Today is all about crowd-sourcing. I need your help!
Two weeks from now, WE WILL BE IN EUROPE, which means the kids won’t be in traditional school for literal months! (Though with all the snow days we’ve had this year, it’s not like they’re in school that often when we’re in Canada.)
I’m looking to build some learning goals that are flexible and curiosity-driven. This is not my regular wheelhouse, so I’m feeling the pressure…
The only subject I’m planning to follow a structured curriculum for is Math. My goal is about 4–5 hours per week, which I suspect is more actual focused math time than they typically get in a regular school week.
My goal isn’t to replicate school, but I do want to keep them engaged in learning while making it feel natural and fun. I want to enhance (not take away from) the experience of being away from home. Part of the appeal for the kids is the chance to miss school, so I do want this to feel a tiny bit like playing hooky 😉
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Easy: exploring museums, walking around cities, navigating public transit, wandering through parks—done.
GEOGRAPHY
Belle has already made serious progress toward learning every country in the world and its capital! Inspired by her, I’m thinking Indy could focus on learning all the European countries and their capitals. It feels like a manageable and relevant goal.
HISTORY
We’ll be immersed in history by virtue of all the museums, churches, and landmarks we’ll be seeing. In terms of processing that info, Belle suggested creating a summary slideshow of each country we visit. I think this is a great idea!
Here’s what I was thinking we might track for each country:
- Currency
- Capital
- Total population
- Primary language
- Flag
- Famous landmarks
- Signature food
- 2–3 key historical moments
- Belle/Indy’s favorite experience
- John/Elisabeth’s favorite experience
What else should we include?
LANGUAGE ARTS
Journaling: Regular reflections—nothing too rigid, maybe this could be on the weekends?
Reading aloud: I’d love to aim for 30 minutes each weekday. I want the books to be fun and engaging, but it would also be great to include some accessible classics. We’ve already read a lot of these sorts of books (the Little House series, Heidi, books by Roald Dahl, Charlotte’s Web, Swiss Family Robinson, Gone-Away Lake, the Harry Potter series, some of the Anne of Green Gables books), so I’m not 100% sure what to reach for…
Maybe…?
- The Phantom Tollbooth
- A Wrinkle in Time
- Some Agatha Christie?
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins
- Has anyone read the James Ponti mystery books?
Both kids love action/adventure/thrillers. I am ALL ears for recommendations.
I’d also like:
- One child to focus on penmanship (especially letter formation).
- Some grade-appropriate spelling lists. I know spelling isn’t prioritized like it used to be—autocorrect and digital life and all that—but I still want my kids to be strong spellers. The same kiddo who struggles with letter formation could benefit from spelling work too!
APPS/GAMES
- Indy loves Geometry Dash.
- Both kids enjoy Wordscapes (which feels learning-adjacent).
Are there any learning apps you/your kids use and love? (Belle does Duolingo every day, so I’ll encourage her to keep that up.)
In terms of physical games, we have to pack LIGHT.
I’m bringing:
- One deck of cards (this might be the time for John to teach us all poker).
- Monopoly Deal.
Everything else will need to be:
- Pen-and-paper
- Conversation-based
- Or (if necessary) app-supported
I’m not wild about device-heavy gaming, but I am realistic! Things like Charades, Just One, and trivia prompts could all work digitally.
SCHEDULE/STRUCTURE PLANS
When we’re actively traveling—Munich, road-tripping, hopping between countries—I want to take that time completely off structured learning (though I hope they’ll be passively absorbing lots of culture and life skills).
“Structured” learning will happen when we’re settled:
- Our month in Vienna
- Our month in Helsinki
- Our ~3 weeks in Wales
If you homeschool or have taken extended travel with kids, I’d love your feedback on how you structure your days and pointers on self-directed projects that have worked well.
Your turn.
- What should we add to our “country study” slideshow list?
- What action/adventure books have your kids loved?
- What are your favourite tween/teen-friendly apps?
- What are your go-to travel games (or what are your favourite games to play with a deck of playing cards!)?
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This sounds like a great plan.
Books? Redwall, Hatchet, Howl’s Moving Castle, the Hobbit. All the Light We Cannot See. The Princess bride, the Martian or Artemis, Wee Free Men. Salt to the Sea.
I was about 11 when I started reading Agatha Christie, so a carefully chosen one might work.
You have flexibility to add topics that appeal to the kids or that’s important to the city/country you visit. This is so cool.
Thanks for the recs! I’ve written them all down. I already have the Martian on hold and that would be extra fun because we could follow it up by watching the movie (which I’ve seen and loved).
Two series I recently read as an adult and loved were the Shiloh series (more for Indie’s age), and Lois Lowry’s The Giver series. (I read some of them on audio, and book two was especially fun in that format). I think this is intended for middle grades, but I loved the series as an adult.
I’ve never heard of the Shiloh series, but have made a note.
Your comment is timely as Belle literally finished reading the first book in The Giver series last night for school 🙂
It sounds like you have made a good start! For your list per country, I would add how to say Please, Thank You, Yes, and maybe one fun word, like bread or pastry (haha)! Also, what about a book that is set in one (or all?) of the countries you are going to, like Heidi, or watching Sound of Music, or something like that? Also museums are fun enough, and I find them a great way to learn more history or culture, but I also really enjoy walking tours. You can get free ones at Guruwalk or Walkative, and you just have to tip them. So for the price of ~$20 or so you get a history and culture lesson, plus physical activity! Another one I suggest is to meet with a greeter, who is a local volunteer. They don’t talk about history, but you can wander around town with them, and they will often show you local food etc. that you may not have tried. And you can pick their brains about local customs, places to go, things to see and do etc. These are often free, or you may want to pay for their meal or coffee or whatever, but it is a great way to get to know a city better. Here is a site I have used for that.
Such great ideas. I would expect no less 😉
John and I always used to try to start a trip with a free walking tour, but we haven’t done one yet with the kids. It is definitely on my radar, especially for Vienna and Helsinki. I have made a note of all of these great ideas (and Please and Thank You on the slideshow is a GREAT idea!!)
Argh! I left a super long comment and I don’t see it! It is probably just lost in the ether, but I will try to summarize just in case it did not work.
For your country list: Maybe some words for each language, like please, thank you, bread and one slang word (or something fun)
For books, what about one that is set in the country you are in, like Heidi for example. Or one that is typical for that country, like The Little Prince (I know that is a younger one, but is the only example I could think of!)
For culture, history, etc. I like free walking tours HERE or you can meet with a greeter HERE who is a local that shows you around, so its not about history, but more maybe local food, or you can ask them questions about everyday life.
Hello from the U.K.! Thank you for all the wonderful, encouraging blog posts you share. I love following along.
For the slideshow, you could include “an object of importance” for the country’s history. For example in England, you could include the Coronation Chair or the Crown Jewels. With all the museums and sightseeing it sounds like you’ll be doing, there might be a chance your kids can take and include their own photo of the object!
A book recommendation I have is the Stormbreaker series by Anthony Horowitz. Lots of good memories listening to these books in the car on family road trips when I was a tween/teen.
Aww. Thanks, Brittany.
These are such great ideas! I love the “object of importance” and it would be even cooler if they got to lay their own eyes on it.
I have officially added the Stormbreaker series to my list of books!
I can only comment on the games 🙂 what about looking up boardgame cafes?
Sounds like you’ve already thought through a lot, I’m very impressed!
Can I admit I didn’t even know such a thing existed?????
It’s a great idea studying the countries you visit! Why not also add some cultural element – public holidays specific for that country and why they celebrate them, music/art and literature, doesn’t have to be super ambitious but knowing about 1-2 famous authors and maybe musicians from that country. Art will probably be included in the museum visits.
When I was a child I was obsessed with the Fives book series!!
I’ve never heard of The Fives. It has been added to my list.
These are great ideas! Holidays would NEVER have crossed my mind but this is brilliant. And I love the idea of famous authors. Maybe athlete’s, too, since the kids are still riding the wave of excitement from the recent Olympics…?
The country slideshow idea is brilliant, you could even add a “local tradition or festival” section for each place.
For reading, as a kid I loved all the Enid Blyton books (“The Famous Five” / “Secret Seven”, however, they might be dated), Erich Kästner (“Emil and the Detectives”, definitely dated!). And of course, “Heidi”.
Your plan feels super manageable but still rich with experiences. They’re going to learn so much without it feeling like school!
I’ve never read a single Enid Blyton book, I don’t think. Eeks! I need to get on that.
Love the local tradition/festival idea!
Definitely read the Phantom Tollbooth; it’s also good for language arts, as there’s lots about homophones, parts of speech, colloquialisms…lots of wordplay in that book. Also look into Joan Aiken’s Arabel and Mortimer series! They’re so funny! She also has an alternative history series that starts with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
If you’re considering Agatha Christie, I’d start with maybe the Labors of Hercules, as you can tie it into a small study of the actual labors of Hercules! I always liked that book when I was younger. The best Hercule Poirot would be Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile (I also like Appointment with Death), which are all travel-related. You could always try reading “Come, Tell Me How You Live”, which was Christie’s biographical account of how she and her archaeologist husband lived in the Middle East–very appropriate for you world travelers! O
So many great book recommendations! I have many happy hours of reading ahead!!!!
I think your plan sounds awesome and I guess I would just encourage the journalling aspect so they can look back on all their adventures!
Yes, I suspect there may be a bit of pushback on journalling, so I need to come up with a structure that keeps it fun, but also organized. Like it said, maybe just on the weekends??? We shall see.
My head is SWIRLING with ideas and questions and most of it can’t be figured out quite yet!
I love this post, and I love all the comments. This is going to be AMAZING!!! Honestly, your kids will learn so much more than if they were in school. I would look for books that take place in the countries you’ll be in, but offhand i can’t think of any for teens/tweens. I’ll do a little research and let you know.
This is a wonderful opportunity for the kids- even if you did NO structured learning, it would still be an enriching experience for them. They’ll come away from this far ahead in knowledge and maturity. I’m really excited to her all about it.
Yes, I really should lean into finding books that are based in the locales we’re visiting. It’s a great idea and something I hadn’t really considered.
To be honest, I would kind of love to do NO structured learning, but I feel like for Belle especially she could be at a bit of a disadvantage to go into Grade 10 that way. So it will be a balance of staying on top of Math and Science and recognizing each and every day will be a learning adventure.
Amazing, amazing opportunity for your kids and family! I love your approach to learning and to leaning into times where you won’t be doing structured learning.
I work at an inquiry-based school and one idea that would be fun/rich for the history/geography/culture side of things is to have everyone (adults included) come up with a big question for the three main countries you are staying in. Anything they want to learn about. And let exploring that question drive their exploration in museums, eating, reading, etc. Learning, reflection, and new questions can be recorded thier journal.
Love this idea and it would be fun to each pick a different theme/”research” topic and then we could share our new-found knowledge with the rest of the family.
I have an eighth grader and a sixth grader and we absolutely love read alouds!
Classic favorites: Where the Red Fern Grows (prepare to cry but SO good), Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstocking, The Hobbit, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Not necessarily classic but read alouds they’ve really enjoyed: the mysterious Benedict Society, all the Land of Story books, the hunger games (mostly the first), and The Ranger’s Apprentice series.
Can’t wait to follow your adventures!
I read Where the Red Fern Grows a few years ago and it was one of the most heart-wrenching books I’ve ever read. I’m so curious what I would have thought of it as a kid? I was DEVASTATED as an adult!
We’re twinning as Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstocking, The Hobbit, The Chronicles and Narnia and The Mysterious Benefict Society have all been read in our house.
But I haven’t read The Hunger Game books to the kids, or even heard of the Land of Story books or The Ranger’s Apprentice, so I’m making note! Series are fun, too, because if the kids like them it makes the decision of what to read next so easy.
Oh, The Phantom Tollbooth. I’ve probably read that thirty times. ❤️ I can recommend a new mid-grade novel called Each and Every Spark about an American family that relocates to Paris for a few months for mom’s work. There’s a WWII storyline and a current-day storyline that intertwine, a mystery about art and the French Resistance. Your kids might enjoy with their own time abroad.
Love the Paris novel suggestion. It sounds right up our alley AND is timely given where our trip is leading us <3
We love Sleeping Queens and Uno, and since they are decks of cards, they don’t take up too much space. I wonder if there are country-specific versions of UNO you could pick up to brush up on the local language? Maybe you could poke around thrift stores in your new home countries and look for local favorite games that you could leave behind as gifts for the next travelers.
For the country slideshow, my high school history teacher taught us an acronym to include information in all of our essays. I can’t remember it now, but know it included the country’s past and present dominant religions and ruling structure (monarchy, democracy, etc.) The CIA world fact book (while it still exists) can be a good place to quickly source surface information!
For books, traveling domestically with my 10 and 8 year old, reading picture books and novels set in the city where we are going has been very popular. The I Survived series has a wide range of settings and time periods. I wonder if some cities will let you have a temporary library card? Or used book stores — buy it there and sell it back for credit!
I’m not a math person, but I do remember some math coming into my art history classes, talking about the angles and physics calculations necessary to draft and build cathedrals. That’s more complicated that having your kids pay for the market shopping in the local currency but above my pay grade!
I do want to check out used book stores and have one already scoped out in Vienna!
Indy LOVES the I Survived books but has already gone through all of them multiple times. He went through a period of being truly obsessed with those books!
What a great idea to go thrifting for games. I was also talking to a friend who mentioned that they often find games IN their AirBnB which I hadn’t even thought about.
Consider having them journal everyday about their daily activities. The entries can be short and they can draw pictures, too. They’d each need a small notebook and can share a small set of colored pencils. An added bonus is that they can bring the journals with them on outings and sketch along the way. We had our son do this in Paris. He only wrote a sentence each day and his sketches were great. I was always surprised by what he’d focus on. For example, I sat him on a bench across from some sculptures in a museum thinking he’d sketch one of them. Instead, he sketched the ceiling decor. Which I hadn’t even noticed. It was a wonderful way to get him more engaged.
Isn’t it fascinating how different people focus on different things? I’m always amazed if I hand my phone off to the kids to take pictures how they frame pictures and what they choose to focus on. Also, at least when they were smaller, I found the angles fascinating. It was like seeing the world through a different set of eyes… which is exactly how it is when they were over a foot shorter than me 🙂
I’ll see how the journalling goes with the kids. They… don’t love this sort of thing. But maybe the key is to keep it short! A sentence a day is so doable. Maybe they could aim to write down the highlight of each day? The weather? I wonder what I should do digitally vs on paper, too? While I love the tactile aesthetic of paper, I do wonder if it will be harder for us to stay on top of that.
Decisions, decisions. Thanks for all these suggestions, Theresa <3
Good luck settling on plan!! Whichever schooling elements you decide on, make sure that they are manageable for both the kids AND YOU. The kids are going to be learning nonstop on this trip, so you don’t need a ton of structured activities. Your family is going to have such fun!
Yes to this!! I don’t want it to be too overwhelming/burdensome to me. Also, both kids have a firm base in terms of academics, so I have to believe any really important stuff will be covered again at the beginning of the next grade.
Yes, athletes! That’s a great idea!
Sorry that was supposed to be a reply to your reply, I don’t know what I did wrong!
My reply function is VERY glitchy. It definitely wasn’t you 🙂
Your plans sound fantastic to me. I think the kids will learn A TON, and it doesn’t sound like you are going to be forced to hound them to do work all the time, or have to be correcting things all the time, which are both things I HATE about parenting, lol.
If you should find yourself in need of additional writing prompts, I think that suggesting the kids choose a work of art about which to write an ekphrastic poem … or craft a letter from the perspective of a historical figure … or write a short story that takes place at a historic landmark could be fun ways to get them thinking and writing. (I say this because my particular kid really dislikes journaling, and yet I really want her to WRITE because it is such an important crossroads of critical thinking and technical skill.)
For the slideshows, it might be fun to add a weird fact — if the kids are primed to listen/look for something unusual, they might pay extra close attention.
Adventure books: E loves all the Wild Robot series, as well as anything/everything by Rosanne Parry. I really wish she would give the Percy Jackson books a chance. She is reading The Martian in school (which is how I know they have a clean version of it, if that’s important for your kids!) and she LOVED Project Hail Mary (although we listened to that one, rather than reading it with our eyes). We have also read a couple of books that take place in Europe: she really enjoyed the fictional diary of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Kristiana Gregory and Da Vinci’s Cat by Catherine Murdock.
My kids LOVE weird facts, so this would be right up their alley.
I love the idea of journalling, but I think I will have to great creative to get their full buy-in. Maybe I could make their journal interactive in a way (like a photo journal? Or maybe the highlight of each day + a picture). There are so many things we could do and I think I’m feeling a bit of pressure to find “the perfect” option which of course doesn’t exist (AND YOU KNOW HOW EASY IT IS TO SPIRAL WITH THINGS LIKE THIS). Anyhoo… all that to say. I love the idea of approaching it creatively.
I have jotted down all the books you’ve listed 🙂 Thanks, friend <3
Hahaha – yes, I do happen to know how easy it is to spiral with things like this! And your approach as stated seems really EXCELLENT and balanced. My “creative approach” comes from having a kid who is enthusiastic about learning, but who gets bored with doing the same thing over and over (which is why journaling does not appeal to her, I think). I’m not sure if that’s an issue your kids face. I love the photo journal idea! Does Indy have his own phone? Maybe it could be a photo and/or video journal!
I was coming back here with another “idea” that you can take or leave — what if you had the kids research your next stop in advance and come up with a “scavenger hunt” for the family/one another to complete? Like, we’re going to Paris, so we need to find one Monet painting, one Metro sign, one gargoyle, one scene from a famous movie. Not sure if this would be fun or would require too much advance planning, lol.
He doesn’t, but we have an extra old phone they use for audiobooks and it has perfectly fine photo capabilities so we might set that up for him to take little videos/photos.
I love this idea and am adding it to my (growing) list of fun things to try.
Such great recommendations on books already – but I would add maybe looking into the International Baccalaureate curriculum which includes literature from various countries too. The IB has some administrative offices in Cardiff, Wales btw. I suggest 2 decks of cards! One fun game that is easy to learn is called ‘Manipulation’ – it requires 2 decks. I always enjoyed playing ‘Hearts’ too. I love the idea of beginning with walking tours to start in a new location- helps to get geographically ordered and to get recommendations from locals.
We’ve fallen out of the habit of going on walking tours; it used to be our go-to way to start any trip.
I will be looking up Manipulation and Hearts. I’ve not heard of either of them. And great suggestions to consider the IB curriculum.
These might be too young for Belle if she’s in high school, but as a kid I reread The Wheel on the School (set in the Netherlands) and Number the Starts (set in Denmark) multiple times. I cannot remember if you are going to be traveling to either of those locations!
Another idea could be checking on plays that are going to be performed in the cities you are staying in – I’m sure schedules will be out! This stems for my personal belief that students shouldn’t read Shakespeare in school … they should see it performed as originally intended. But there is a whole world of theater and drama beyond Shakespeare!
Please do keep us updated on your curriculum as you have time! It’s going to be a wonderful experience for your family. 🙂
We are going to Denmark (unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be able to swing a stop in the Netherlands this time). I’ve made a note of both books–thanks!
A great idea about the plays. I want to take them to see Vivaldi’s Four Seasons played in a cathedral in Vienna and have looked into the ballet… but I play might be even more interesting to them. A great idea.
I read Mr. Popper’s Penguins to Paul years ago and it is a very weird book! He liked it, though, if I remember correctly.
I am no help with this sort of thing since my kids are much younger than yours! I can suggest a game, though. Google “garbage card game” and hopefully you get an explanation of it. That was Paul’s favorite game for quite a while. Kings in the Corner is another fun game. Plus Rummy. And Crazy Eights. There is a good amount of things you can do with a deck of cards. Oh, and cribbage! I wouldn’t want to bring a cribbage board but you can just keep score w/ pen and paper. And that’s a great game for math skills.
I’m so excited for you! The kids will learn so much on this trip that will be priceless!
Thanks for all the suggestions for games!
Weird good… or weird bad -haha! I’ve never read it, but it has come across my radar twice recently.
Can you try to find English translations of books written in the country where you are staying? For Austria, I think something written by Christine Nöstlinger. I loved all of her books when I was a child. Some are for young children though. “Fly away home” could be an idea, it is about a girl experiencing the end of WWII in Vienna.
I’m disproportionately excited about this trip and over-the-top impressed with your planning!
First, is that the Exeter cathedral in the photo of you with Indy and Belle? (Have I asked you this before??)
More ideas about what to learn for each country: major industries, form of government, current leader’s name.
Two books that my mom read to us which I loved were The Secret Garden and Children’s Pilgrim’s Progress. I never read Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) but know it is a classic and might be worth looking into.
About games: ever played Yahtzee? All you need are 5 dice and the scorecard. Let me know if you need me to mail a scorecard to you. It is a game of chance, but it also takes a little strategic planning and decision making.
Remember to look at Mary Hunt (everyday cheapskate) for all the ways she uses binder clips! (might be good for keeping those maps together. . .)
I was finally getting excited before the weekend and now I am feeling SO STRESSED. How am I going to pack/remember everything I need in a carry on for almost 4 months.
I feel like you have asked that before because I remember someone asking if it was Exeter Cathedral and I had no idea what that was… ha. Now I know and no, it’s the exterior of Notre Dame in Paris.
Current leader’s name is one I don’t have written down yet. Great suggestions.
I read the article you linked before about binder clips!
I was debating taking some dice for Yahtzee!! A great idea.
What an exciting time! I like Kyria’s ideas of what words to learn. Of course she is the perfect resource for these questions. I’m not much help, but I’m interested in what everyone is suggesting as we are contemplating home schooling Kay next year – or doing some sort of hybrid situation. Books I loved to read to our kids: The Island of the Blue Dolphin and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
I read the Island of the Blue Dolphin (to myself) a few years ago. I’d forgotten about that one!
Your plan sounds great. I think you hit key areas. The key is also not overwhelming the process. And if something doesn’t work once you are there. It’s ok! I think basic country information and a journal are key things. Journalist covers a lot including spelling, writing, forming thoughts. Etc.
Yes, journalling really seems like it would cross a lot of to-dos off the list in one fell swoop!
I think for English it is important to keep the kids writing, and I would encourage daily, but make it a limited amount. Mum and Dad took me out of school when I was ten to do a 6 week jaunt around Europe, and Mum insisted I keep a daily diary, but instead of an account of my day, she had me write just a few sentences about the things that interested me. For example, my entry for the day we went from Capri to Pisa (spelt Pizza): “People don’t know weather (sp, LOL) the leaning Tower of Pizza is like that because of the sandy ground it is built on or because the builder wanted to show off. The most excepted (Sp) explanation is that the builder wanted to show off. Next to the Leaning Tower of Pizza is a church and a Baptistry.”
Just get the kids to notice something, obviously doesn’t need to be related to sites visited, just something that stands out to them. I find it so interesting to see what little tidbits of trivia caught my attention. For Belle, she is old enough that if there is something that she is particularly interested in, one or two extended research-type pieces of writing would be good practice.
OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVE YOUR ENTRY, MELISSA. This is so cute. Thanks for sharing. I also love, love, love that you still have the diary!
Also for the journaling what about making it like a scrap book where they glue or tape things in— boarding passes, sections of maps, random things they find? It’s easier sometimes to write about a thing than start from a blank page or they could write only in some days and glue things in on others?
This is a great idea! It would be a perfect time to have a little sticker printer, but luggage space is at a premium. I could easily toss in a roll of tape, though! And it would never have crossed my mind, so I really appreciate the suggestion.
Your ideas all sound amazing, and I’m glad you’re allowing plenty of down-time and flexibility as well. I have a feeling that the entire trip will be a great learning experience. Eeeeee! I’m so excited for you!
Yes, I think down-time will be key. I was just thinking this morning that if we did literally NO structured learning, nothing “bad” would happen. Maybe a few tutoring sessions in the fall for Belle with Math but that would mostly be it. So, we WILL do structured learning, but I don’t want it to feel at all stressful!
I’m so excited for your trip!!! It’s so soon!!!!!
Re: journalling – what if they junk journalled? (journalling where you collect things and glue them into a book) Or I feel like I remember you said B once had a “Wreck this journal”? We have a pocket sized Wreck this Journal that is full of stickers and what not from when we travel.
Can they practice writing by writing postcards? Maybe even send postcards to themselves back home, so that when you get home you can collect all the memories and re-live them together?
One app based game that we love is Imposter. Though you need at least four people for that to be really fun. It’s even more fun with more people.
To go along with Jana’s idea of world leaders – maybe you can visit government buildings? Many of them have free tours and you can learn about systems of government.
Have you guys read The Dark is Rising? I think some of it is set in Wales. maybe?
I love the idea of postcards and do want to get them to do it when we’re settled in places for longer stints (like send one from Vienna, Helsinki, and Wales).
We haven’t read The Dark is Rising. I’ve added it to Libby (only available as audiobook, but that could be nice to do, too! That way I don’t always have to be the one reading out loud)!
Belle LOVED her Wreck This Journal back in the day. I’ve never heard of the term junk journalling, but I love it!
I have quite a few government buildings on our to-visit list!!
I think this sounds like a great plan. They will learn so much from travelling and from museums etc. I think it’s wise to prioritize math for formal studies. Honestly I wouldn’t worry a ton about science. In high school it is usually discrete subjects each year so it doesn’t build a ton from year to year in terms of content. And for Indy whatever they study in grade 5 (? 6? Is that what he’s in?) will definitely come back around.
I skimmed comments so apologies if these geography games have been mentioned already:
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/
https://globle-game.com/
Also re Mr Popper’s Penguins: it’s a funny book but may be too young for Belle and even Indy. I read it aloud to C when she was 4.5 and she enjoyed it a lot but that makes me hesitant to suggest that your kids are going to enjoy it.
Also a homeschool tip! Keep a simple log of what you do each day that is educational. It doesn’t sound like the school district is too concerned but it’s always better to have more records than not. I use a simple notebook and write something like:
“Day 114 – Feb 23 2026
1. Math- Math with confidence lesson 24.2
2. English: Stories Around World Chp 34
Language Arts lesson 65
Etc”
(Obviously we did more that that yesterday just not gonna type the whole thing lol) It takes about 2 minutes total and serves as a record.
Such a great idea to keep a record! I could use my planner for this (I’m taking it along and won’t have appointments and what not to record!!).
Love the geography games!!
I’ll take the Penguin’s book off the list. It definitely sounds like it’s younger than what my kids would like.
Forgot to add that I’d also list all the things like museum visits, exploring the city you’re in etc in the records! Field trips you know 😉
Yes to this, too! A great reminder that there are many different ways to “learn”!
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was one of my favourite books as a kid and I still have it on my bookshelf! Another favourite as a kid is Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park – about a teen girl who goes back in time to a rough part of Victorian-era Sydney. Wonderful writing and a great story.
Thanks for the recommendations. Neither are available on Libby via my library, but I’m going to see if I can order them from my local library for when we get home!
One other note – when I was 16 I spent a year in Norway on exchange. While I did go to school there, all the classes were in Norwegian (except for English!), and so until I could speak Norwegian, which was probably not that long before I was heading back home, there wasn’t that much schooling I could really participate in. I did mostly keep up with Maths, as it translates pretty well across languages, and its a subject I like. I was obviously a straight A student in English. (haha). But classes like science, history, and Norwegian, I was more a spectator than a participant. And honestly, it made very little difference to my long term academic achievement or life. There are a few gaps in my science knowledge, and a few texts I missed out on (I’ve never actually read Hamlet), but other than that, I was able to do very well in school, and turned out pretty well! Not to mention, I learnt to speak fluent Norwegian, I learnt so many life skills and came back so much wiser – priceless benefits. So I think your schooling plan sounds good, but definitely play it by ear to an extent I reckon. Maybe come if a bunch of ideas and then flexibly add/subtract things as you go. 🙂
Yes! I hope to… subtract, if anything. I want this to be fun and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m sure it will take some juggling to find a good balance of keeping them engaged academically but also recognizing we’re not trying to replicate their at-home experience. And hearing about your experience is so helpful!
Oh that’s such a good shout. We have them here. I’d also think about refreshing your books (and lightening your load) with little free libraries, etc. They might also have games. SkyJo and Flip7 might be good to sneak in a bag. A bit of sneaky maths there as well. Do both kids have journals to fill in?
I have ordered them Travel Journals and I think journals will need to be completed before screen time 😉
My only suggestion is to ask teachers for grade level standards and have those in the back of your mind when you are thinking about your unschooling plan.
SMART!
(longtime reader, first time commenting!) Instead of a full-on journal entry, maybe a photo of the day plus a brief explanation of where/when/why? Could later be morphed into a photobook? Manageable task and souvenir all in one!
What a great idea! I did order journals for the kids, BUT I am going to take some tape along and it has an envelope in the back to store tickets and the like. And both kids will have access to a smartphone to take photos (we have an OLD Android phone we use for audiobooks, but it will be just fine for our son to take pictures, and our daughter has a great iPhone camera). I love seeing what things they choose to take photos of.
I am going to make a dedicated photobook of just this trip and I want to incorporate lots of the kids pictures <3
Oh, don’t overthink it. Your kids are going to learn so much more traveling than they would in a regular school for that time. We “unschooled” our kids…essentially followed their interests and they did just fine. The more fun you have the more they will learn. So please don’t drive yourself crazy trying to fit in more and more. I’m sure they will be just fine.
Thanks for this reminder! Yes, I think we’ll play things by ear and know that even if ZERO structured learning happens, the kids will be just fine academically and that they will learn so much just by virtue of travelling and being exposed to all sorts of cultures and traditions <3
For your stay in Vienna I recommend Erich Kästner’s Lisa and Lottie for the children to read because it is partly set in Austria. The newer translation might make the connections to Austria more obvious:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_and_Lottie
Also try Palatschinken which are crêpes-like pancakes but the word sound like some sort of bacon (“Schinken”) in German which is the source of some confusion for Lottie.
Thanks for these recommendations!!!