BootsnAll Travel Community

another great article WT! i feel like i'm in a lab group with the smart kid in the class and i'm like "lucky me!"

part of the calvert school is an interactive online class via webcam with a teacher (once a week) who conducts games and activities based on subject matter. looking at the syllabus' of each of their grades -they will both be studying ancient world history. along with our own parent-led activities and outings, i think this will be a neat addition to our schooling.
thanks for the word of confidence on calvert. i did see that he can move at his own pace and that is awesome!
i get more excited each day.....now i just need these 2 extremely interested families get into a bidding war on our fabulous home! wish us luck!!
peace,
b

Sorry - I had to let fly my previous post before I was finished... the kids needed help with homework.

I was going to go on to say that IB is a tremendous amount of work - I am amazed at how much time my kids spend on homework. Most of it is doing research, with many long hours poring over library books to get citations for their work (minimal internet is allowed). The other key thing they start in grades 10 and 11 is to finally express a personal opinion and argue their position in teh social sciences. After so many years in school, this is a major change.

Both of these things (amount of research... expressing own opinion) may not come through as easily in a distance learning/ homeschooling environment.

I wonder if you shouldn't come up with some backout options.. boarding school? Stop at a foreign IB school for a term?

i hear what you're saying zoinks and our backup plan will be to just take the "gap".
our kids are already a full year younger than all of their classmates, so even a year would still not make them the oldest ones in their grade.
i'm perfectly willing to assess as we go on their timetables and such...but thankfully they have had exceptional instruction in study skills and independent research starting in 5th grade. (they are waaaaaaaay more organized than their mum) i certainly don't want to push anything that makes things more laborious than they are comfortable with... but i am hoping the character they've exhibited in their work here (with thankfully no nagging) will remain to be their character and don't do a complete personality switch with the change of continents
we had considered several of the IB schools in spain, france, austria (where i have family) but would prefer to move more. or we may come back home...who knows? right now, i just want to make a plan for next year and see how that goes.
peace,
b

Gap year is the ultimate backout... but one point to consider is that you may find the two kids end up being treated differently on their return.

Our oldest missed Grade 8 entirely on our trip. With a bit of help in math and science, he just went on to Grade 9 normally on our return. He was among the top students in his class again after a few months of catching up.

Conversely, I could not imagine any of our kids missing grade 10 and jumping back in to Grade 11.

The worst case is that your daughter is held back on a gap year, while your son advances. The kids may have trouble with that... just a thought

Here's our trip, by the way. We've been back for coming up to 6 years now! http://canadiancarlsons.com/travel.html

I am aware of the Calvert School - in fact it is one of the organizations the Montgomery County (Md) Public Schools recommended working with... They also recommended Learning Communities International (the person who runs LCI taught in Montgomery County for 30 years...)

We met with a middle school counselor last week - and will meet with our county's "homeschool coordinator" next week. The interesting thing is, once we have gotten to a person (instead of a bureaucrat) we have gotten nothing but encouragement from our public schools.

The "system" has a policy, but individuals within the system have committed to working with us.

All a long way of saying - this is very doable. You have to define your goals and set your parameters - but it is very doable whatever you hope to get out of it.

BTW, loved the Ken Robinson video (thank you WT).

I have some thoughts about the meta-message to our kids in all this, but I'll save that for another post when I have more energy and clarity.

For now, I just want to say I appreciate all the information shared here. Thank you all.

CAJ

quote:

Both of these things (amount of research... expressing own opinion) may not come through as easily in a distance learning/ homeschooling environment.

I have no personal experience on this yet,so do not know what may be accurate or not. I DO know a lot of very bright, gifted homeschoolers though who have managed to thrive and get into top Uni's ( sometimes at a young age). Some have managed to thrive on AP/IB classes. Some how they all found ways around the challenges that you are speaking about.

I think that when you are on the road, you have to think about your child's education more like a homeschooler, since you are more responsible, and one can learn a lot from them. Harvard, Yale and Stanford all appreciate what they bring to the table.

My totally homeschooled niece managed to go to Rice Univ. very early ( which is THE top school for her Chemical Engineering major) and graduated at the top of her class years younger than the rest. She had some wonderful internships during the summer in her field out of state and was recruited for a top paying job after graduation at a very high salary. She bought a house and paid off her loans while allowing the company to pay for her night school while she got a master's degree in Chemical Engineering (also from Rice). She is not even an ambitious type.

I know a ton of stories like this and studies show that homeschooled kids do better than private or public schools at Uni's, so my guess is there must be some good ways around the challenges that you mention.

It is true that books outside of English speaking countries can be a challenge, (but some of that can be handled through e-books) and time will be a challenge if one is going fast. Internet can be a challenge as well, although internet cafe's are almost everywhere. Homeschoolers can homeschool all year round, which can be an element that helps with the time factor. We continue to homeschool in English, even when my child is in the local school in Spain ( because she is mainly there for the language, culture & literature immersion of her second language).

I know that the sixintheworld's two eldest children managed to do online learning as they went at a pretty fast pace around the world in a year. They also had no experience with homeschooling or distant learning before leaving ( I believe). They are very friendly, so you might be able to write to them via their website for their experience of the pro's and cons ( especially CAJ who knows they are doing just a year).

I will be interested in seeing how this works out for all of you, so keep us in the loop, by reporting to this thread from time to time as you go. What works, what doesn't, how you adjust if you need to , how you make it work etc. It seems it can be a great resource for others down the line as we all learn a lot from each other. Every family has a unique trip and process, but input on the pros and cons supports us all.

Good luck on selling your house bbtz! Also get a good plan on how you will move out and leave on the trip all at the same time, as it is tricky ( and ultra hectic at that point where you lose all references points). It is not like moving and it is not like leaving on a trip...it is more challenging, because these things get combined. ( I was up most of the night the last night). Still, it eventually all comes together.

This is probably going to be harder with the backpack method than what we go through. We do some traveling like that ( with just a daypack using hotels, pensions, rentals etc sometimes for months & bring our computers, violin and homeschool basics with us) but find our home on wheels a much easier way to go and can carry MUCH more. We like the RV method so much we are looking into shipping it around the world. I was amazed how quickly we adapted to the small space & it has a way of keeping our day-to-day life similar to home. We could not do everything that we do without this extra room ( digital piano, printer, homeschool books & supplies etc).

It will be interesting to see how you all meet the challenges! I know you will find a way that works for you!

( Thanks for posting your website Zoinks!)

" It will be interesting to see how you all meet the challenges! I know you will find a way that works for you!" -WT
(i haven't figured out the quote thing ; ) )

yeah, i guess in these situations it's great to get all the info one can. and there are definitely plenty of naysayers out there....kind of like when women who like to tell expectant first time mothers their birth horror stories. i never understood that and when i talk to one, i know they have heard plenty of that, and tell them instead about the truest unconditional love you will ever feel, at that very first moment of meeting this little person. Also just as true as the horror stories but waaaaay more positive.
i also faced lots of skepticism when i moved to nyc (at 17), by myself, knowing no one, with my little savings in my pocket. plenty of people thought it was not doable....but here i am 22 years later thriving with a great life, kids, and a husband that is the love of my life. most would have shook their heads and said "it won't be easyyyyy". except for those who reallllly know me, understand my gumption, if you will. i'm pretty much the type that when i make up my mind about something....it's not CAN i do it, it's HOW will i do it. and my kids thankfully have the same attitude. most would call it stubbornness, because we tend to teach kids to live in the parameters that work easiest for US. i call it teaching them to think and act on their behalf, with their own consequences. it has worked pretty well for us so far.... and given our track record, and how we often do things that other families would say were impossible......i think we'll be ok.

quote:

and given our track record, and how we often do things that other families would say were impossible.

See, this is why you are doing this and why it WILL work!! We have always been good at "impossible" too.

It really is not that hard once you get out of the prep phase. Making the decision is the hardest part, and you have that behind you. The next exhausting part is the prep and solving all the basic details, which you are in now. ( We gave ourselves a year after we sold our house and it went by really fast, but some people seem to do this very quickly).

Sure you will probably have some trial and error,but we were amazed at how almost everything we planned work out well. We only found our village where we winter on the internet....and it is perfect! We made a few goofs, but it was easy to readjust.

Don't listen to the nay sayers ( just as you did not when you were 17). You would not believe some of the things we were told before leaving. One friend thought we were crazy and was worried about our lives.....and now she thinks we were brilliant and is thinking about doing it herself! LOL.

You will be fine and you will find a way to make it work. If you could do it at 17, why not now? It is a great adventure and a wonderful way to live. We were not sure when we took off if it would suit us, but now we find it would be very hard to go back to a "normal" life and wonder if we will ever stop.

Carpe Diem!

BBTZ,
I have no grande advice...just a momma to five with dreams of doing such a trip, and like you it is not, "will it happen" it is "how will I make it happen". Just not an option it is going to happen!!! When I tell folks and I nervously chuckle and add, "I'm not kidding", I would say 100% of them say, "Oh I know your not".

I know you just had a light bulb moment but wanted to say as a stranger to you I had that light bulb moment for you all once you shared your going. This will work!!!! I just know it will. This is where you have to think thank goodness your kiddos are so smart and ahead, for what if they were behind, struggled etc ??? That is where the real decisions need to be made, they are so smart just so you can pull this off.

I too enjoyed the Ted Video...We homeschool and I think I differ than most in that for some reason I don't look for my children to go to a Harvard etc... though I clearly do not "unschool" I have a strong curriculum and expect the kiddos to master certain things. Not knocking unschooling in the slightest just sharing what we do and will never know if I am doing what is right for us or not.

Many of the most successfull youngins in our world were sitting around a table in shorts and flip flops coming up with some of the greatest companies in modern time. My oldest didn't join our family until he was 6 years old, he had no family till then, and because of that I want to hold on to him and not let him go to college until he is 19. He is smart, I suspect gifted but not off the charts by any stretch. As folks question my decision to have started him in school later even though he is smart I still think to myself as morbid as it sounds that I will never know if it is the right decision or not, not stats etc... can tell me. I mean we will never know what door or window will open at anytime...and in the same breath (the morbid part) what awful scenerio they could come upon or we hope also miss out luckily due to the timing.
For example would his friends (who I think have as much influence as our schooling) be better if I could look into a crystal ball if he went to college at 18 vs 19. Is there a chance he might get into a car with a semi drunk driver at 19 that he wouldn't have even known if he started at 18. So much of this we just don't know. I'm rambling but just wanted to try to say go with your gut...

I think this Gap year is going to work out great for you...thank goodness they are younger that is even more of a breather...thank goodness they are not only smart but VERY smart. What a gift. I am so not worried about you all or the kiddos...they sound like they are meant for this adventure.
I so look forward to following your journey!!!!!
WT Awesome links!!!!

Well, I'm no parent but I might add a few things here.

1. All the friends I had who went to international schools found them to be a waste of time if they were Gifted and Talented, since the parents usually had oodles of money and just wanted an expensive babysitter.

2. The parents of another G&T 9 year old girl just lugged around the math and reading curriculum around, and frankly, the girl read at the 8th grade level at 9 years old, so reading came natural to her. Math is another issue. They'll be living social studies, especially with their foriegn friends.

3. You can teach reading and writing by assigning essays about the places travelled to, or things they did, and get books via used book stores, and yes, if you are going to be in spain, Amazon.Com delivers there. Lists of reading for various grades exist, and most of english class is reading the assinged readings and writing about them. You can do that too. You don't need to be a genius to direct that activity, especially with a G&T set of kids.

4. Math.. well, you can always hire a tutor for that.

5. If you get the kids into a bilingua education program, they can learn a foriegn language, and then attend school in THAT country, for a real international experience.

6. Keep close tabs on the kids. I know one really bright 11 year old girl who lived with her parents, and ran with an older backpacker crowd. She was talking about dropping acid last time I heard about her. Not sure if she actually did it, but the crowd she was around had access. Kind of scary, very scary. Then again, this was Panjahachel, hippie heaven.

Heres something encouraging. Even if they end up missing a year, the experience should be so positive and enriching for them that they won't mind in the least!!!! Especially if they learn a foriegn language fluently out of it.

thanks mamoo and tortuga!
and of course WT!
all good points and things to remember!
i'm not stressing so much about school now, as i think you are right mamoo....it would be different if they were strugglers. but they are enthusiastic learners, love historic buildings, grew up inside The Met and MOMA in nyc, and are independent and outspoken thinkers. they still (thankfully) are inquisitive and love asking those questions that get us onto a huge discussion. and i am grateful everyday for that.
and you're so right mamoo.....none of us know the time we have left in this world. and that time is what we want to spend with these cool people called our kids.
tortuga, i hear ya on the cautionary front.... with growing up in nyc, our kids have always had a short leash. i can't even imagine letting my 14 year old hang with backpackers...as my husband would say "i use to BE one of those boys" but thanks for the reminder that you gotta be careful....ALWAYS.
i will definitely keep you posted as we progress with our plans. all we know for sure is that we are starting our trip in the UK. WT- i would love to know the agency or person you rented your villa from. we would love to find something reasonable, but would only need for 3 months. we are trying to alternate between simple and inexpensive - to more splurge places like the Ashford Castle in Ireland. you can take a falconry class there and my kids are both very interested. www.ashford.ie it is absolutely stunning!
i'm learning so much through all of you, and that makes this planning portion an even richer experience!
peace,
b

quote:

i would love to know the agency or person you rented your villa from. we would love to find something reasonable, but would only need for 3 months.

bbtz,

As far as rentals in Spain, you should have no problem what so ever finding a place for 3 months at very reasonable monthly rates after Oct and up until Easter. ( I am not sure if you are talking about that or not). Probably even in the summer, you would have no problem, but that is high season & all of Europe seems to go on vacation in August.

We did not rent a villa. I knew I wanted to be warm in the winter and looked for an area similar to the one we come from in California ( pretty, charming, rural,near ocean, within an hour to a major city). I also wanted an authentic white village and few expats. So, I did some searching on the internet until I found 5 that looked good.

Then I looked at weekly rentals as I knew they would be easier to negotiate for monthly rate "long stays". I just googled the names of the towns I liked and "rentals" or "holiday rentals". Europeans love to come to Spain, so this is big business.

Spain is over built now, so there are a TON of places available in the south. Many northern Europeans bought them for investment properties, so need to rent them out.

I did not know that but found a bunch of possibilities and negotiated with an owner who had never rented out "long stay". It was a 4 bedroom, ocean view, 1 bathroom village house, right in the center of the tiny village on the main street. It went for about 900 a week in the summer, and we negotiated down to 600 a month.

It was PERFECT for us last year. We could walk to everything and see all the festivals ( which are thrilling in Spain....we went to Carnival tonight) from our shuttered balconies. I will never forget hearing the xmas carols at night in Spanish, the flamenco, the Holy Week processions etc. etc.

I would go in that direction because you will get to know your neighbors and the whole small town that way. Too many people make the mistake of being out in the countryside which isolates you.A big city will also make it hard to really connect. In a small village you see and are seen by everyone and become part of the community quickly. This is a 12th century village and retains much of that charm and the cobble stone streets have no cars in them so kids can play easily.

This year was even easier because we knew the drill. I did not book it in advance or pay our whole time upfront.

I knew all of the real estate agents in town and when we arrived back in Barcelona, I contacted them by email, one week before coming. I picked the best one from pictures & knew the area. Decided to take a new place this year ( would have been a bad choice last year, but was a good one this year as we needed less authenticity after 7 months of intense travel in a small RV).We still can walk to everything and enjoy that.

If you are coming in the fall,winter or spring to Spain, you will have no problem finding a place. You will have endless choices.

It is cold in Barcelona, Madrid etc, so I highly recommend Andalucia. It is not as pure a Spanish dialect , but the people are so warm and joyous and the sun and warmth make it nice.

I do not know about other areas, but Spains real estate market all over the country is bad, so finding rentals should be easy.

Hope that helps.

BBTZ, please keep us posted on the falconry (not certain I spelled that correctly). We went to Europe for the month of Sept with kiddos and honestly one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life was a falconry show in Puy Du Fou near Nantes France.
Tears were honestly in my eyes as falcons, owls, vultures, eagles dove over our heads...oh my breathtaking...I can't even imagine how it could be topped but I am certain it is just one of many with such a dedication.
I instantly wanted to train birds but I couldn't feed them little critters...my loss I know, if they would eat corn I would be right there PLEASE share details, and if you get a chance take the kiddos to puy du fou!!!!

When I read TT's advice about the 11 year old with backpackers I have to say that has always been on my mind as I imagine my young (will be teens) sons around the World. I don't even think of the drugs as much I think of the young romances and what result could come. I don't know the answer...I'm not even convinced our "gut feelings" can help us on that one. I too keep a short leash on my kiddos but then I think of the wonderful experiences I had when I was on a long leash.

quote:

Puy Du Fou

Since you rave about this Mamoo, it makes me want to see it and I was not sure where I was going to fit that in. Now I think it will be on our way to taking the ferry from France to Ireland. I had been thinking about going from Northern Spain to England, but this will work out better.

Wow, bbtz, that place in Ireland looks great and reminds me of a castle that we went to ( sans child) in Scotland years ago. Of course, frugal as I am, we just had high tea there and spent much of a day there.

We do mix frugal and high end luxury, but our days in luxury are usually in cheaper countries, off season or shorter visits. I like to see how much I can do on how little.

Don't miss the Isle of Skye, Findhorn, Edinburough in Scotland, Cottswolds, Lake District, plays and Shakespeare in UK and more...those were a few of our favorites.

It is a good idea I think to start in an easy country where you do not have to deal with the language problems while you are getting your "sea legs". We did that in the Netherlands and it was helpful. The language issue is not too bad anywhere, since so many speak English & one quickly learns the basics, but it is MUCH easier to be in places where you can read the signs and talk to everyone easily. We love France, but find long term in Spain easier because of the language.

Falconry eh, cool!

I am working a lot on youtube these days as we are about to upload a bunch of our videos on our soultravelers3 account there, and I happen to come across this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GVi0C0PM74

It is about some ballet students who are doing distance learning to give them more time for their ballet goals. It is common for kids with these kind of passions to do homeschool or distance learning ( I have read that LeaAnn Rimes skipped two grades thru homeschooling and it helped her career).

Just another source to look into and possibly get ideas from.

ya know what wt?....you are right! i hadn't even considered thinking about some of my experiences bc i was so focused on my kids....but, i was a child actor and was traveling and working equity shows for runs starting at 10. i did this off and on through the school, always with my family going to the school and requesting my work for the time i'd be gone. and when i was 14, when i shot a movie in boston, i was out of school for 7 weeks.....during all these times (before the internet or even a home computer) i kept up with my work. lots of people warned my family that i'd fall behind or kids would be weird when i got back (jealousy or whatver)....but that never happened. friends were happy to see me, wanted to hear stories and i was academically where i needed to be. i also traveled a lot for pleasure with my family...sometimes being gone for 2 weeks. same deal....got the work and did it along the way. i had completely not even thought about those parallels with what i am looking at here....duh! until you brought up dance and young kids career goals, did i think about my untraditional working youth. all these reminders keep reinforcing this path....keep us posted on your vids!

Zoinks,

Your family was the first RTW family we discovered when we began our research. Since you have been back now for nearly six years, I was wondering if you could share any additional insights on what impact your travels had on your children?

No doubt it was a grand adventure... what's your view of your trip now that you have had the benefit of years of perspective?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you care to share.

CAJ
www.thewidewideworld.com

BTW, an off-topic comment....

found two additional RTW Family blogs today and thought I would share them (these families are currently traveling...)

http://gunnfamilytravels.blogspot.com/

and

http://snowfree.tumblr.com/

Hmmm... maybe we should start a thread that lists known RTW Family blogs...

CAJ
www.thewidewideworld.com