Yes! Our family picked a destination state, researched in advance for places to visit throughout the route, prepared and packed the van, and drove southeast.
Here are the links to our adventure:
- My Story
- Social Studies
- Science
- English
- Physical Education
- Continuous Improvement
- Lesson for Dumber Self
- Next Step for You
This road trip was like a regular vacation for us except that we were able to travel again outside the regular school breaks. Since our older child was a toddler, we’ve been taking long-distance road trips across different parts of the country, so this wasn’t a new process.
My Story
Though this was the first trip that we took since we started homeschooling our younger son, we did not create a separate curriculum for him during this trip. The beauty of it was that his interests drove the curriculum for his roadschool!
We left our home state and ended up in Texas. Aside from taking in the scenery and tasty local foods, we managed to fit in activities for our younger son to learn more about United States History, World History, American Government and Civics, Biology, Astronomy, and Earth Sciences. In addition, he was able to practice his writing skills. Lastly, he walked a lot for Physical Education!
Social Studies
By visiting a couple of places in Texas, my son was able to learn about several topics normally taught in high school Social Studies classes.
World History/US History
One of the historical sites not only included history about the United States, but also of other parts of the world, as the exhibits went back in time.
San Antonio – The Alamo
At the Alamo, we learned parts of European, Indigenous American, and Mexican history, along with United States history after the annexation of Texas.
To support the information, there were plenty of artifacts to go along with it. Here’s what my younger son thought:
To me, the most interesting parts of the Alamo were the equipment and weapons the soldiers carried while fighting in the war.
Younger Son
American Government and Civics
As for the Capitol in our home state, my son has visited it. In addition, he has learned about American democracy. However, this trip provided an opportunity for him to get a perspective from another state.
Austin – Texas State Capitol
Outside the Texas Capitol, we saw the First Amendment in action as peaceful protestors voiced their concerns. Inside, we walked around the four open floors, including the rotunda. My younger son was able to see paintings of the Texas governors, spanning from James Pinckney Henderson (1808-1858) to Rick Perry (2000-2015), though the painting for Greg Abbott, the current governor, isn’t on the wall yet.
Science
My younger son’s favorite subject is science, so he requested that we visit science museums during this trip.
Biology
What do you think my younger son’s favorite specialty in science is? Yes, it’s biology!
Houston – Armand Bayou Nature Center
Since my son loves to learn about animals, I thought the nature center would be an interesting place to visit, while getting some exercise on the hiking trails. It is one of the largest urban wilderness preserves in the United States, with 2,500 acres of wetland forest, prairie, and marsh habitats.
What my son saw included the endangered bobwhite quails, an orb weaver spider dangling on a web, a deer that was hard to spot, a turtle on the gravel road, small minnows, wasps, and the occasional small lizard or two.
Biology & Physical Science (Astronomy and Earth Sciences)
The two museums that my son suggested had exhibits about biology from ancient time to modern day. Having physical science and other areas was a bonus.
Houston – Houston Museum of Natural Sciences
This is what my son thought of the first museum that we went to:
The Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was an amazing museum (mostly because it had to do with animals). I was immersed with the skeletons and taxidermy figures around me… Great museum!
Younger Son
My son roamed around the different floors absorbing all the details, including the additional tidbits about fossils from a museum guide. Also, there was a driving game that he thought was very fun, where he had to avoid obstacles throughout the road, such as stags, construction workers, police officers, and ambulances.
Dallas – Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science was another sight that my younger son wanted to visit. This one had interactive stations where a person’s skills in typing, hanging, balancing, racing, etc. could be tested.
Also, there was an earthquake simulator that he went on with his dad and brother. They started with the lowest magnitude (minor) and made their way to the highest (extreme), while trying not to hold on to the bars. For my younger son, at least, he had to eventually grab on to the bars.
As for the solar system area, the younger son learned about the sun, Mercury to Pluto, and the Oort Cloud. However, since he didn’t find these topics interesting, he did not take any photos there.
English
For English, my son kept a journal about the 20-day trip to Texas and back. In addition, for the visit to The Alamo, Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, and Perot Museum of Nature and Science, he captured his experience via photos and essays.
Physical Education
In addition to walking at the sites mentioned above, we also wandered through the San Antonio Riverwalk, Hermann Park in Houston, and London Bridge (in Lake Havasu City, Arizona), just to name a few places. All these miles counted toward physical education!
While we covered a lot during roadschooling this time, we didn’t visit any sights in one of the states that we drove through. Next time we’re in New Mexico, we can add one or both of the places below to our itinerary:
Continuous Improvement
- Jemez Historic Site – The article, Visit The Remains Of A 700-Year-Old Historic Village At the Jemez Historic Site In New Mexico, on the OnlyInYourState website provides a quick history, visitation information, and beautiful photos for this area.
- Bandelier National Monument – The article, Travel Back To 1150 CE By Visiting New Mexico’s Very Own Bandelier National Monument, also on the OnlyInYourState website, includes some highlights and photos of the area.
As I’m going through the homeschooling process, I’m beginning to see more ways to teach subjects without books and feel more comfortable with it. So, the lesson to my earlier self would be as follows:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Learning can happen anywhere and everywhere!
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Test-drive roadschooling for your child?
- Learn more about the Alamo from the official site?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)
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