In today’s oft-overscheduled, rushed lifestyle the term “home” in homeschooling doesn’t really mean home. Even as I type this, my 9 year old sits in the dentist chair across the room and I’m writing this post from my iPhone. We spend a fair amount of time in waiting rooms and doctors’ offices. I bet many of you do, too.
Because of that we’ve adapted a few traditional learning ideas to work for us as we school on the go.
Check and see if your mobile phone can be a Kindle. Barnes and Noble has a free eReader download for phones like the iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry. There are free downloads of classics (B&N offers The Last of the Mohicans, Sense and Sensibility, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women and a
Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary) that you can read aloud without hauling backpacks full of books, or the $300 price tag of the Kindle.
iTunes offers reasonably priced audiobooks. Our former library had a section on the site for free mp3 downloads. These can be played through mobile phones, iPods, or burned to a CD – with a little planning. Check and see if your library’s website offers downloads for you!
Each boy also has a ready-to-go backpack stocked with the basics: pencils, a small pencil sharpener, 6 inch ruler, big eraser, a small pack of crayons, a blank notebook, a clipboard for a hard writing surface, and a few snacks – just in case the wait is longer than expected. How many of you have sat longer than expected in a waiting room or traffic?
What else they bring depends on the day and workload. Workbook activites like Mindbenders, Growing with Grammar, or our Singapore Math books tend to travel more easily than subjects like history or geography – which require many resources, maps, globes, and lots of living books. We keep those kinds of lessons and plan for the easily portable ones to use in the waiting room.
We don’t have a DVD player in the car – much to my boys’ dismay. If you are one of those fancy riders on the road, I’ve heard about homeschool families keeping their Netflix queue loaded with historical documentaries, Discovery Channel science and nature movies, and film versions of the literature choices they’ve read. This can prompt a great discussion on the differences between the book and film.
There are many great ways to make idle moments useful. Waiting rooms and traffic don’t have to take away from your school time. With a little planning, those hours can BE your school time!
What are some others ways to get school done on the go that have worked for your family?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
We’ve done pretty much everything you mentioned except downloading books onto an iPhone – cough . . . you know I’ve got myself a lame, ole fallin’ apart phone!
Your old library actually had mp3 downloads?! Seriously? That is sweeet!
I’m fairly certain ours doesn’t have that, but I am going to check.
We ALWAYS seem to be listening to audio books, which we get at the library, either off the shelf or through my favorite thing: interlibrary loan.
Thanks for the idea to pack a backpack for each child. I need to look for a sale on clipboards!
Great tips for on the go homeschooling. I’ll have to check with my library and mp3 downloads… interesting.
Don’t forget lapbooking… you can load reading assignments, worksheets, etc. related to your unit studies right inside and your kids can stay entertained while they’re waiting. I am forever heading somewhere (therapists, guitar lessons, etc.) and I have found that if I have a good chunk of our day included, we can get a nice jumpstart on the school day. Then when I get home I don’t feel so stressed about finishing our day. My son loves having his lessons in small bites as well because it doesn’t feel so much like “school” – rather learning moments. He stays focused and I stay sane.