Kids Education vs Overlanding

[Billiebob]

I want to start a thread on the priorities today vs the priorities 50 years ago... when I was a teenager.

Remember when??? We rented a tent trailer and towed it behind a 2WD station wagon. Or all those extreme adventures we heard about which cost next to nothing?

Post adventures you remember before anyone was selling expensive water tanks, a kid could afford a tent, 4WD was unheard of, GoreTex was a luxury item.

I remember a magazine article from the 1980s about a BC family who built a catamaran, trailered it behind a station wagon to Florida and sent the year in the Bahamas. Complete with home schooling, on a teachers salary on sabatical leave. I cannot find it but they incurred no debt. AND never lost sight it was all about the kids education plus giving their kids a year of adventure. Why do we go in debt today to overland.

If you have other adventures to share please do. I intend to find this story.

 

[Anak]

Dayum...

Where to start...

This is my life...

We have been homeschooling for 10 years now. Homeschooling and Overlanding (or camping--I don't care what you call it) go hand in glove for us. A week ago today we were on the road to the Mojave to spend the long weekend camping out with friends. While their peers were in school on Friday this is what Varmints #2 & #3 were doing:



Varmint #1 didn't come along on this trip. Although we homeschool the early years I am making each of them go through public HS. Varmint #1 didn't want to take the days off. He is a high achiever (calculus as a sophomore anyone?) and the schools do not make it easy to take time off for education. (Yes, I mean that. I think public schools are the biggest hindrance to education there is. As far as I am concerned, I think most of us were robbed when it comes to education.) We pulled Varmint #1 out of school for a couple of days last year for my father's funeral and their series of hoops to jump through was a major waste of time and effort. Varmint #1 is welcome on any of the trips we take, but thus far he is staying focused on his grades.

It should be noted that I have boys to turn into men. The school system may be fine for girls, but it sure is not for boys. Ever notice who is on behavior modification drugs? It isn't the girls. Ever wonder why that is? Take a look at who the teachers are. Pretty much all women. And of the men you can find, good luck finding men who are real men. They will be the exception. And yet we wonder why we have a world full of snowflakes.

Where education and camping intersect is exactly where boys learn. Boys are kinesthetic learners. This means they learn by moving. Which, by the way is precisely why their female teachers insist on drugging them up so they will sit still in class--if the boys are learning anything then they are "disruptive". But if I take them out in the wild and turn them loose, then they can learn something.

A perfect example from our own experiences was number theory in Great Basin NP. I had a large scale number line scratched in the dirt in the road and Varmint #3 was walking forward and backward on that line so he could get the concept of addition/subtraction and positive/negative numbers into his skull full of mush.

This works well for us.

That said, it is not the answer for everyone. Some folks should not attempt homeschooling. In fact, some folks probably shouldn't even have kids, but that is another matter entirely. Homeschooling requires a passion, patience and discipline. Not everyone has that. However, it does not require that you be brilliant. I know a lady who was a very successful homeschooler, but when she told her parents that she planned on homeschooling, her mother in her thick German accent asked her "How you going do dat? You not very smart." (Gee, thanks Mom.) Nonetheless, she did that. Both of her children are well educated. There are plenty of resources available to help those who need assistance.

I could ramble on about this topic for pages. I think the best summary is that homeschooling lends itself to freedom to educate the child as they need, and the best education happens outdoors.

 

[xybjka97k]

I want to start a thread on the priorities today vs the priorities 50 years ago... when I was a teenager.

Remember when??? We rented a tent trailer and towed it behind a 2WD station wagon. Or all those extreme adventures we heard about which cost next to nothing?

Post adventures you remember before anyone was selling expensive water tanks, a kid could afford a tent, 4WD was unheard of, GoreTex was a luxury item.

I remember a magazine article from the 1980s about a BC family who built a catamaran, trailered it behind a station wagon to Florida and sent the year in the Bahamas. Complete with home schooling, on a teachers salary on sabatical leave. I cannot find it but they incurred no debt. AND never lost sight it was all about the kids education plus giving their kids a year of adventure. Why do we go in debt today to overland.

If you have other adventures to share please do. I intend to find this story.

Honestly, it’s not all about traditional school anymore. There are some amazing learning experiences out there that go way beyond the classroom. Last summer, my teen joined the London Summer School by Immerse Education London Summer School , and it was a total game changer. Super hands-on, real-world stuff, and they got to meet students from all over. It kind of proved to me that education can be flexible and high quality.

Yeah, balancing travel and kids’ education is definitely tricky we’ve been trying to make it work too

 

[AnonymousDog]

I always thought that homeschooling while traveling would be a great way to get an education. We didn't do that with our daughter but I still encourage her to travel whenever she can.

 

[Outdoordog]

I started camping in the early 80s. As soon as I was born pretty much. My parents love camping and took us no matter our age.
At first it was my dad's dodge van. 2wd and we just packed it full of camp stuff.
Then my mom got a VW Vanagon. Thing was cool, fairly spacious and had an internal table that folded up. We pissed off anyone behind us on a hill, thing was very slow. Eventually got a Porsche engine that helped lol.
There was no fancy camping gear at that time, or at least we didn't have it.
Ground tent for my dad and I, mom and sisters slept in the van.
Thick Korean winter blankets (usually the siberian tiger) instead of sleeping bags. Some cheap chairs/milk crates for sitting on, big ice cooler, and lots of rice and meat.
Being near los angeles, we did all the major camp spots within a 2 to 6 day drive. Yellowstone being the furthest.

Nowadays, I see people bringing half their kitchen and garage to camp a few days.

The most modern thing I bring is a battery and fridge/freezer. Rest is cheap ground tent and sleeping stuff. And my axe and shovel are mounted inside, on the roll bar, don't even bring traction boards anymore, or fuel tanks. It's not needed for a quick 4 or 5 day camp trip.

I do however, want one of those DJI drones that follow you around. Just for cool videos and images i can keep and share.