Not your usual first day of school photo

You’d be surprised how many people ask this question when we tell them about our upcoming trip: “Are you going to bring Lilly?” Hmmm, nah I think we’ll leave her with a babysitter for a year!

Yes, traveling with a 6-year-old definitely makes for a very different trip than previous adventures John & I have been on together.

Logistically, we have to fit a third chair (with car seat) into the van, plus design a space for a second bed.

Emotionally, we feel much more cautious/responsible/grown-up now we have our beloved baby with us – we’re going to be far more careful about politics, health, and crime than we were before she was born.

And, legally, we have to take her to school every day! That will be tricky when we’re in the amazon rainforest, or a desert in bolivia.

Enter, homeschooling.

All I thought about homeschooling a few months ago was that it probably only existed among crazy hippy families and/or extreme religious groups. Now, I have to admit that WE are basically a crazy hippy family… How else do you explain living in 80 square feet together with no laundry or shower for multiple years? ;o)

But seriously, homeschooling is a great option for parents who have the luxury of not having to work full-time, and have the patience to teach and motivate their children. Now that I’ve done it for about a month, I have a ton of respect for parents who have done this full-time for many years, especially those with older kids. It’s hard enough trying to teach Lilly how to read, I can’t imagine trying to remember my high school Math and get her focused on multivariable calculus!

In California, pretty much anyone can register as a private school and enroll their child in it. (Some info here). So, that’s what we’re doing!

I’ve done a ton of research into ways to teach reading/writing/math while on the road and in an interesting way (hopefully) for a 6-year-old. We’ve been at it now for about a month, and Lilly has progressed far more in her reading than she did in the whole year of kindergarten last year. (Obviously, 1:1 tutoring is better than the 1:25 ratio we had at our public school back home).

But there are definitely still parent worries in the back of my mind – how will she socialize with other kids, how will she do when she has to enter a large classroom again in future, and is she going to learn my messed-up half english half american spelling? Only time will tell….