The third or fourth question out of everyone's mouth when we would tell them about this trip was: 'What about school?' My answer: Unschooling. Mike's answer: Homeschooling. We have been at this for about 4 weeks now and I am happy to report that we have successfully combined the two concepts and created our very own Traveling School.
We have broken the 'school day' into 3 - 4 subjects per child. Each works on their appropriate level of math for about 45 minutes. Mike brought the Algebra I book for Ben so that work on a new section each day. The girls are a bit less structured but have been spending many hours on Khan Academy Dashboard acquiring Energy Points and Mastering new skills each day. We partner this with the IXL program that D181 uses. Using both has allowed the girls to advance quicker and move father ahead than they would have at school. It has also increased their problem solving skills. Getting stuck on a topic means researching the topic to find a method that makes sense to them. This may or may not be the first one they encounter. They also help each other a lot more.
Rosetta Stone is the online language course that has worked the best for us. A bit on the expensive side but amazingly effecting is teaching the languages and keeping the kids on track Ben is studying Swedish, Izzy Spanish, and Maddy French. I'm working on my Spanish too but not quite as often. After being in BA for a month each of them is comfortable asking if the person they are talking to speaks English, ordering a drink, reading their menus, and telling the taxi driver their address in Spanish. It's a beautiful language, one that I am very interested in continuing to study.
Reading is a love hate relationship around here. Some people love it. Other don't. Ben's ELA teacher recommended a great website, Shmoop.com, that downloads a reading guide along with the book. Mike & Ben enjoyed Shakepeare's Twelfth Night together. We are now reading Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne as a family and using the online resources at SparkNotes.com. Maddy has read the most finishing The Book Thief and The Alchemist in addition to the family read. We are not doing as much writing as they would have in school. The discussion periods are much more vibrant though.
Social Studies is the most active of subjects around here. We have studied geography, climates, currencies, economics, politics, art history to name a few. The fluctuation of the Peso while we have been in Buenos Aires has been interesting to watch. The existence of a black market for currency exchange is a very new concept for the kids. It will be interesting to see how many more times we see that as we travel to different countries. (Travel tips for handling cash will come in another post.)
This just might be the world's longest field trip.
We have broken the 'school day' into 3 - 4 subjects per child. Each works on their appropriate level of math for about 45 minutes. Mike brought the Algebra I book for Ben so that work on a new section each day. The girls are a bit less structured but have been spending many hours on Khan Academy Dashboard acquiring Energy Points and Mastering new skills each day. We partner this with the IXL program that D181 uses. Using both has allowed the girls to advance quicker and move father ahead than they would have at school. It has also increased their problem solving skills. Getting stuck on a topic means researching the topic to find a method that makes sense to them. This may or may not be the first one they encounter. They also help each other a lot more.
Rosetta Stone is the online language course that has worked the best for us. A bit on the expensive side but amazingly effecting is teaching the languages and keeping the kids on track Ben is studying Swedish, Izzy Spanish, and Maddy French. I'm working on my Spanish too but not quite as often. After being in BA for a month each of them is comfortable asking if the person they are talking to speaks English, ordering a drink, reading their menus, and telling the taxi driver their address in Spanish. It's a beautiful language, one that I am very interested in continuing to study.
Reading is a love hate relationship around here. Some people love it. Other don't. Ben's ELA teacher recommended a great website, Shmoop.com, that downloads a reading guide along with the book. Mike & Ben enjoyed Shakepeare's Twelfth Night together. We are now reading Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne as a family and using the online resources at SparkNotes.com. Maddy has read the most finishing The Book Thief and The Alchemist in addition to the family read. We are not doing as much writing as they would have in school. The discussion periods are much more vibrant though.
Social Studies is the most active of subjects around here. We have studied geography, climates, currencies, economics, politics, art history to name a few. The fluctuation of the Peso while we have been in Buenos Aires has been interesting to watch. The existence of a black market for currency exchange is a very new concept for the kids. It will be interesting to see how many more times we see that as we travel to different countries. (Travel tips for handling cash will come in another post.)
This just might be the world's longest field trip.
RSS Feed
