff.

 

Danielle

[cjzimmer1]

I would bring that crockpot. Most kitchens in hotels don't have ovens so you could at least bake some things in your crockpot. A friend of mine traveled like this and she said this was the hardest part, not being able to bake stuff. She did always make friends with hotel staff and some of them had oven or toaster ovens in the breakfast prep area they would let her use but not all of them.

 

She also would get connected to homeschool groups as quickly as possible since they were great resources for finding activities so they could get out and not sit in the hotel everyday (she had 4 very active boys)

[justasque]

~ Find a local library, cafe, and playground at each place. The cafe is a wonderful place to do school; the library can be as well, if they are ok with some talking. You can visit your regular place daily, or make a schedule - "Tuesday is Starbucks, Wednesday is Java Joe's, Thursday is the library". Changing places will keep you from feeling cooped up.

 

~ Figure out the whole museum reciprocal admission thing and use the heck out of it on rainy days.

 

~ Have a backpack or messenger bag for each kid - this is their "school in a bag". I like bags for other things too - bag with all pool supplies, and such. Keeps things organized.

 

~ See if you can hook in with short term extracurrics - play soccer or take ballet or whatever if you'll be there long enough. A nice way for the kids to be among other kids on a regular basis.

 

~ You can use cardboard boxes to set up "book shelves", laundry bins and such. They are completely disposable, and can be decorated by the kiddos.

 

~ Find out if the hotel has a kid-friendly happy hour. I know that sounds odd, but one hotel we stayed in had popcorn and free drinks at around 4:30 - a great opportunity for everyone to wind down and meet dad and decide what to do for the evening.

 

ENJOY!!!

[Nan in Mass]

Another thought - I would want a small drying wrack, one that could live behind the bathroom door and be set up in the tub to dry things on, like bathing suits, clothes that were rinsed out, etc. There isn't enough space in a hotel bathroom to dry things and it is amazing how much drying has to be done. You might be able to get away with a piece of string instead if the bathroom is the right shape.

 

The other thing we've done is give everyone their own colour dishes (or mark them somehow). This cuts down on dishes because after a drink of juice or water or a dry snack, the dish can just be rinsed by the child rather than properly washed.

 

If you drink coffee or tea regularly, you might find a thermous is a great comfort, especially if you are out and about a lot and have a limited budget.

 

We have a sandwich bin - a tupperware container the right size for our pbj sandwiches for lunch. Every morning, somebody makes enough sandwiches for lunch. I also have a fruit container that gets filled. Then, for lunch, we just pull out the sandwiches and fruit and pour milk for everyone. Somehow, it makes the meals seem easier to do it this way.

 

I also had snack bins for the children. These were a small cup with a lid (think yoghurt container) with a snack. That way, if somebody didn't want to finish what they had, it didn't go to waste. It also meant no napkins for serving, no ripped pretzel bag, nobody complaining they were hungry, and no arguing over who didn't get their fair share or who got something they didn't like.

 

Nan

[AdventureMoms]

Another thought on packing, we use stacking laundry baskets when we travel sometimes. Often I put the travel cubes right in them and skip suitcases. Then at your destination they make nice storage. Hotels never have enough dressers and such if you're staying long enough to unpack.