The Value of Travel

Traveling is one of the best ways to educate your kids. Homeschooling is about the freedom to educate our children outside of the box. We stress over curriculum choices and the number of hours schoolwork involves. But travel is a great way to educate your children too.

Children are little sponges and they take in their environment wherever they go. Exposing them to new experiences opens their imagination and educates them in new ways. They might not remember the historical facts of a place but they remember the impression it made. Imagine them playing a game of tag in the Roman Coliseum. They get to try new foods and sometimes hear new languages. They experience the way other people live. Later in life, the memories come back and shape the people they become.

Plus traveling is fun! It's important when you choose to homeschool to be proactive in seeking opportunities to interact with the world. It's all too easy sometimes to fall into a schooling rut where it feels that you are home all the time until the four walls of the room seem to be closing in. When you feel that, it's time to get out!

If your budget is small, then consider visiting friends and family, camping or even just a day trip. The trip doesn't have to cost a lot to provide your family with fun, fresh air and new experiences.

Childhood passes so quickly. They will never forget the memories made together. Take the time to enjoy traveling with your family while the kids they are young.

To help make those memories stick and to enhance learning on a trip, I like to learn about the places before we go. We make a mini-class out of it and the trip at the end is our collective reward for learning. Knowing about a place beforehand makes it more exciting for the kids when they are traveling because they might recognize something from a book or remember a fact. It also seems to deepen the overall impact of the trip and help them remember the trip better.

Traveling is a great form of education anytime, especially if your homeschool needs a change.