We homeschooled our children in Fairbanks, mostly because we just wanted to spend time with them. We admire the public school system, and think it is really important. We did not follow any curriculum, but made it up as we went. One child is now a CPA, and the other in a Ph.D. program in mathematics. The most important thing is to give a child a love of learning, for all things, from music to math, and the ability to learn on their own. Ultimately, that is what life is about, to have the confidence to acquire knowledge and skills, without having it spoon-fed. Those are always successful people. From what I can tell, you are doing a great job.
Being a missionary now in Peru, before in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Romania I know probably the most educated and socially responsible students I ever met were homeschooled. You are doing a fantastic job. People who have never homeschooled typically have a hard time with it because they lack the experience. All they've ever known is government run schools. Neither is right or wrong but as a parent we must ask "what's best for my child?. When it's all said and done your kids will not only be highly educated but they will have knowledge and experience a book or the internet could never give. Yayyy Mom!
We are going into our 7th (😳) year of homeschooling. We find that we are always changing things to to meet the needs of our kids. I am excited to hear how this new curriculum works for you! My son is going into 6th grade and I am thinking an online curriculum will be beneficial in the next couple of years. You seem to be doing a great job wearing the mom hat and teacher hat. It is definitely not an easy task! Keep up the great work!
For the past two years we also utilized easy Peezy for both of the kids, but they used the online version along with the workbooks. All of their learning was independent; we just had to check for their understanding and go over their work when they were through. This year Bella is going into high school, so we are going to be utilizing a different program for her, but we will still stick with easy Peezy for Will.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Easy Peasy. My kids are younger so I think we’ll be fine. I was curious as to your reasons for the change and I can definitely see what’s you’re coming from. I’ll reassess as time goes on 😊
Honestly I think we just grew out of it. When we switched over to time4learning it was also less parent intensive which was helpful as I was juggling a lot. But I still think EP is an great option.
As a full time travel family myself, with 3 kids 12, 11, & 10- I completely understand the word “change!” We have started our 7th year homeschooling, and this is our first year full time travel. I’ve not used Time4Learning but it looks great! I hope it works well for you! Don’t feel bad for changing, no one else is walking in your shoes 🙂 We move weekly and have bad internet sometimes, so I tried to go to no internet needed, but the least amount of books (for weight) and least amount of the juggling act of teaching the different subjects to 3 different ages. This is the first time ever I’m doing unit studies and so far, we are loving it. We chose Gather Round. And then we still have math- so not too bad 😃 We all have to find what works for our family- you really are doing a good job! I might change again next year, who knows? Just keep loving them, they learn so much just living life! ❤️
We use BJU online curriculum. We have books shipped to us, and then they watch the videos and do the assignments. We are able to pick and choose the subjects. I think my wife gets the math,reading, & english courses. My older one doesn't like it, but she wishes she could go back to public school. My younger one loves it.
Happy to hear your using T4L and liking it so far. We have triplets going into 6th grade and next week we will be starting Time 4 Learning. The kids are excited. Happy Travelz!
We did switched on schoolhouse for JJ in 5th last year and are now doing his required 5th grade assessment tests. I did a Frankenstein approach for my Addy 1st grade which was complicated by her medical diagnosis this year however looking at what is required for 2nd we did pretty good. Our youngest just turned 5 in July so we let him do the tablet and dry erase writing boards for preschool because he liked that the most and a lot of play! For this year we are doing masterbooks and ACE pace books and I had to reconfigure all the cupboards to remove the old and place the new. I love how God is in all the curriculum! For our youngest we are using dollar store books, flashcards, and games. I also bought some pencil grips because he is struggling with holding the pencil and writing. We shall see how this goes. I will say, your choices are way more budget friendly and my 11 and 7 year Olds books were 450 ouch but I feel it's worth it because the books are tailored to them and the Lord
We just started using it but I think we are starting to see common core math techniques and I am looking to drop that for something more traditional. Other than that I have no complaints.
We have been a Sonlight family for years. Now that we are roadschooling I am a bit overwhelmed by the amount of books we needed to stuff in the trailer is crazy. So much weight. But my highschool age kid did not want to give it up. I have used Time 4 learning in the past and we enjoyed it.
The is our 2nd yr on the road and 2nd yr with time4learning. My son is 7th grade he liked it ok. But we found that there was some glitches so if ur kids can't finish a subject it's not always there fault. And some things we helped him with and he still was getting a bad grade. So somthings on it is not perfect but much nicer for them to work more independently.
Looks like you are making curriculum decisions that fit your family! We also did easy peasy for a bit. Loved Susan Wise Baut”s history and My first language lessons- actually that whole series was great. The well trained mind. Also BBC has a great online typing program for free. Just bring a dish towel to cover the kid’s hands to keep from peeking. My girls are graduated now, but we also got all the for mal learning done by noon! I kinda miss homeschooling- it was a special time. Blessings!
We are going into our 8th year of homeschooling but we are wanting to sell everything we own and become a full time Rv family. We use The good and the beautiful and have used that for the last 4 years.
Many have temporary cards. Sometimes they ask for our permanent address which is in KS and other times just a local RV park address works. Or we use our UPS box address. :)
Love our my fathers world...can be used for all in one sitting like ya said was a problem..has everything ya need and only buy main book 1 time lol good luck! Well see what we do when we travel too
I have a few friends that use it too. I'm sure it will be great. All about doing what fits best for your family. I was really ready for less hands on so time4learning is filling that need for us for the time being. :)
@@NoOrdinaryPath Well it should be noted that there are two weeks off between quarters, so there’s about the same amount of school days. Also the school days are longer here, but school is only in session Monday through Thursday. Four days a week only. I feel for those high schoolers who had to attend summer school though. They got out June 18 and back in July 21. 😕
Discoveryk12.com, not to be confused with any of the K12 online programs, is what we use for the kids who need structure. It has 180 days outlined. Easy to follow and FREE! (Love your channel. Wish you’d discuss the value of vaccination though. Hope you’re not shying away from it because of anti-vax people. You have this platform as a travel nurse family with real life pandemic experience. Signed, a former nurse)
Thanks, Keith, we're not shying away from it (Kristin and I have both published content showing when we received our vacs) but we also believe in choice. Even if it's not a choice that I would make or a choice that's supported by data. We don't plan on giving our 12 years old it until there's more knowledge about this cardiomyopathy concern in the adolescent population. If I can sit down and have a conversation with someone then that's a different story but preaching from a platform isn't our style. We have very close friends who don't vaccinate and while I feel like they should (and they know that) it will never keep us from loving them or their family and I will not harm the relationship by badgering them about it. Our channel is about chasing down dreams and finding that un-ordinary path, and will likely only ever be that. The thing is while I recognize the platform I do not feel the call to preach from it. Hope this helps and you understand. Thanks for being here.
I agree that EP is a lot of work for the parent. I used them as more of a resource than a full blown curriculum, if that makes sense. We also did it all online. We used T4L over 10 years ago, and at the time it wasn't so great. It sounds like they've stepped up their game.
huge undertaking, who do your kids do group projects with (working with others important), who are there best friends in there own age group, social aspect is so important. The downside is that if it doesn't go well, later on down the line the kids suffer. Why not enroll them in school while you are stationary. Good Luck
Awww yes. I'm so glad you asked this. 🥰 My answer is not meant to be snarky as I have worked through this for several years myself. You are absolutely right about kids needing to work together but I challenge you to think beyond traditional school projects which so often include busy work for the sake of doing work. My kids make friends of all ages (I'll get to that next) and often they come up with projects in their play. They create games with rules and boundaries or make and sell trinkets together (painted rocks, key chains, bracelets) where they must decide who's job it is to advertise, collect money, distribute earnings, and make more "product". Even playing make believe games where they inevitably get into arguments they must work out themselves is giving them "working together" skills. To your second point, playing with kids their own age. If raising kids is preparing them for the big world out there, wouldn't it stand to reason they should learn to communicate with people of all ages? "Peers" are not simply those the same age but rather those in similar life stages. I myself as an adult have true friends and relationships with people as much as 10 years age difference who are in the stage of life I am (raising kids). People often like to use the same age argument to say that homeschool kids are not socialized when in reality I feel my kids are even more social than they were in public school. They aren't afraid to start conversations with other kids regardless of their age and are comfortable speaking with adults. The best example of this is the other night Chloe learned how to ride her bike. It wasn't from myself or her dad who taught her but from a group of about eight kids ages 4 to 13 helping and encouraging her. Learning with kids of the same age is a social construct unique to public schooling. It's the idea that every kid a certain age should learn exactly the same thing as another kid their same age when in reality we all learn at different paces. And to your final points about putting our kids in school while stationary, we are not stationary travellers. The most we are in an area is 3 months and not enough time to enroll kids in school. Furthermore, we started this lifestyle because we wanted something different. I sincerely thank you for watching our videos and hope that you enjoy them. Thank you for taking the time to comment and converse with us.🥰
We had those same concerns 20 years ago when we put a toe on the homeschooling path. We’ve graduated two of our children thus far and they are thriving in their areas of strength. They both chose the military for the many benefits & the oldest tested almost into Nukes and decided on Intelligence and the second is a Military Reporter. We focused on the 3R’s in our home, loads of volunteering, sports, jobs as teens, church activities, and visits to nursing homes. Our oldest two said they loved their growing up years and wouldn’t change one thing, except to repeat it all over again!❤️ It was no easy task, but I enjoyed every bump and high along the journey. Sorry this is so lengthy; I could make it longer.😁
Thank you so much. I love reading other peoples homeschool stories. It is so encouraging to me. When we started we figured we would go back to public school. Its still not entirely off the table but no one wants to at this point even if we stop traveling. 💖
@@NoOrdinaryPath also don't forget that the experience the kids are having kind of outweigh the problems that public schools have with not all kids learn the same way or as fast as other kids (which is why we are beginning to homeschool), also the bullying problems (it happens)... Kids experiencing the world gives more then people know
Do you know what subtle political ideas are being incorporated via examples, etc. that you may not agree with? It all may be just fine but there is a battle for children's minds in a way like never before. I would be horrified to be a parent of school age children with today's push to change what America is all about. Awareness of the issue is all that I am offering.
Luckily this is a huge benefit of homeschooling. As parents we get to help shape our kids education. Because we are close I get to have conversations when my kids see or hear things they don't understand and I'm able to look at the lessons they are learning through school.
@@NoOrdinaryPath Great answer! Viewing issues, conflicts, and debates as opportunities for discussions with your kids is allowing them learn and growth in the best way.
Um... no. I didn't say that. They are not following a science or history CURRICULUM. They receive all kinds of hands on history and science on our travels. They have earned over 50 junior ranger badges each from various National Historic Sites, Parks, and Monuments from all over the country including extra badges about astronomy, Paleontology, geology, anthropology, oceanography, volcanos and geysers, and Speleology. They have learned American History HANDS on in Washington DC and Philadelphia. We visit all kinds of museums. We do science experiments often and we ask why and how questions about everything and then research them. I've studied what elementary aged kids SHOULD be learning and have checked off every item on that list. I would argue they've had much more exposure to it than public school students.
We homeschooled our children in Fairbanks, mostly because we just wanted to spend time with them. We admire the public school system, and think it is really important. We did not follow any curriculum, but made it up as we went. One child is now a CPA, and the other in a Ph.D. program in mathematics. The most important thing is to give a child a love of learning, for all things, from music to math, and the ability to learn on their own. Ultimately, that is what life is about, to have the confidence to acquire knowledge and skills, without having it spoon-fed. Those are always successful people. From what I can tell, you are doing a great job.
Being a missionary now in Peru, before in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Romania I know probably the most educated and socially responsible students I ever met were homeschooled.
You are doing a fantastic job. People who have never homeschooled typically have a hard time with it because they lack the experience. All they've ever known is government run schools.
Neither is right or wrong but as a parent we must ask "what's best for my child?.
When it's all said and done your kids will not only be highly educated but they will have knowledge and experience a book or the internet could never give.
Yayyy Mom!
We are going into our 7th (😳) year of homeschooling. We find that we are always changing things to to meet the needs of our kids. I am excited to hear how this new curriculum works for you! My son is going into 6th grade and I am thinking an online curriculum will be beneficial in the next couple of years. You seem to be doing a great job wearing the mom hat and teacher hat. It is definitely not an easy task! Keep up the great work!
For the past two years we also utilized easy Peezy for both of the kids, but they used the online version along with the workbooks. All of their learning was independent; we just had to check for their understanding and go over their work when they were through. This year Bella is going into high school, so we are going to be utilizing a different program for her, but we will still stick with easy Peezy for Will.
I love the library rep! As a librarian I can say I love when homeschoolers use the library :)
Thanks for sharing your experience with Easy Peasy. My kids are younger so I think we’ll be fine. I was curious as to your reasons for the change and I can definitely see what’s you’re coming from. I’ll reassess as time goes on 😊
Honestly I think we just grew out of it. When we switched over to time4learning it was also less parent intensive which was helpful as I was juggling a lot. But I still think EP is an great option.
As a full time travel family myself, with 3 kids 12, 11, & 10- I completely understand the word “change!” We have started our 7th year homeschooling, and this is our first year full time travel. I’ve not used Time4Learning but it looks great! I hope it works well for you! Don’t feel bad for changing, no one else is walking in your shoes 🙂 We move weekly and have bad internet sometimes, so I tried to go to no internet needed, but the least amount of books (for weight) and least amount of the juggling act of teaching the different subjects to 3 different ages. This is the first time ever I’m doing unit studies and so far, we are loving it. We chose Gather Round. And then we still have math- so not too bad 😃 We all have to find what works for our family- you really are doing a good job! I might change again next year, who knows? Just keep loving them, they learn so much just living life! ❤️
Much, much respect Mom. No easy chore but you are doing it. 😊
We use BJU online curriculum. We have books shipped to us, and then they watch the videos and do the assignments. We are able to pick and choose the subjects. I think my wife gets the math,reading, & english courses. My older one doesn't like it, but she wishes she could go back to public school. My younger one loves it.
Great information. This is just what we are thinking about. We want to be prepared for future.
Happy to hear your using T4L and liking it so far. We have triplets going into 6th grade and next week we will be starting Time 4 Learning. The kids are excited. Happy Travelz!
That is awesome!
We did switched on schoolhouse for JJ in 5th last year and are now doing his required 5th grade assessment tests. I did a Frankenstein approach for my Addy 1st grade which was complicated by her medical diagnosis this year however looking at what is required for 2nd we did pretty good. Our youngest just turned 5 in July so we let him do the tablet and dry erase writing boards for preschool because he liked that the most and a lot of play! For this year we are doing masterbooks and ACE pace books and I had to reconfigure all the cupboards to remove the old and place the new. I love how God is in all the curriculum! For our youngest we are using dollar store books, flashcards, and games. I also bought some pencil grips because he is struggling with holding the pencil and writing. We shall see how this goes. I will say, your choices are way more budget friendly and my 11 and 7 year Olds books were 450 ouch but I feel it's worth it because the books are tailored to them and the Lord
We just started using it but I think we are starting to see common core math techniques and I am looking to drop that for something more traditional. Other than that I have no complaints.
We have been a Sonlight family for years. Now that we are roadschooling I am a bit overwhelmed by the amount of books we needed to stuff in the trailer is crazy. So much weight. But my highschool age kid did not want to give it up. I have used Time 4 learning in the past and we enjoyed it.
The is our 2nd yr on the road and 2nd yr with time4learning. My son is 7th grade he liked it ok. But we found that there was some glitches so if ur kids can't finish a subject it's not always there fault. And some things we helped him with and he still was getting a bad grade. So somthings on it is not perfect but much nicer for them to work more independently.
Good to know for sure. We are all liking the switch. It seems to be less stressful on us all for the most part.
Looks like you are making curriculum decisions that fit your family! We also did easy peasy for a bit. Loved Susan Wise Baut”s history and My first language lessons- actually that whole series was great. The well trained mind. Also BBC has a great online typing program for free. Just bring a dish towel to cover the kid’s hands to keep from peeking. My girls are graduated now, but we also got all the for mal learning done by noon! I kinda miss homeschooling- it was a special time. Blessings!
Check Monarch online from 3rd grade up. It works for sometime for my kids, but the writing is the challenge part of home school
We are going into our 8th year of homeschooling but we are wanting to sell everything we own and become a full time Rv family. We use The good and the beautiful and have used that for the last 4 years.
We use Alveary curriculum, My wife loves it!! Ages 12, 8, and 4
Hi! Question - how do you use the library while you are traveling? Don't you need a local address to get a library card? Thanks for the great info!
Many have temporary cards. Sometimes they ask for our permanent address which is in KS and other times just a local RV park address works. Or we use our UPS box address. :)
Love our my fathers world...can be used for all in one sitting like ya said was a problem..has everything ya need and only buy main book 1 time lol good luck!
Well see what we do when we travel too
I have a few friends that use it too. I'm sure it will be great. All about doing what fits best for your family. I was really ready for less hands on so time4learning is filling that need for us for the time being. :)
The public schools here in Kingman started last Wednesday July 21.
What?! Wow!! Thats the earliest I have heard of.
@@NoOrdinaryPath Well it should be noted that there are two weeks off between quarters, so there’s about the same amount of school days. Also the school days are longer here, but school is only in session Monday through Thursday. Four days a week only. I feel for those high schoolers who had to attend summer school though. They got out June 18 and back in July 21. 😕
I am a travel nurse and my family is fixing to start full time RV next month. We will start using abeka if anybody has any input with this program
We homeschooled all 12 of our children. Every year looks different.
Wow - that is awesome! It's encouraging to know it can change often and should depending on your needs.
Just wanting to see if you are guys are still using Time4Learning at this point?
Funny you should ask! Yes. And tonight is our Roadschool year 5 video 😄
@@NoOrdinaryPath perfect timing lmao
Discoveryk12.com, not to be confused with any of the K12 online programs, is what we use for the kids who need structure. It has 180 days outlined. Easy to follow and FREE! (Love your channel. Wish you’d discuss the value of vaccination though. Hope you’re not shying away from it because of anti-vax people. You have this platform as a travel nurse family with real life pandemic experience. Signed, a former nurse)
Thanks, Keith, we're not shying away from it (Kristin and I have both published content showing when we received our vacs) but we also believe in choice. Even if it's not a choice that I would make or a choice that's supported by data. We don't plan on giving our 12 years old it until there's more knowledge about this cardiomyopathy concern in the adolescent population. If I can sit down and have a conversation with someone then that's a different story but preaching from a platform isn't our style. We have very close friends who don't vaccinate and while I feel like they should (and they know that) it will never keep us from loving them or their family and I will not harm the relationship by badgering them about it. Our channel is about chasing down dreams and finding that un-ordinary path, and will likely only ever be that. The thing is while I recognize the platform I do not feel the call to preach from it. Hope this helps and you understand. Thanks for being here.
I agree that EP is a lot of work for the parent. I used them as more of a resource than a full blown curriculum, if that makes sense. We also did it all online.
We used T4L over 10 years ago, and at the time it wasn't so great. It sounds like they've stepped up their game.
huge undertaking, who do your kids do group projects with (working with others important), who are there best friends in there own age group, social aspect is so important. The downside is that if it doesn't go well, later on down the line the kids suffer. Why not enroll them in school while you are stationary. Good Luck
Awww yes. I'm so glad you asked this. 🥰 My answer is not meant to be snarky as I have worked through this for several years myself.
You are absolutely right about kids needing to work together but I challenge you to think beyond traditional school projects which so often include busy work for the sake of doing work. My kids make friends of all ages (I'll get to that next) and often they come up with projects in their play. They create games with rules and boundaries or make and sell trinkets together (painted rocks, key chains, bracelets) where they must decide who's job it is to advertise, collect money, distribute earnings, and make more "product". Even playing make believe games where they inevitably get into arguments they must work out themselves is giving them "working together" skills.
To your second point, playing with kids their own age. If raising kids is preparing them for the big world out there, wouldn't it stand to reason they should learn to communicate with people of all ages? "Peers" are not simply those the same age but rather those in similar life stages. I myself as an adult have true friends and relationships with people as much as 10 years age difference who are in the stage of life I am (raising kids). People often like to use the same age argument to say that homeschool kids are not socialized when in reality I feel my kids are even more social than they were in public school. They aren't afraid to start conversations with other kids regardless of their age and are comfortable speaking with adults. The best example of this is the other night Chloe learned how to ride her bike. It wasn't from myself or her dad who taught her but from a group of about eight kids ages 4 to 13 helping and encouraging her. Learning with kids of the same age is a social construct unique to public schooling. It's the idea that every kid a certain age should learn exactly the same thing as another kid their same age when in reality we all learn at different paces.
And to your final points about putting our kids in school while stationary, we are not stationary travellers. The most we are in an area is 3 months and not enough time to enroll kids in school. Furthermore, we started this lifestyle because we wanted something different.
I sincerely thank you for watching our videos and hope that you enjoy them. Thank you for taking the time to comment and converse with us.🥰
We had those same concerns 20 years ago when we put a toe on the homeschooling path. We’ve graduated two of our children thus far and they are thriving in their areas of strength. They both chose the military for the many benefits & the oldest tested almost into Nukes and decided on Intelligence and the second is a Military Reporter.
We focused on the 3R’s in our home, loads of volunteering, sports, jobs as teens, church activities, and visits to nursing homes.
Our oldest two said they loved their growing up years and wouldn’t change one thing, except to repeat it all over again!❤️ It was no easy task, but I enjoyed every bump and high along the journey.
Sorry this is so lengthy; I could make it longer.😁
Thank you so much. I love reading other peoples homeschool stories. It is so encouraging to me. When we started we figured we would go back to public school. Its still not entirely off the table but no one wants to at this point even if we stop traveling. 💖
@@NoOrdinaryPath also don't forget that the experience the kids are having kind of outweigh the problems that public schools have with not all kids learn the same way or as fast as other kids (which is why we are beginning to homeschool), also the bullying problems (it happens)...
Kids experiencing the world gives more then people know
Do you know what subtle political ideas are being incorporated via examples, etc. that you may not agree with? It all may be just fine but there is a battle for children's minds in a way like never before. I would be horrified to be a parent of school age children with today's push to change what America is all about. Awareness of the issue is all that I am offering.
Luckily this is a huge benefit of homeschooling. As parents we get to help shape our kids education. Because we are close I get to have conversations when my kids see or hear things they don't understand and I'm able to look at the lessons they are learning through school.
@@NoOrdinaryPath Great answer! Viewing issues, conflicts, and debates as opportunities for discussions with your kids is allowing them learn and growth in the best way.
Wait?! You're kids aren't doing any history or science?! That's so sad.
Um... no. I didn't say that. They are not following a science or history CURRICULUM. They receive all kinds of hands on history and science on our travels. They have earned over 50 junior ranger badges each from various National Historic Sites, Parks, and Monuments from all over the country including extra badges about astronomy, Paleontology, geology, anthropology, oceanography, volcanos and geysers, and Speleology. They have learned American History HANDS on in Washington DC and Philadelphia. We visit all kinds of museums. We do science experiments often and we ask why and how questions about everything and then research them. I've studied what elementary aged kids SHOULD be learning and have checked off every item on that list. I would argue they've had much more exposure to it than public school students.