Our Worldschooling Curriculum (right now)

One of the first things people ask us when they hear about our travel plans is “what about school?”. Valid question! The simple answer is that we will be “homeschooling” the kids over the course of the trip. If you are interested in more of a detailed plan of our worldschooling curriculum, read on.

Focus on Math and Language Arts

When it comes to reintegrating back into the public school system when we return in a year (or two?), we know that math and language arts will be a big indicator of readiness for their next grade. So for example, we would want Edward to be ready for sophomore math after a year of me teaching freshman math. Just kidding! I’m not teaching geometry, no matter how much I liked it wayyyyy back then. Geometry is the only subject so far that we’ve outsourced. We are excited about using VTVLC’s On-Demand program so Edward will be able to work at his own pace (within a reasonable timeline) and not have to worry about adjusting to attend a virtual class in a different time zone. For the younger kids, we are using Abeka – the same curriculum that we used back in 2020-2021 during the pandemic. We started dipping our toes into it at the beginning of the summer so we could piggyback off the energy of last school year.

Reading and writing will be a big part of our year abroad. I have outlined some books for the kids to read that are set in the countries we will be visiting. The plan is to read the books before we arrive so we can visit important landmarks and/or discuss historical events that happened in each place. As much as I love my independent reading, I’ll be reading along with the kids so we can discuss the stories and themes. This blog is not only a form of communication between us and you – our friends and family – but also a means for the kids to be able to practice their writing. They will be assigned prompts and expected to do their best at writing responses. Some of the prompts will be more about their thoughts and feelings about our adventure while others will be more research-based so they get practice with different ways to express themselves and their thoughts.

Foreign Language

As of now we have three months planned in Spanish-speaking countries. One of our original goals with this trip was to strengthen our Spanish skills and learn to confidently speak it with others. While Duolingo (1100 day streak!!) has it’s place and has really helped me learn to read, write and listen to the language, I am very reluctant to actually speak it. Living in AirBnbs in actual neighborhoods with local families and children nearby will be a huge advantage to help build that confidence we are lacking.

Other languages we will be exposed to will not only broaden our knowledge of the culture and the people, but also expand our understanding of the world and how it feels to live in a place where you are the minority. A very important experience as we are coming from a very non-diverse state.

A flexible worldschooling curriculum will allow us to take advantage of opportunities as we find them. Hiring a local to spend time with us immersed in the language is something that really excites me. Not only can we make a new friend, but we can learn a new language as well!

Social Studies/History

Museums, historical landmarks, conversations & stories with the locals, and assigned reading are the launching-off points for our social studies lessons. What is culture? What makes a community? Why are things they way they are? How have our lives been the same or different than the people in these communities? I have to say that I’m very excited to learn with the kids as we experience new things. History was never a subject that I was interested in as a child, so as an adult I can acknowledge that I have a lot to learn!!

Science

This will be a trickier one to integrate naturally but with science museums, baking/cooking, and answering questions that come up along the way, opportunities to learn will be a plenty. How do structures so tall not fall over (physics)? Why do we put baking soda in pancake batter (chemistry)? Why don’t palm trees grow in Vermont (botany)? You get the idea. There is science all around us, our goal is to find it, research it, and talk about it.

Art and Music (and more)

Art is everywhere. Music is art. Music is everywhere. It’s pretty self-explanatory that we will be exposed to it from airports to museums to libraries to public squares. Sometimes we don’t even realize we are experiencing art (poetry, cooking/baking, interior design, etc are examples that might not be obvious), so it will be important to talk about what we see and how it pertains to expression and meaning.

Fiona, Harriet and I will be attending ballets in Paris and Barcelona and I am over the moon about experiencing that with them. As an active ballerina, we will be looking for drop-in classes that Harriet can attend from city to city. We are packing her pointe shoes, tights and a leotard so she will be ready jump in whenever we can find a spot for her to join!

I myself love creating art so I’ll be looking for classes I can attend on the road. While visiting Paris this spring I took a watercolor class in front of the Eiffel Tower and had the best time. Art classes that tie in with the culture are even better. Learning the Tango in Argentina, Arabic calligraphy in Tunisia, and street art/grafitti in London are on my radar as we get to more detailed planning. A worldschooling curriculum can benefit the whole family, not just your children!

Physical Education

The last thing I am is a P.E. teacher, but need I point out that soccer only requires a ball and swimming only requires a suit (well, honestly sometimes that isn’t even a requirement). Packing a deflated ball and a pump will ensure we can “speak the language” in most parks across the world. We look forward to watching the kids walk to a nearby park with a ball in hand – a silent invitation to anyone nearby to play. While we’ve enjoyed being a part of the club soccer teams here in Vermont, street soccer with friends you just met seems so much more FUN.

Walking will be a part of our lives every day. We will not have a vehicle in most of these locations, so walking and/or public transport will be how we get around. I am so looking forward to seeing these cities from the slower pace of walking vs. driving. It’s how you find the street food, appreciate the architecture, and the little gems that can only be found by slowing down.

Children are Motivated to Learn

Studies show that children are more motivated to learn when what they are learning is related to a topic that interests them. For example, learning math around baking would interest Fiona more than just by the books. George will be most engaged in learning something new if we can find a way to tie the theme into geography or soccer.

Worldschooling curriculum will be different for every family based on your family’s interests, travel destinations, and ages. The great thing about choosing this life is that you can tailor it to what works best for your children.

Moving Forward with our Worldschooling Curriculum

While we do have this general plan at the beginning of our journey, we are sure to make adjustments to our worldschooling curriculum as we see fit. There will be unexpected learning opportunities (good and bad) that we could decide to spend more time on, for example. The important thing here is to know that there will be changes and that the beauty of this experience is in the flexibility that it brings. We would love to hear from you – what do you think your family would want to learn on a big trip? What creative ways do your children seem to take to learning vs. others?

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