In certain parts of the country, homeschool conventions are pretty common. If you miss one, maybe you can find another one easily within the same season. Living in the northeast, it’s a little different. There are only a few to choose from and attending requires a long drive. It’s okay. I love a good road trip! And I know that it will be worth the effort to make it a fun, educational experience for the kids, from door to door.
Have you bought your tickets for a Great Homeschool Convention yet? For locations, speakers and vendor details, click here.
Planning is everything. Take some time to figure out (1) how long your kids can last in the car before needing a break and (2) what types of activities they would enjoy on the ride. Be realistic. I would love to say that my girls can manage 6 hours in the car without a meltdown, but I would be lying to myself!
Here are 7 Tips for Learning on the Road to Convention:
- Create a travel journal or trip notebook. This can be super simple, totally home made, or a combination. Have a look at this post for help.
- Print out a map of the area you’ll be covering on your trip and let the kids add it to their travel journal.
- Take the license plate game to a new level of fun with these free printable pages.
- Set up your journey on a GPS App on your phone or iPad. Let the kids track your progress (and help navigate) as you drive.
- Download the Google Field Trip App (available on iPhone or Android). By allowing the app to track your location, you’ll be notified of historic places nearby, events or cool architecture as you ride (or walk) through an area. It’s like having a personal, knowledgeable tour guide for major urban areas.
- Pack a few audio books for the trip. We often cover the classics this way. Our favorites are from Greathall Productions – Storytelling for the Thinking Family.
- Plan an interesting stop along the way. Even if all you can find is a park to run around and explore a little, it will be new to the kids. They’ll be grateful for the break (and so will you).
Taking a road trip with the kids can feel overwhelming. It may not go as planned, there could be meltdowns -let’s hope it’s the kids and not mom! If you have a good attitude and focus on enjoying your time together, it’s likely that the only thing they’ll remember years from now is all the fun.
