Minimalist Challenge: RoadSchooling with Only/Mostly Hardcopy Books

[Hunter]

Stm4him made me think of a new minimalist challenge.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/545948-another-minimalist-homeschool-thread/?p=6253778

 

If you were going to roadschool in an RV but wanted to only/mostly use hardcopy books and NOT all/mostly digital, what would you bring?

 

This would be different than any of our other challenges that focused on a limited number of hardcopy books, because of the incredible amount of fieldtrips and enrichment opportunities available.

 

Also book choices would be limited by weight as much as room for storage, as the more weight to haul, the higher the cost of gas.

 

Curriculum that created things children would be heartbroken to part with wouldn't be a good idea.

 

In some ways mom would have less housework, but in other ways she would have more. The time predicted to be able to actually teach would need to be factored into choices.

 

I think I would want Kathryn Stout's Science Scope and Guides to History Plus, to be able to keep track of topics covered at museums and such.

http://www.christianbook.com/guides-to-history-plus/kathryn-stout/9781891975080/pd/41486

 

 

[Hunter]

I guess I would want to sit down and read The Living Page and contribute to this thread.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/545949-talk-to-me-about-the-living-page/

 

The Book of Centuries is supposed to be documentation of visits to museums?

[FO4UR]

A Picturesque Tale of Progress

My Bookhouse Set

 

I would purchase 6 other books at a time, reselling at used bookstores along the way. One of these books would always be science pertinent to the area.  We would do lots of nature journalling.  We'd collect field guides along the way and keep those.  We would visit museums as often as possible, all kinds.

 

We would download a bunch of music for listening as we drive.  Audiobooks too..I'd make a point to purchase (and keep) Shakespeare Plays and some other things....but mostly we would scavenge at used book stores as we go.

 

Each child needs their own personal bag full of their math and other educational journals/notebooks.

 

A camera.  We would take lots of pictures and the kids would create scrapbooks of their adventures.  That would be the only "crafty" thing we would do that isn't useful.  We would do a few useful handicrafts. We would keep an art set in the RV.

[Mrs. A]

I guess I would want to sit down and read The Living Page and contribute to this thread.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/545949-talk-to-me-about-the-living-page/

 

The Book of Centuries is supposed to be documentation of visits to museums?

 

 

The BoC can be for museum visits, but is also used for the student to write down those events in history that are most important/meaningful to him or her. It's like a personalised timeline (at least that's my understanding).

 

On that note, with regards to the challenge, I would be sure to carefully consider what kinds of notebooks I'd want my kids to be keeping and be sure to have a blank notebook available for that purpose. Plain old composition books would work. I think I'd have a commonplace book, a math notebook, and a nature notebook for sure for each child. Possibly a family notebook for poetry and a family book of centuries as well.

[Hunter]

When I lived on a boat and interacted with other families that lived on boats, some of them without electricity, we traded paperback novels. We bought cheap and were quick to trade and give. I'm not sure if it's the same among RVers.

 

Dover Thrift Editions start at $2.50

http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-thrift-editions-fiction.html

 

I can't seem to find a publisher list for "Signet Classics" but they are small and cheap paperbacks. Here is a link to the Lamb's Shakespeare that I own.

http://www.amazon.com/Tales-From-Shakespeare-Signet-Classics/dp/0451530640?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

 

 

[Hunter]

If children own less, they get more attached to what they have and are going to want to put more care and attention into what they are allowed to keep. I'm not at all convinced that Spalding is more effective than other phonics/spelling, but I think the WRTR notebook would be a good fit for RVing if mom had time to teach it.

 

Math. I'm so predictable. :lol: Strayer-Upton of course. I have a couple nasty copies of the old OOP S-U algebra. Maybe I'd have the best pages compiled into one copy and rebound.

[Hunter]

A Picturesque Tale of Progress

 

 

http://www.aworkinprogress.net/2010/02/looking-forward-to-ancients.html

 

Pretty books!!!

 

EDIT: These have been republished in paperback?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AA+Picturesque+Tale+of+Progress+2009&keywords=A+Picturesque+Tale+of+Progress+2009&ie=UTF8&qid=1426988121

[Hunter]

The BoC can be for museum visits, but is also used for the student to write down those events in history that are most important/meaningful to him or her. It's like a personalised timeline (at least that's my understanding).

 

On that note, with regards to the challenge, I would be sure to carefully consider what kinds of notebooks I'd want my kids to be keeping and be sure to have a blank notebook available for that purpose. Plain old composition books would work. I think I'd have a commonplace book, a math notebook, and a nature notebook for sure for each child. Possibly a family notebook for poetry and a family book of centuries as well.

 

I'll try and read this book soon. Things have been hectic, though, and I just don't have my usual stamina and enthusiasm for theory books. Thank you for explaining.

[Hunter]

I often read about roadschooling families struggling to choose between taking advantage of awesome opportunities and staying on schedule. How much would you try and hold on to your old homeschooling habits and how much would you try to radically adapt? Often radical adaption means becoming a new person, and that is not always good or grounding.

 

I have gotten to the point I've become a new person so many times that there isn't a real me. So I choose to radically adapt to new environments. The previous life wasn't really me either, so why hang onto something less efficient.

 

The first day I was homeless, the other homeless women were taking bets on whether I'd run back to my husband or be dead before morning. Not one person took a bet I'd stay AND stay alive for 24 hours. No one made any money off me, since they all underestimated my ability to adapt well and adapt quickly. Six months later there was a phrase in the community of "What would Hunter do?" anytime someone wasn't sure what to do. That was when they told me about the bets they had made on me.

 

So I know I would just pretty much scrap whatever I'd been doing that wasn't optimal for the new lifestyle, because really what I do now is just an adaption after many other adaptions.

 

Would you try and retain your old homeschool philosophy and schedule and book choices as much as possible? Would radical adaption to an RV lifestyle make you feel like a different type of homeschooler?

[FO4UR]

http://www.aworkinprogress.net/2010/02/looking-forward-to-ancients.html

 

Pretty books!!!

 

EDIT: These have been republished in paperback?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AA+Picturesque+Tale+of+Progress+2009&keywords=A+Picturesque+Tale+of+Progress+2009&ie=UTF8&qid=1426988121

 

 

These are going to be our history spine next fall.  We will have finished SOTW.  I am writing the plans now.  (Yes, I'm busy.)  :hurray:

 

I found a lovely old set a few years ago.

 

 

I often read about roadschooling families struggling to choose between taking advantage of awesome opportunities and staying on schedule. How much would you try and hold on to your old homeschooling habits and how much would you try to radically adapt? Often radical adaption means becoming a new person, and that is not always good or grounding.

 

I have gotten to the point I've become a new person so many times that there isn't a real me. So I choose to radically adapt to new environments. The previous life wasn't really me either, so why hang onto something less efficient.

 

The first day I was homeless, the other homeless women were taking bets on whether I'd run back to my husband or be dead before morning. Not one person took a bet I'd stay AND stay alive for 24 hours. No one made any money off me, since they all underestimated my ability to adapt well and adapt quickly. Six months later there was a phrase in the community of "What would Hunter do?" anytime someone wasn't sure what to do. That was when they told me about the bets they had made on me.

 

So I know I would just pretty much scrap whatever I'd been doing that wasn't optimal for the new lifestyle, because really what I do now is just an adaption after many other adaptions.

 

Would you try and retain your old homeschool philosophy and schedule and book choices as much as possible? Would radical adaption to an RV lifestyle make you feel like a different type of homeschooler?

 

 

Nothing as drastic as that, but it seems I adapt a little each year...to a new home, a new baby, a new stage...

[stm4him]

Hunter,

 

I don't know if you knew that my first marriage was verbally and emotionally abusive and there were physical threats. I left with my two year old and three month old and went into shelter for months. I would not be the same person if not for that experience at the age of 23.

 

Since then I have adapted to moves, babies, and health issues all in the context of financial highs and lows. I too have had to adapt a lot in the last ten years. Maybe that is why I am open to crazy ideas. They still scare me, but I know I will be different when it is over. I don't know that health issues have caused all good differences in me, but life looks different to me now and in adapting I have radically let go of many things I used to think mattered.

 

But I am still me and I still like hardcopy books better. Part of me is still willing to store my library because maybe that is something about me that will never change. I won't know until I choose to leave it behind for a bit. I don't really like adventure. I'd prefer to read about it. But somehow this idea thrills me and I think getting out of my comfort zone would be healthy for me as I battle for joy amid pain and stress.

 

I think the list I made is a good start for me. Whatever didn't get used would be tossed, but I chose these pretty confidently. I also know I will be tempted to buy books and educational things at every place we would visit. I would like to know how to avoid that!

 

I am also scared to leave behind Saxon (5/4 to 8/7). But I don't see how those big bulky books would all fit. And my kids tend to write in them no matter how many times I say not to.

 

I would be willing to ditch our books anytime an educational experience were available, but I think there have to be plenty of miles to sit through and rainy days and kids in that tight of a space need something quiet to do. So I still think regular schoolwork would be done.

[My3girls]

This was our plan for next year, but my dh's company is sending him to HI for a year instead. Boo! hisss!

 

All our printed curriculum can fit in a rubbermaid tub so we were just going to take it all then supplement from used book stores or Goodwill on the road... trade in what we were done with and pick up whatever went along with whatever we were studying.

 

I'm still toying with the idea of going without dh. I'm just not sure I would want to deal with everything on my own.

[Hunter]

But I am still me and I still like hardcopy books better. Part of me is still willing to store my library because maybe that is something about me that will never change. I won't know until I choose to leave it behind for a bit.

 

I'm always curious to see what people leave behind and what they keep. What appears inefficient and illogical to me at first, I quickly realize is the person maintaining some integrity or something healthy. I don't think total assimilation and adaption is healthy long term.

 

I dumped almost all my books, though. There was a huge purge here and I'm not done. And I actually have purchased a few new titles. Mostly I plan to purchase cheap paperback novels that are super easy to give away and replace. Books like what we had on the boats.

 

I think I would just keep these few books as my permanent library, using the cheapest pocket versions whenever possible:

 

Bible NRSV Go-Anywhere Thinline paperback

Aesop's Fables (Dover Evergreeen)

Lamb's Shakespeare (Signet Classics)

Grimm's Fairy Tales (Dover Thrift)

History's Greatest Speeches (Dover Thrift)

 

WRTR 4th

Harvey's Elementary Grammar (paperback edition), Answer Key

Strayer-Upton Practical Arithmetic 1-3, Practical Algebra

Kathryn Stout Science Scope and History Plus

Merriam Webster Pocket Dictionary, Pocket Thesaurus

Webster's New World Pocket Style Guide, Pocket Vocabulary

National Geographic Compact Atlas of the World

Drawing Textbook

 

And then as my3girls suggested, switch up at thrift shops as I went along and just trust and enjoy.

 

EDIT: New list below with a few changes.

[Hunter]

 Maybe that is why I am open to crazy ideas. 

 

I'm NOT saying this is true for YOU, but for ME, I'm too quick to go for the crazy idea, because I feel that it's my only option because I'm not used to saying "No!" or used to asking for help.

 

Over the past few years, I've gotten a LOT better at saying, "No!" instead choosing the crazy idea. Even though I've gotten even more hesitant to ask for help, not asking for help doesn't lead to being cornered into the crazy idea nearly as often not saying, No!"

 

Just make sure you are not cornered into this roadtrip because of past habits of not being able to say, "No!" or thinking you don't deserve help. Don't be too quick to make things easy for others. Ignore me, if this is entirely unwelcome advice and sharing of non-homeschool topics.

[Hunter]

I reasons I chose the NRSV Go-Anywhere Thinline paperback Bible:

 

It is above average for easy to read vs small size.

 

It lays open nicely.

 

The punctuation usually matches the punctuation rules commonly taught, so it's better for copywork than most others. Being a translation, and because of a desire not to break with tradition, Bible punctuation can be really atypical from modern norms.

 

There are lots of titles followed by quite short readings, so it's good for outlining and narrating.

 

The translation is understandable without study notes and a reference library.

 

There is a bit of a concordance and some decent maps in the back.

 

I like that the KJV is not copyrighted in the USA, but without a reference library and without much else for literature and copywork, I'm drawn to this Bible.

[Laura Corin]

My answer would still be the same: Galore Park.  Depending on the age of the children, I'd add in the Puffin Classics novels and a couple of dictionaries.

[stm4him]

I think my personal library as an adult would look very different from my library as a Mom of many because I am trying to supply what may be interesting to children with different interests and so it is broad. And we don't use the library. One bad thing about roadschooling is that most people are saying the library doesn't work out so it probably isn't an option. If I chose to get rid of my physical library it would be because I know I can get those books at the library.

 

In my house right now there is a basket of books in the boys room and little girls room. There is a small bookshelf in my oldest daughter's room and a few in my room. There is one large basket of paperback picture books and a small basket of paperback chapter books and one bookshelf of hardback books and a few more of my books in our family room. In the dining room we have built in shelves with some old books and a few things I use for devotions. The old books are really just decorative.

 

I have two thirds of our library in storage because I wanted to rotate our books in a three year cycle until I found Wayfarers. The rest of this cycles books are in the garage until we got more shelves.

 

So what is out and easily accessible right now is much less than before our move in December and the move before that a year ago when we used to have access to all the books at once. Having less seems to produce better results but I think they would still need to be rotated for this to be effective long-term. I could be wrong about that.

 

Sometimes I think they would have more interest if they could pick their own at the library but that means another trip out of the house a few times a month, keeping track of books, probably paying fines, and having to edit their choices. Maybe stopping here and there for a new small selection of books to keep temporarily is better. We would only keep those they fell in love with enough to fill up some of their small amount of personal space.

 

More in a bit....

[stm4him]

The other thing is that every once in awhile I fall in love with one of my Kindle books and really want it in paperback to refer to. I can't explain it, but I just need it in my hands. One of those would be Leadership Education. I would like the Robinson Method in my hands but I would have to print it. I have a few Kindle books that I love too but don't feel the same need to hold.

 

Sometimes I think I am done with a theory book and could part with it, and then later for some reason it calls my name and I am glad I kept it. For example, right now I am reading For the Children's Sake and a few months ago I would have considered giving it away.

 

I think I gave away my WRTR 4 in December. I knew it was a bad idea. I don't want it right now, but I have a feeling that one day I will want it again and will be mad at myself.

 

I really want to read The Living Page right now and TWTM first edition. I found a link to it you posted in an old thread. I have wanted to read it for so long but couldn't find it on Amazon because the cover was wrong. My cart is waiting for us to have money or my birthday. I also have a few I want to buy in Kindle edition including The Magic of Tidying (or whatever it is) and Practical Homeschooling by Mary Ostyn. I want her other book about large families too.

 

I honestly think that the hard copy books we would prioritize would be picture books. Beatrix Potter and Winnie-the-Pooh probably just aren't the same on a Kindle.

[stm4him]

I would also consider getting rid of all books that were on Kindle unless they were a beautiful picture book classic or personally loved by one of my children. The hardest to find in a bookstore or library are the Christian ones that I have picked up at conventions over the years. These and anything out of print would be the keepers for storage.

[Hunter]

I was just looking through some things today. If I had a printer in the RV, I'd really want Study Starters. It's only $1.00
http://www.currclick.com/product/2054/Study-Starters?term=study+starters&manufacturers_id=90&it=1

Even without a printer, it might be worth it to print one copy and to use it as a model for notebooking.

So many of the generic worksheet topics are things that would be encountered on field trips.

You wouldn't be able to keep all the worksheets for very long, but there is benefit in just doing the work and keeping them long enough for proof of learning. With a mobile scanner, these worksheets would be easy to scan and store on a child's personal thumb drive.

 

EDIT: I lifted my printer today. It's HEAVY! There is NO way I'd bring that!

[MotherGoose]

Kingfisher encyclopedia of history would cover you for 4 years of history fairly well for younger ages.

[Ellie]

I often read about roadschooling families struggling to choose between taking advantage of awesome opportunities and staying on schedule. How much would you try and hold on to your old homeschooling habits and how much would you try to radically adapt? Often radical adaption means becoming a new person, and that is not always good or grounding.

 

I have gotten to the point I've become a new person so many times that there isn't a real me. So I choose to radically adapt to new environments. The previous life wasn't really me either, so why hang onto something less efficient.

 

The first day I was homeless, the other homeless women were taking bets on whether I'd run back to my husband or be dead before morning. Not one person took a bet I'd stay AND stay alive for 24 hours. No one made any money off me, since they all underestimated my ability to adapt well and adapt quickly. Six months later there was a phrase in the community of "What would Hunter do?" anytime someone wasn't sure what to do. That was when they told me about the bets they had made on me.

 

So I know I would just pretty much scrap whatever I'd been doing that wasn't optimal for the new lifestyle, because really what I do now is just an adaption after many other adaptions.

 

Would you try and retain your old homeschool philosophy and schedule and book choices as much as possible? Would radical adaption to an RV lifestyle make you feel like a different type of homeschooler?

 

Hunter, I big pink puffy heart you. :001_wub:

 

[Hunter]

I was looking at the rest of Kathryn Stout's books today. In the past they were not my favorites. There was always something I liked better. I often wanted more. I often wanted less. I often just wanted different. Sometimes I just hadn't learned enough to fully appreciate her triage choices. Today, her books are reminding me of LLATL. Good enough. Not perfect. Not even great, but solidly good enough for the job intended.

 

With these minimalist threads I often want the perfect concise summary of content subjects. With the RV I'd want a checklist not a concise summary. I would want to take advantage of what was available. I'd just want a checklist to keep track of topics. And some super easy ideas to help document.

 

I was reading through some books on creating unit studies today. I wouldn't want to bother creating integrated studies, but some of the basic ideas would work well for roadschooling. I really liked one idea of a child writing their own primer. That would work better than trying to find the one perfect one to bring along. And it's along the WRTR method where the child READS their notebook.

 

I'm not sure if I'd drop Harvey and WRTR for more Stout books.

 

I'm tossing around this list tonight:

 

Bible NRSV Go-Anywhere Thinline paperback

Aesop's Fables (Dover Evergreeen)

Lamb's Shakespeare (Signet Classics)

Grimm's Fairy Tales (Dover Thrift)

History's Greatest Speeches (Dover Thrift)

 

Beechick's The Three R's

Strayer-Upton Practical Arithmetic 1-3, Practical Algebra

Kathryn Stout Science Scope, History Plus, Natural Spelling,

Comprehensive Composition, Critical Conditioning, Maximum Math

Merriam Webster Pocket Dictionary, Pocket Thesaurus

Webster's New World Pocket Style Guide, Pocket Vocabulary

National Geographic Compact Atlas of the World

Drawing Textbook

 

I think I'd leave my Student of the Word Unit study behind. It is a bit rigid about wanting to reference books I wouldn't want to bring along or focus on. But I would be using the Bible as the main textbook when I didn't have access to other books. The Kathryn Stout language arts books should work to create plenty of busy work for the day's scripture reading.

 

I do know that I wouldn't want to be faced with choosing to let a student skip their science lesson on plant parts AGAIN for the 10th straight day or drive by the Grand Canyon without stopping. I'd want to check Science Scope, choose a study starter sheet, and go hit the trails.

 

And on rainy days, instead of reading a concise book that I'd brought along, I'd rather hang out in a public library and read what they have, if at all possible. Or read whatever new treasures we had just collected when we traded in our old ones, WHATEVER they happen to be.

 

I put the Living Page book back on the bookcase. The book feels stuffy and overwhelming instead of living. That's just how I feel today going on just a couple hours of sleep. Maybe tomorrow or next month or next year I'll think it's the perfect book. Maybe if I've gotten some sleep.

[Hunter]

I added Beechick's The Three R's to my list. It nicely fills in some holes before Strayer-Upton and Natural Speller, and it's light and cheap.

[stm4him]

Hunter,  I thought you were in love with How to Tutor?  What happened?  Just when you got me to like it you jumped ship!!

 

And on top of that, now I have to go look at Harvey's Grammars and Kathryn Stout's books!!!  Just kidding :-)  Sort of.....

 

I am thinking about the vintage texts thing.  I went to Sherry Hayes' older website and read some of her early ideas when she first started using the McGuffey's and was given a copy of EES to review and it is funny how some of her original thought matched mine.  She was talking about having her kids (in 2nd reader and up) read the lesson, choose copywork from it, write a narration, and then do research on some aspect of it with encyclopedias.  That is and idea I could see using, only I would probably extend it further even.

 

1. read it silently

2. copy from it (either assigned or chosen parts)

3. use some part for dictation

4. possibly memorize something from it (depending on content)

5. read it aloud to everyone (or recite it if a poem) 

 

Then I would either assign more reading from a vintage science or history book (like from the EES series) and have them narrate and research more in an encyclopedia as well as draw from it, or have them do the same thing for the McGuffey topic.  She also mentioned having them look up a verse in a concordance on the topic, which I like.  Then their work would be presented to everyone briefly.  So I could see how with the McGuffey's and a set of reference books quite a lot could be done.  Most of this would be done independently.  Then a brief meeting with each child could be had to work on grammar, math, and spelling and to look over any assignments done in music theory or other languages which would have been worked on independently in a short segment of time.  I also would look over any copywork or composition done for editing.  With a set of these vintage books (McGuffey's, Rays or S-U, and Harvey's Grammar) and a set of basic reference books (encyclopedia, dictionary, concordance, thesaurus, atlas) plus a Bible and some hymnals a lot could be done.  Also, the New England Primer could be used for catechism.  I would probably want some form of already done timeline for reference and maybe a book of famous art.  I definitely would still want some drawing books.  Literature could mostly be done on kindle with a lot of free or super cheap classics and then picking up a few modern classics here and there as you come across them.  So everything would be independent work and reading plus a short time of family singing and oral reading/presentations and a short meeting with Mom.  I would look forward to and enjoy this kind of day.

 

We have done work with McGuffey's in the past for oral reading purposes and my kids always enjoyed that.  I have a full set of the eclectic readers and the first three from the older set the Mott's sells.  I have one or two of Ray's books.  So I already have some of this collection.  And I have a New England Primer.  I will have to look at Harvey's again to see if I could feel comfortable using it and see how much it would cost to complete my set of Ray's and older McGuffeys.  I know these could also be found free online.  

 

Anyway, for now I still like my original plan (RLTL/ELTL/S-U/Wayfarers, etc.) but I am interested in using all vintage books for the 3 R's and a set of encyclopedias.  (I know they are heavy but one shelf of reference books is reasonable if they are actually used regularly and can take the place of many other books).  I also could consider delaying Latin and Greek but I guess I see Latin as preliminary work for other languages so I wanted to use it in younger years and then build on it with modern languages in middle and high school years.  Also, with vintage texts I would feel the need to limit my choices because it would be too easy for me to get lost in all that is free out there.  Sticking to the Robinson list for literature and the hardcover books published by Motts and MAYBE the list from EES/Dollar Homeschool would be about all I could handle.  I may substitute for Rays or add it to the list.  

 

I love notebooking but I can't stand templates unless they are to give ideas for formatting a composition book or sketch book.  I want everything to be in one place.  But it does kind of bother me for their drawings to be on lined paper for some reason.  I like the idea of books that have back sides that are blank, but I would also want it to be sewn instead of spiral and not to hard too come by or expensive so that sort of makes it difficult.  

[stm4him]

I don't know.  I think I have three possible "complete" education plans in my head.  Regardless, the languages and music theory would stay and the devotional items and drawing books would be very similar no matter which I chose.  They are in order as I want to try them:

 

 

1. RLTL/HLTL/ELTL w/ HTT/AAA (Activities for the ALAbacus) to S-U to high school math?, and Wayfarers

 

2. McGuffey's w/ Harvey's and Ray's and S-U (maybe not both) + high school math?, reference books, and TruthQuest

 

3. SWR cards, Taking the Mystery Out of Reading in 6 Easy Steps by Gail Busby (as a guide), and American Language Series Readers (and some kind of copywork), Saxon Math Intermediate 3-high school level, and Hake 4-8, Alpha-List for misspelled words, reference books, and TruthQuest (maybe keeping HTT and AAA before Saxon 3)

 

Cons:

Plan 1- Wayfarers might be too much and too many books I don't want to use, too many activities, too expensive

 

Plan 2- Might be too hard to integrate my Spalding background with McGuffeys', vintage math may need too much handholding (also true for plan 1), Harvey's may not be enough practice or too hard to teach or too teacher dependent, not sure about high school math (also true for plan 1), high school science might be too loosey goosey, TruthQuest may have too many books that have to be found or bough in hard cover edition

 

Plan 3- love all the practice of ALS books but kind of dry, all secular content in Hake and Saxon in comparison, longer lessons in math and grammar (though more independent), not CM enough?, not enough structure for high school science possibly, same problem with TruthQuest

 

Might need to figure out a way to integrate my beloved Acts and Facts and Veritas Press cards or they could be their own spine of sorts.  But that would mean no commentary to tie them together (also true with Wayfarers) and not very much help with books to flesh them out.  But maybe I want reading to be interest led and not the forced fleshing out of a spine.....

[stm4him]

For now, Wayfarers isn't ready so I will likely order TruthQuest to fill in while we wait.  That will give me a good idea of whether it would work on the road or in general.

 

I will soon have ELTL 1 and 2 and HLTL and I have RLTL, but I won't have ELTL 4 for awhile so I will continue to use Hake for my older ones because I already have it. While I wait for my HLTL, I can try McGuffey's for a little bit instead of my ALS to see which my 6 old likes best and to give my 8 year old more language arts practice.  He is reading silently an hour a day and he reads S-U aloud to me as we work and does copy work so I may decide this is too much and drop it.

 

Trying S-U will give me a good idea for whether to use vintage or Saxon.  I am still waiting for money to buy the ebook of HTT and the TM for the AAA unless I find my copy of AAA in the garage.  I still want another copy of S-U before trying it with my older ones.  Working in multiple teaching sessions (even if short) may drive me to Saxon, but we'll see.  For now, S-U with number three, Saxon with oldest two.  I will look for my Ray's books and try them on my 6 year old.

 

I may use my A&F and VP cards as a spine while I wait for TQ.  

 

Working on adding typing now and later music theory when funds allow.

 

Not going to touch my 5 year old for a bit until I figure out some of this trial and error stuff.  She isn't technically K (by public school standards) until this fall anyway :-)

 

 

 

 

[Hunter]

I'll read all this later, but it doesn't matter what I love in GENERAL. I tend to pick different things for different circumstances. Put me in an RV and I'm going to pick different things than I would use in other scenarios. And then once I pick a certain set of books for the core, I need to very carefeully choose what else will fill the gaps, and isn't mostly overlap. A moving RV is a unique situation that I would choose to adapt to in a certain way.

Earlier in the thread, I talked about my radical adaptions in real life. Six months into homelessness people that had been homeless for years were coming to ME for advice on how to dress for long walks in foul weather and the best way to organize a backpack and all sorts of other little things. Scenarios are puzzles to me, with a very limited number of solutions. And the old methods don't always carry over well into the new life.

[Hunter]

Stm4him,

 

I had time to read more of your posts.

 

Driving an overloaded RV isn't just expensive, but it's dangerous. If you end out in a RV and you don't want to use mostly eBooks, then you are going to be limited in your choices. A bookshelf of encyclopedias is DANGEROUS, unless you truly aren't taking much else.

 

You really cannot plan next year until you know where you are going to be living. I wouldn't be buying ANYTHING right now. I'd be saving my money to spend when I did know where I was going to be living.

[stm4him]

I know what you mean about planning according to circumstances.  I think your mind loves working puzzles and problem solving like mine does.  I can rearrange plans a million times as long as to me all the pieces fit together for each plan.  Sometimes I have to use the plan to get a feel for whether I actually like it or whether it would really work longterm, but I have fun putting the plan together regardless.  

 

For me, throwing one thing out messes up other things and sometimes for no other reason than that they "go together" in my mind.  Unless I invent a loop hole reason for why one is acceptable to keep and not the other, I can't do it.  For example, right now Hake and Saxon are tied in my mind.  If I keep Saxon, I have to keep Hake.  I could try to do both Hake and ELTL by rotating them (they don't have very many lessons in each since I wouldn't do the writing portion of Hake) but I have to keep Saxon and Hake together.  The other thing I realized is that Hake and Saxon are too heavy and take up too much room so they would NOT be an option for roadschooling.  

 

I did, however, have no idea that a set of encyclopedias would be so heavy as to cause danger.  I guess I was thinking that pretty much as long as things fit it was ok. Maybe it would depend on the weight distribution and on how heavy your trailer is vs. how much your vehicle can tow?  If not an encyclopedia, I guess there is the internet.  It just didn't seem the same.  

 

You know what else?  Speaking of things fitting together and vintage texts and RLTL and such, I found the rest of the Elson Readers yesterday online because I had a sneaky suspicion that there were more than just Primer-Three that she uses in RLTL.  Now it is bothering me to not use the rest of them.  But those can also be used online if needed.  And if one were using RLTL, the first four would be already contained in there, so only the other five would need to be obtained.  I am curious to see the teacher guides too.  I could see those being used in all three of my plans.  Maybe they don't need to do additional research.  Maybe just reading their Elson Reader and the Bible is enough because the Elson Reader would have them alternating between fiction, history, biography (I think), and nature study enough as their other focus of the day beyond Bible.  I would want them to read the whole work, though, when it introduced something in fiction.  I don't like excerpts except as a teaser for reading the whole thing.

 

Ok, so maybe plan 1 or plan 2 minus encyclopedias, plus Elson Readers (either online or in hard copy).  

 

And I think for now I need to just focus on K-8 education plans.  It is hard to see what they will need in high school until I see where they are at academically when we finish 8th grade (and what our life circumstances are.)

 

I am hearing that though we may need to move, we probably have more time than the arbitrary dates we're hearing so that is a little comforting.

 

Also, my husband and I have talked about roadschooling regardless for part of the year to get him in the DC area during the peak real estate seasons so we can rack up money faster to carry us through the rest of the year.  Whether we would hit the road traveling in the slow seasons or go home would depend on how sick of being in our little RV, how much money we had, how much we missed home, etc.  I know we won't be going anywhere until at least mid July at the very earliest.  In either case, I don't know that I will be able to figure out what I am confident taking until I try some things out so that is worth it to me rather than an expensive mistake on the road based on guessing.  But some of what I mentioned above I am getting for almost free.  

 

I looked at my older McGuffeys last night and I am a little bit scared of how I would use the Primer and First Reader to TEACH reading.  I could use it after they learn.  I need to try to find my eclectic set and see if that looks any more comforting.

 

Also, I need to ask on here if TruthQuest has a lot of ebook options and if anyone has experience using vintage math with a large family.  I'm wondering how Sherry Hayes used it with her independent readers.  

 

Ok, gotta get going with checking their work......

[Hunter]

The Mott Media 1936 McGuffey are good for someone who is rigidly KJV, Westminster Catechism, and Great Books. I recommend the Revised Wiley McGuffey for a modern Bible translation and neoclassical/CM. As you say, stm4him, some things go together.

 

Hake and Saxon do NOT need to go together, though. There is NOTHING about them that is linked. In fact I do NOT like to use them together as I think combined they are overwhelming and that many students will start to pace themselves to survive the load. Overwhelmed students are not curious students. They are on the defense instead of the offense.

 

Encyclopedias are heavy. It's not encyclopedias themselves, it's just a poor choice of weight when weight is so restricted.

 

I lifted my printer today. There is NO WAY I'd bring that on an RV! That is OFF the list, even though those Westvon Study Starter worksheets would be so convenient. Portable printers tend to be expensive to use. I'm removing anything that needs to be printed from my list above. I recently went almost 2 years almost completely without a printer, and didn't have one back in the 90's. I know how to teach without one.

 

http://www.funroads.com/rv-travel/safety/overloaded/

Even a slight overload or unequal weight distribution can seriously restrict braking and steering, dramatically increase fuel consumption, and cause sudden blowouts or breakdowns. An overweight RV also creates the danger of early failure in your rig’s tires, brakes, wheels, drive train and other components.

 

If your RV turns out to be a heavyweight, look it over from top to bottom and consider what’s necessary and what’s not. Just because your rig has a lot of shelves, drawers and other storage space doesn’t mean you have to fill them all up. If possible, remove all your belongings, then put back only the items you really need.

[stm4him]

I just had another breakthrough in thought.  The New England Primer I have that was edited by Gary and Wanda Sanseri can be used to teach reading in a Spalding fashion if you already know the method!!  

 

So plan 1 stays the same (all the barefoot meandering products on pdf as much as possible plus HTT/AAA/S-U).

 

Plan 2 becomes:

Rays and S-U

Harvey's Grammars

New England Primer (learning to read and catechism)

Elson and McGuffeys (including the spelling book)

Alpha-List for helping analyze words as needed (other SWR items I may deem helpful or needed)

Hymnals and a few different Bibles (McArthur NKJV Daily Bible, KJV, 90 Days Bible NIV, Life Application Study Bible)

One Story Bible (either The Golden Bible, Egermeier's, or A Child's Story Bible by Vos)

Book of Famous Art (I have several to choose from)

Atlas (I have several to choose from)

Drawing Textbook

Timeline (not sure which yet)

Henle 1 w/ Grammar Book (unless I can find something better....too many references to Mary for us)

Music Theory (probably Alfred's unless I find something better)

My favorite educational theory books

Maybe our favorite picture book classics not in Elson where illustrations are important

[stm4him]

Ok, so the NEP of 1777 (edited by the Sanseri's) has six steps for reading in there (single letter, multi-letter, basic words that are listed in there, point out spelling rules in the words, practice reading the words, assign the stories in the beginning of the primer).  It does not have markings on the words or the dictation process, but I have my bookmark for that and the Alpha-List would help me mark them.  I have my phonogram and rule cards for drill.  I already feel comfortable teaching cursive as taught in SWR.  So I think with the NEP, rule cards and phonogram cards, my dictation bookmark, my two cursive charts, and my Alpha-List I could be good to go.

[Hunter]

I took a look at the Sanseri NEP, but passed. I'm not sure it's all it could be. I want to add more syllabary work, but I may have to write my own tables to accomplish what I want to accomplish.

[Hunter]

In a move from Boston to Manhattan, I took too many books. I almost died, partly as a result of having those books. I had multiple seizures and I was too confused to figure out how to lighten my load. Then I had another seizure. I don't even remember all that happened, but now I always move/travel with fewer books that I think I could handle. Less is safer.

 

I would never take a set of books in an RV. I hate breaking up sets, and it would be very limiting to have to either keep or get rid of the entire set at once. I wouldn't want much curriculum as it's harder to rehome than trade books and visits to libraries. I would really rely on a rotation of trade books. And then mostly just my checklists, pocket reference books, Bible, 4 literature books. Strayer-Upton would be my only curriculum. I'd be afraid to leave with more than that.

[stm4him]

What are trade books?

[Hunter]

What are trade books?

 

: a book that is published for and sold to the general public

1

:  a book intended for general readership

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20book

 

 

Not a textbook. Romalda Spalding uses the term. CM people use the term "living book".

 

Books like a DK Eyewitness book on plants instead of a textbook on botany.

http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Plant-DK-Books/dp/0756660351

 

"Classics"

 

Bestsellers

 

Books you don't need to special order. Books that people will be happy to take off your hands.

 

If you are using a checklist, and have room on the bookshelf for 6 books, you can just rotate books when you hit a yard/book sale or thrift shop. If there was a cheap free book on rocks, you scoop that up and do rocks, until you finish the book and have a chance to get a new book on another science topic. If there is an American Girl book on the colonial period you do the colonial period until you get another book that you would now prefer to have.

 

[stm4him]

I forgot The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. That is an absolute must!

 

I figure we will pick up living books at the gift shops of the places we visit and them get rid of them before the next stop.

[Hunter]

I forgot The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. That is an absolute must!

 

I figure we will pick up living books at the gift shops of the places we visit and them get rid of them before the next stop.

 

I cannot "like" this post! Really? You would haul that book? It's a great book, but...  

 

[vaquitita]

Hmm, this is interesting to think about. I think my list would be

Strayer Upton 1-3

Franklin primary

ALabacus (no pieces to roll away!)

Possibly the abacus TM

McGuffey readers

WRTR 4th Ed. as a reference for me

RB's the three R's

LLATL TMs (starting with yellow or orange)

For each kid:

Math notebook

LA notebook

Nature journal

A history notebook or book of centuries

For content subjects, I'm not quite sure. My kids are young so probably just sotw or chow for history. If they were older maybe the picturesque progress of history. For science, nature journaling. Plus a rotating selection of what we can find along the way. A world map and a US map. Maybe uncle josh's book of outline maps, these the kids could trace into their notebooks.

 

I'm not sure what to do for more literature.

Edited December 12, 2015 by vaquitita

[Targhee]

Field Guides, and magnifiers, binoculars, tape measure, sample jar, field journals

A select few literature books (eg Lord of the Rings, David Copperfield, The Illiad)

A select few literature books for youngers (eg Winnie-the-Pooh, Lang's colored Fairytale books)

Poetry anthology

Stack of spiral notebooks

Reems of drawing paper

Writing and drawing/watercolor supplies

Webster's Dictionary

One complete history narrative (CHOW or other)

Dice, cards, calculator and cuisenaire rods

One math text for each child (Singapore PM, geometry)

Laptop for word processing, and library WiFi internet access

Scriptures

[Hunter]

If I had to leave TODAY, I'd be more likely to leave behind most of my Stout books and take my Student of the Word binders instead.

http://www.sowcurriculum.com/sow/newpage1.htm

[stm4him]

The Country Diary is not very heavy.....It really isn't that big of a book.....

[jnaj]

This is an interested thread...we are actually going to be heading out fulltiming in an RV soon, and I am deciding on what we are going to bring. It really does depend on the type of RV you have, where the weight is distributed, etc. Books are fine to bring. Would I bring a set of encyclopedias? No. We will have 3 kids, a dog, a cat, and sugar gliders- we need the space for other things. I will have a bookshelf dedicated to all of our homeschooling books, etc, so I need to choose wisely.

 

Each of the kids will have tubs with their designated art and craft supplies, and things like that as well. 

[Gentlemommy]

I'll bite.

For K-2

Miquon, buying only the 2 workbooks we needed for the year. We have made do with a pencil box of c-rods for most activities. I could make some hundreds 'flats' out of paper....

Spalding, which would cover handwriting, phonics, and grammar. 3-subject notebook for this.

Pathway readers, which my kids have loved, and McGuffy readers set

Drawing book for nature journal.

Literature would kill me. There are SO MANY good books, good picture books, that I'd find this part close to impossible. Perhaps I'd have an anthology collection, like My Book House, and then get a few picture books from the thrift store at each stop. Then I'd get rid of them before we moved on again...

Pencil box with mechanical pencils and colored pencils, scissors, sharpener, glue stick, maybe a watercolor set. Play doh for those rainy days.

 

I would not worry about formal history or science, other than nature journaling.

 

For 3-5

Beast Academy, only getting the A/B or C/D books as we need them

Logic of English, this would cover spelling and grammar

CAP writing, TM only. We use a 3-subject notebook to do spelling, grammar, and writing

Kingfisher or Usborne Science and History encyclopedias, nature journal and history notebook/timeline book, A Little History of the World

My Book House/McGuffy sets and I'd do the same with the reading books...buy 1-2 at a time, have them read the books, then give away. Certainly wouldn't be the cheapest option, but it would be the most space/weight effective one.

Pencil box with mechanical pencils and colored pencils, scissors, ruler, protractor, compass, sharpener, glue stick, maybe a watercolor set. Play doh for those rainy days.

 

 

I don't have a middle or high school kid, so I won't comment on those ages...

 

I think I could easily do it if we had a kindle for just the literature portion. The curriculum (IMO) part is easy. Not being able to read some of the wonderful history or science or fantasy or picture books would be the hardest part for me. I'm also assuming that if we were to road school, we'd be really busy living LIFE and would want the most effective, streamlined options available that work well. Obviously we could add a multitude of subjects and electives, but from our experiences last summer in the RV, there was barely time or desire to do the three R's, much less extra stuff. There was just way too many places to explore and those were infinitely more beneficial to us.

[stm4him]

I don't know if I could do it.  I am back to wanting to use Saxon I think.  I think I could make the early years very light (some handwriting charts, some phonics flashcards, maybe a set of McGuffey's, math flashcards and an abacus), and I may be able to find a small resource for grammar and one for spelling and vocabulary, but I don't know that I could easily get around the math or Latin and Greek.  I would want a full set of LNST, HA, and Saxon 5/4 and up.   For high school I would want both Mounce's (Greek and Hebrew) and something for French and Spanish though I still don't know what.  I think I could get by with a kindle and cheap paperbacks for literature and other content subjects.  I would still want the music theory but I don't think it takes up much room.  I would still bring The Drawing Textbook and The Country Diary for art.  If I were really desperate I may consider dropping Latin and Greek and using Henle in high school.  But I still think I would want my Saxon Math.

I would want something like TWSS or some other condensed resource for essay writing.  Maybe Jump In and The Power in Your Hands, but I don't know.  It would have to be self-taught style like everything else.  I would want my ipad for memory work music and probably Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, but that is a small book.  I may bring Facts Plus because it is really useful for several things.  

[arliemaria]

The BoC can be for museum visits, but is also used for the student to write down those events in history that are most important/meaningful to him or her. It's like a personalised timeline (at least that's my understanding).

 

On that note, with regards to the challenge, I would be sure to carefully consider what kinds of notebooks I'd want my kids to be keeping and be sure to have a blank notebook available for that purpose. Plain old composition books would work. I think I'd have a commonplace book, a math notebook, and a nature notebook for sure for each child. Possibly a family notebook for poetry and a family book of centuries as well.

 

I was just searching amazon for a good notebook to keep a record of the poems my son has memorized.  Laura Berquist recommends keeping a record of each child's poems through the years, but I wondered if I would need a full notebook for each child.  Maybe a family journal would be more applicable.  Usually if we are going to focus on a poem I can see his little sisters learning the same poems later.  Maybe I'll just record the child's name and date they learned the poem on the back of each page.  Any advice for a family poetry journal?

[Mrs. A]

I was just searching amazon for a good notebook to keep a record of the poems my son has memorized.  Laura Berquist recommends keeping a record of each child's poems through the years, but I wondered if I would need a full notebook for each child.  Maybe a family journal would be more applicable.  Usually if we are going to focus on a poem I can see his little sisters learning the same poems later.  Maybe I'll just record the child's name and date they learned the poem on the back of each page.  Any advice for a family poetry journal?

 

 

For awhile I was keeping a separate notebook for each child, but since we currently do all memory work together anyway I just keep everything in a binder and it's our personalised family poetry anthology. :) ( also use the same binder for our scripture memory). I set it up like the SCM scripture memory system but in a binder rather than an index card box. As the younger kids begin school work I'm planning to rotate old poems and verses back in so that we all have the same sort of common understanding and knowledge base. I don't know how it will pan out as everyone grows, but I can see it working well for quite awhile yet.