Homeschooling On the Go Tips

[imagine.more]

Our house sold quicker than expected (6 days!!!) and we are moving in 6 weeks from PA to NC. We may be house sitting for missionary friends or staying with my in-laws for June/July while we find a house and get settled. And we'll be traveling to NH sometime in May to visit my ailing grandma before we move south. 

 

Baby #5 is due August 10th and my plan until this move was to take off Aug/Sept for "Summer" and school through the end of July. I still really need to do that just in case we're not able to do school until baby is 6-8 weeks old and more settled in a routine. 

 

So, I need everyone's tips for homeschooling on the go! I have a 6th, 1st, and Preschooler (currently learning to read) and a toddler running around getting into things. 

 

I'm thinking of doing something like this for my stuff: http://wildflowersandmarbles.com/2014/08/18/my-desk-in-a-bag/ 

 

And maybe backpacks for the kids? Any ideas for the preschooler's learning stuff like manipulatives? 

[Amira]

Honestly, with that much going on in your life, I'd look for ways to cut back rather than trying to figure out how to do as much as you'd originally hoped to do. I think it's important to keep up with your oldest, but it will not matter if the two in the middle don't get much formal schooling for the next 6 months. I'd want to do some reading and math with them but you shouldn't need much stuff for that. I check out ebooks from the library for my 1st grader because he goes through them quickly and we can't cart them around with us and you can't rely on checking out physical books from the library when you're moving around. I think backpacks are a good idea where they could keep a math book or two, some basic manipulatives (and they can share so you'd have two different types), maybe a basic ereader or tablet, and a notebook to practice writing. Audiobooks really helped me during several mobile times in my life when my oldest boys were younger. And Legos. It's always worth it to us to keep those around.

 

But really, I'd focus on getting through the move as smoothly as possible, especially when you're pregnant, and on your oldest's education. Anything the younger children get done would be a bonus right now.

[AngelBee]

Following. Moving to a farm and traving to work 45mins with kids, we have been attempting to car school a lot more.

[....]

I'm thinking of doing something like this for my stuff: http://wildflowersandmarbles.com/2014/08/18/my-desk-in-a-bag/ 

 

And maybe backpacks for the kids? Any ideas for the preschooler's learning stuff like manipulatives? 

 

First, I have to say that her blog is my all-time favorite.  I love her homeschool posts and pictures. 

 

About 6 years ago, we spent about 6 months staying with different family members, living in a campground and living in an RV (in 3 different states).  I still worked with the kids.  Each kid had a backpack and I fit all their handwriting workbooks, math workbooks, readers, pencils, etc in their backpacks.  Cuisinaire rods and tanagrams went into plastic sandwich bags...and into a backpack.  I think we used a lot of CLE that year, so most of their stuff was in workbook form (and fit nicely in their backpacks).

 

I'm trying to remember what we did that year, but it seems like we did CLE Math, CLE Language Arts, McGuffey Readers, Apologia Zoology and then we read library books for our read-alouds.  All of that was pretty compact.

 

You could do a desk-in-a-bag for yourself and then get each kid a backpack.  Fit each kid's workbooks, etc in their backpacks.  If you do read-alouds, you could fit those in your desk-in-a-bag.  I would also buy a backpack for the toddler and toss their manipulatives and stuff in there, too.

 

Good luck!

[....]

I still really need to do that just in case we're not able to do school until baby is 6-8 weeks old and more settled in a routine. 

 

 

Our #5 is about 4 weeks old and it is taking us FOREVER to get through schoolwork.  It's taking us about 2 weeks to get through 4 scheduled days of schoolwork.  You're wise for taking a break (and I feel like an idiot for thinking I DIDN'T need to take a break!).  

[imagine.more]

Evanthe, I know, isn't Jen's blog lovely! 

 

I like the idea of using plastic sandwich bags in a backpack for manipulatives, that would definitely condense things. And yes I've been leaning towards more workbook-y things for this coming year too just because of the space and time issue, it'll be a bit easier I think on me. 

 

And yeah, after my daughter I thought for sure I could handle Kindergarten for my son no problem, it was just one kid! But then she took 3 weeks to learn day vs night and then PPD hit and so this time I'm not even going to assume we'll do anything until October 1st, lol! I figure September is so beautiful anyway I might as well let that be the kids' summer time and then we'll settle down to work just in time for the weather to turn cooler and start putting away the bikes and summer toys.