Homeschooling on the Go: How to Homeschool While Out and About

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Homeschooling on the go doesn’t have to mean travelling the world or living out of a van. It can simply be about taking education with you as you go about your daily life. Whether you’re running errands, visiting a park, or enjoying a day trip, there are countless ways to turn everyday moments into meaningful learning experiences. We’re delving into some practical tips for homeschooling on the go and exploring how you can make the most of your time outside the home to enhance your child’s education.

Why Homeschool on the Go?

There are many reasons why homeschooling on the go is often ‘the way to go.’ By making the most of homeschooling while you’re out and about, you can:

Maximise learning time: Make the most of time spent outside, whether it’s travelling on the bus, taking a trip to the grocery store or spending a day at a museum. Any experience, no matter how short or long, can turn into a productive lesson.
Engage your children with real-world experiences: Children learn best when they can connect concepts to real-life examples. Homeschooling on the go offers many chances for practical, hands-on learning opportunities.
Keep learning fresh and exciting: Learning outside the home is often more exciting and spontaneous. It breaks up your routine and is likely to keep your child engaged and motivated throughout the day.

8 Tips for Homeschooling While Out and About

1. Always Have Learning Materials on Hand

No matter what you’re doing, whether it’s a trip to the park, the coffee shop, or doing some errands, keeping a small homeschool kit on hand can turn any downtime into learning time. Here’s what you might want to include:

A small notebook and pencils: Encourage journaling or note-taking on the go.
Flashcards: Great for practising maths facts, vocabulary, or language skills while waiting for appointments or sitting in the car.
E-books or audiobooks: Use your phone or tablet to access reading materials via apps like Kindle or Audible.
Portable games and puzzles: Small puzzles, card games, or educational apps can help pass the time.

2. Turn Errands into Learning Opportunities

Any daily task, such as grocery shopping or visiting the post office, can be turned into practical lessons for kids. Here’s how:

Maths at the grocery store: Ask your child to estimate costs, add up totals, or compare prices to practise maths in a real-world setting.
Reading labels: Encourage your child to read labels on food products, learning about ingredients, nutrition, and where products come from.
Maps and geography: If you’re travelling somewhere new, have your child help with reading maps or using a GPS.
Time management: Use a clock or a timer to teach your child about time management by estimating how long each errand will take, then compare their guess with the actual time.

3. Engage with Nature and Outdoor Learning

There’s no better classroom than the outdoors—the perfect place to engage with nature, be active and enjoy hands-on learning. Parks, walks, and trails all provide perfect opportunities for outdoor education such as:

Nature study: Observe the wonders of wildlife and learn about plants, animals, and insects. Definitely encourage your child to identify species or keep a nature journal.
Science experiments: Conduct simple outdoor experiments like measuring shadows or study the different phases of the moon.
Physical education: Embrace being outdoors with your children and encourage running, climbing, or playing sports.

4. Use Travel Time Wisely

Whether you’re commuting or driving to an activity or just out and about, travel time can be put to good use. It’s the ideal opportunity to try these ideas:

Audiobooks and podcasts: Listen to educational audiobooks or kid-friendly podcasts on topics like history, science, or language.
Conversation-based learning: Have discussions with your children that prompt critical thinking. You can ask open-ended questions about what they’ve recently learned or discuss a new topic of interest.
Memory games and mental maths: Play games like “20 Questions,” or practise multiplication tables and mental maths challenges while in the car or on public transport.

5. Plan Educational Days Out

Whenever you’re out, take advantage of an opportunity to visit places where learning happens naturally, such as:

Museums and historical sites: These places provide hands-on learning experiences that bring history, science, and art lessons to life.
Libraries: Visit local libraries to access new books, educational resources, and sometimes even free classes or workshops for children.
Zoos and aquariums: Great for teaching children about biology, animal behaviour, and conservation efforts.
Farmers’ markets: Teach kids about local food systems, sustainability, and where their food comes from by visiting a farmers’ market.

6. Use Technology for Learning on the Go

With mobile technology, learning can happen anywhere. Here are a few tech tools that will help you homeschool on the go:

Educational apps: Apps like Khan Academy or EdPlace can be used for quick lessons while you’re out and about.
Google Earth and maps: Use these apps to teach geography, or even take virtual tours of historical sites.
Photo scavenger hunts: Create a scavenger hunt where your child can take photos of specific objects or patterns they find while exploring new places.

7. Encourage Curiosity

The great thing about homeschooling on the go is that it naturally encourages curiosity. Let your child lead their learning by asking questions about the things they see and experience while you’re out. For example:

At a park, your child might ask why certain trees lose their leaves in the autumn, sparking a lesson on the seasons.
During a visit to the post office, you could discuss how the postal system works, the history of communication, and even look at different stamps from around the world.

8. Document Your Child’s Learning Experiences

As you homeschool on the go, it’s a good idea to document your child’s experiences through journaling, photography, or video. Not only does this reinforce any learning, but it also creates a memorable portfolio of their educational journey and you’ll have it to treasure and look back on.

Create a travel or activity journal: Encourage your child to write about or draw what they’ve learned after each outing.
Photography: Let them take pictures of interesting plants, animals, or places to put in scrapbooks as a visual record of their learning.
Videos: Record short video explanations or presentations on a topic they explored that day.

Embrace Flexibility in Homeschooling on the Go

Homeschooling on the go doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful. It can be seamlessly blended into your day-to-day life, simply by keeping learning materials handy, turning everyday errands into educational opportunities, and using technology when needed.The world is full of opportunities for learning, and when you homeschool on the go, every outing becomes a chance to explore, discover and grow.

Remember you can make the most of your homeschooling journey, wherever life takes you. It doesn’t need meticulous planning. In fact, the beauty is in the spontaneity of being able to learn and take advantage of opportunities when out and about.