I almost can’t believe the school year has started already! After a year and a half of no school, homeschool, part-time school, and a mix of other options, it feels surreal getting back to a bit of “normal” life. What … Read More
Four and a half years ago, our family visited Hawaii. It was incredible, of course – stunning sights and weather, pristine beaches, and the most welcoming people. We fell in love. Living in California, we know many people who travel … Read More
I love ice cream. I don’t have a particularly active sweet tooth but if I’m going to have a treat, I’ll choose ice cream 9 times out of 10. Cherry chocolate chip ice cream is one of my favorites, and … Read More
I’d heard so many things about Olympic National Park for years before we visited – its beauty, its diversity, and also how confusing it can be to navigate. All proved to be true! I just really wanted an Olympic National … Read More
I’d heard of Mount Shasta pretty much since we moved to California. But in my mind, it was just a place for very experienced climbers looking to summit a high peak. I had no idea there were so many things … Read More
Visiting the Galápagos Islands has been on our family bucket list for several years now. With several kids who adore marine animals, it has been one of those destinations that was always in the backs of our minds. As we … Read More
One of the questions we get most is how we manage to work while traveling in an RV. While working in an RV definitely has it’s challenges, it’s also doable with the right setup! Internet connection is one of the … Read More
I am SO excited about this Passport to the Parks free National Parks coloring book printable for families! Each park includes a coloring page plus 5 short & simple activities to go along with it, with a focus on indigenous … Read More
Last year, I started a tradition for Father’s Day. This simple and best Father’s Day gift ended up being our favorite Father’s Day gift we’ve ever given! This year, we’re continuing that tradition and it’s just as fun. We’re big … Read More
Each year, we love working with our kids to put together a family Summer Fun Club. Basically, it’s a kids summer bucket list with a list of goals in different categories. It keeps us having fun, trying new things, documenting … Read More
Today is my birthday! We spent a delightful weekend mostly off the grid exploring the outdoors with friends, and I’m feeling rejuvenated and happy. In honor of turning 37, I thought I’d share 37 things you might not know about … Read More
Each year, I love putting together a reading list for my kids. I love letting them choose books they love, and summer is a great time for us to introduce a few new titles that they wouldn’t have considered otherwise. … Read More
I almost can’t believe the school year has started already! After a year and a half of no school, homeschool, part-time school, and a mix of other options, it feels surreal getting back to a bit of “normal” life.
When our neighborhood public school did distance learning for most of last year, we decided it wasn’t the best option for family. With 3 kids in school, and 2 other little ones at home, I knew we wouldn’t do a very good job of managing a million Zoom calls. My kids weren’t super into the idea of distance learning, either, so we decided to try out homeschooling.
It was something I’d considered for years but had never done because my kids weren’t interested, and it’s important to me that they have a big say in their educational opportunities. But with no one else there in person, either, it was the perfect opportunity. And we loved it!
We really enjoyed the curriculums we chose, especially for language arts and math. We also really enjoyed our homeschool schedule since it allowed us to add in things that were important to us (global education, lots of outdoor time). It gave us a lot of flexibility in terms of being able to teach to my kids’ levels (it was easy to do more advanced material). And perhaps best of all, it gave us so much wonderful flexibility in time on a daily basis, as well as across weeks and months, for travel, exploring, playing, and more.
It was also hard. Dan and I were both working at home while managing schooling and toddler-wrangling and RV travel. It was a lot.
That said, I truly would’ve happily chosen homeschool again if my kids wanted to do it. It was so fun to explore and learn together and to pursue individual interests.
But my kids wanted to go back to in-person school. We really love our neighborhood school and the teachers and staff. My kids also saw a lot of advantages to learning at home, but in the end, decided they wanted to be in a classroom with friends and peers, and I wanted to support that.
Happily, it’s worked out well for our schedules, and all three of my kids got AMAZING teachers. I feel so so grateful to them – they’re already challenging them and connecting with them and truly teaching them as individuals. I am so thankful.
With my “big” kids headed back to public school, we also wanted to figure something out for our almost-4 year old. My other kids started preschool when they were 3, but he obviously didn’t in the last year. My 4th kiddo has really needed some sort of special outlet just for him, especially in the midst of a year when he’s gotten much less attention than his siblings did at that age since we were focused on so many other things.
So we found a delightful little church preschool nearby and he was over-the-moon excited to go visit. We loved that they do a monthly cooking class, weekly music time, have lots of play, and have an extended-day lunch options. He’s going 3 mornings per week and it’s perfect for him. He was ridiculously delighted to find his very own name on his bag, hook, cubby, and more. It’s so nice for a younger kiddo to feel special and important and have his very own school and space!
For the days he’s at home, we’re also doing a couple of fun learning activities together.
Finally, on the mornings our preschooler is at school, a nanny will come and hang out with baby M so Dan and I can work. We are so grateful to have found a wonderful nanny through this site who is trained in a preschool setting, has nannied for other families, and will be engaging and fantastic for her. We’ve used this site to find babysitters in the past and have always had great experiences, so I have high hopes that this will be a great fit.
She’ll also do dropoff and pickup for our preschooler, so I’m very excited to minimize the shuttling. And I’m excited for baby M to get some dedicated book reading, play, and more!
We’re really thankful that all of our care providers are vaccinated and also comfortable and supportive of masks indoors. It feels like a safe option for our family that I hope continues to work out.
I’d love to hear more of what you’re doing this year, and feel free to let me know if you have any questions about our setup!
