A Peek Into the Life of a Roadschooler

A Peek Into the Life of a Roadschooler ~
Written by Debbie Douse of An Adventurous Education

Taking advantage of a small window in the year with no cricket training or plays to rehearse, we decided to throw caution to the wind and take our homeschool on the road.

We drove 650 miles through France to reach Spain, which we’ll spend the next month exploring! Let me give you a little peek into the reality of life as a roadschooler:

A Peek Into the Life of a Roadschooler

An Average Homeschool Day on the Road

We wake late, at 8:30, thanks to the absolute silence of the place we’re staying. Things don’t get started until later here. The kids pad down the stairs, grab some breakfast, shower and settle down to work in different parts of the house.

Harry starts revising a section of his economics and then together we go through some practice exam questions and case studies. Rosie studies the poem Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland, analysing it in depth, and then logs onto her English lesson with her online tutor. I cook a chicken curry, which we all sit down to eat together at 1:30, ‘book work’ complete for the day.

Only four hours, but they worked intensely in that time.

In the afternoon, we investigate San Vicente de la Barquera, our home for the next 10 days. We explore its cute little back streets, with the castle and church on the hill, and then head for the beach. Here they have a 2-hour surfing lesson, possibly the coolest of PE possibilities!

They come out of this beaming; a new passion ignited. Afterwards, we walk back, stopping to pick up supplies, giving the kids a chance to practice their Spanish.

The evening we spend reading, playing cards and having a late dinner. Rosie rings a restaurant to book a table for Saturday; not an easy task in a different language!

Then, we crash into bed, exhausted but happy.

Exploring

Life as a roadschooler continue in this way, deskwork in the mornings and exploration in the afternoon.

Our afternoon jaunts have included visiting El Capricho, the first house designed by Gaudi; canoeing; exploring local towns: visiting churches and museums and trying local fare; biking a bear trail through the mountains; and more surfing.

The weekends we save for the longer adventures, such as some rather exhilarating canyoning, and Mass at the most beautiful little church carved into the rock, followed by a walk in the mountains.

For this first part of the trip, we’re staying in one location, but next we’re going to hop and skip our way down to southern Spain, exploring cities, national parks and beaches as we go. The children adore this lifestyle.

Harry commented, “That was the best week of work I’ve ever had!”

When It Goes Wrong!

But things don’t always go so smoothly, and yet, it is often in those situations, that we learn the most. On our first night, deep amid the French countryside, we realized that one of the car doors didn’t lock, somewhat suboptimal for a road trip!  We found ourselves in a VW garage in Spain, trying to communicate our problem.

It’s amazing under pressure what vocabulary comes back to you! Between the three of us (and a bit of Google translate!) we organized for them to order a new part and for it to be fitted a few days later. I’m pleased to say the car is now fixed, and our self-confidence has risen a few notches!

Traveling teaches us to embrace flexibility and surrender control, not an easy lesson for me. You can have a plan, but so often you must adapt it in the moment and think on your feet instead. I could give you countless examples, where the children helped me work out alternative options.

Our newfound approach is to smile, and enjoy whatever the new plan brings us, which so often is better than the original.

This in turn helps us be more present (something I normally struggle with).

Sometimes in the life of a roadschooler, it all goes beautifully to plan. The day we canoed down the river, the sun was shining as we laughed our way down the little rapids. The kind owner drove us back to the start, chatting away nonstop, in the process giving us a wonderful 30-min Spanish lesson!

What We’ve Learned

• All the newness, whilst stimulating, is tiring, and quiet time at the close of the day is a must!
• People are inherently good and want to help you.
• The importance of going with the flow.
• You are more capable than you think.
• Beauty is a balm to the soul and inspires our creativity (Rosie came home and wrote the most gorgeous poem after canoeing).
• Being present to your surroundings brings such contentment.
• Life is most definitely for living!

If you want to follow along our journey, check out updates on our Instagram: anadventurouseducation.

* Read more of Debbie’s posts on Simple Homeschool here!

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