{"id":1343,"date":"2015-01-31T08:45:18","date_gmt":"2015-01-31T16:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/?p=1343"},"modified":"2015-01-31T08:45:18","modified_gmt":"2015-01-31T16:45:18","slug":"adventures-in-boatschooling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/?p=1343","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Boatschooling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AC<\/a>\u00a0 \"bahamas<\/a>\u00a0 \"003\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was recently asked by one of our blog readers if I had published my homeschool curriculum. It occurred to me that not only haven\u2019t I published it; I haven\u2019t even mentioned boatschooling, even though it\u2019s a huge part of our life.<\/p>\n

I had delusions of grandeur before departing on our voyage. I thought how wonderful homeschooling would be and how much closer we would get as mother and son. I could learn to better understand his strengths and he would bask in the warm glow of my parental knowledge and direction. Yeah, not so much. It turns out that boatschooling is not easy. In my statistically insignificant and totally random survey of other parents who boatschool their kids, I\u2019m not alone. We even met one family who was so fed up with boatschooling that they decided to stop where they were and enroll their kids in the local public school. \u201cI do not like the person I\u2019ve become when I am teaching my kids,\u201d the mom said to me. \u201cI think I know that lady,\u201d I said to myself. What happened to all the information I read about how kids who are boatschooled come back ahead of their peers, both in knowledge and maturity?<\/p>\n

I am not a teacher and I don\u2019t pretend to be\u00a0one (though I pretended to be one for a year while teaching English in Spain in my 20s.) I have become frustrated (OK, yelled) more than I care to admit. But, let\u2019s face it, the kid deserved it! Then I remind myself I\u2019m the adult and supposed to be the one with patience and maturity. Right? Right?! Whatever.<\/p>\n

When preparing for our two-year halfway-around-the-world voyage aboard our 40-foot Pacific Seacraft, Benevento, I started by first looking into what boatschool options I had. Our son would be in 4th<\/sup> and 5th<\/sup> grades during our voyage and it would be my responsibility to make sure he entered into 6th<\/sup> grade in our public school upon our return (in California) with as much ease as possible.<\/p>\n

On my part this meant a lot of research. I hardly knew where to start. There is no step-by-step guide on \u201cHow to Choose a Boatschool Curriculum for your Elementary School-Aged Child While Starting from Square 0.\u201d The first thing I did was to think about what kind of curriculum did I want my son to have? I knew I wanted to align with the curriculum of our public school district back home, I wanted to have flexibility to incorporate lessons related to our travels (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, U.S. East Coast and Europe) and I didn\u2019t want a set schedule to complete any single task. Finally, the curriculum couldn\u2019t be Internet-based because we had no idea when we\u2019d have Internet access. Yet, I also wanted some guidance.<\/p>\n

I looked into the homeschool option in our local public school district. This would have been great because it allowed some flexibility, but unfortunately their charter required a face-to-face meeting every six weeks. No exceptions. That was definitely not going to happen.<\/p>\n

I then looked at Calvert, a very popular and well-respected (and rigorous) curriculum used by a lot of cruising families. For about $1,500 a year, they provide you with everything you need to teach your child including textbooks, lessons, instructions and testing. Yet for all its convenience it wouldn\u2019t allow us what I wanted: flexibility in time and content. I knew it would be difficult for us to have a rigorous set schedule (I was right) and I didn\u2019t want to fall behind and add to the stress of voyaging. We needed the ability to be spontaneous. Small museum on the island of Porvernir while checking into the San Blas Islands, Panama? Time for a field trip to learn about the Kuna Yala Indians!<\/p>\n

I also looked into a number of other, accredited homeschool curriculum options. Some had a decided religions bent (not really for us) and others had a large Internet component (again, not going to happen.) I finally decided on a school that would help me \u201cdesign\u201d my own curriculum. Perfect! I paid $1,000 to have experts help me navigate the unfamiliar territory of elementary school education. Unfortunately, in the end all I really received from them was two conference calls and some email exchanges. I was sorely disappointed and did not sign up for a second year.<\/p>\n

However, what I gained from that experience is that I was able to create a curriculum on my own without shelling out a tidy sum. With the help of research and the resources that the California Department of Education, along with regular old Internet research (and talking with other boatschool parents), I\u2019ve created a program that works well for us.<\/p>\n

So, what have I learned from all of this (other than the fact that I need to work on my patience)? A lot so far. So – if you are about to go on a two year cruise with a boy from California who will be in 4th<\/sup> and 5th<\/sup> grade, then this is my gift to you. Go ahead, keep your $1,000.<\/p>\n

Here is everything I\u2019ve learned (so far) about boatschooling.\u00a0 Keep in mind that every family, every child and every situation is different.\u00a0 This is what has worked for us (so far…)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Be Flexible<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When we left on our trip I was feeling pretty good about all the research I\u2019d done and the curriculum I\u2019d designed. I was set.<\/em> It turns out that was the easy part. Then I had to start actually teaching<\/em>. My sweet, bright, creative little boy – who had done exceedingly well in school back home – turned into someone else altogether. He rebelled against me as a teacher, spent way too long doing assignments and we ended up spending too much time down below instead of exploring the world around us! It was time for a new plan of action. So I fired myself.<\/p>\n

    Let me explain. The big realization that I have is that boatschooling requires flexibility and creativity. A ridged schedule is hard to keep unless you are moving very slowly, which we weren\u2019t. Dante was adjusting to the new life living aboard a boat and he missed his friends as well as the social aspect of public school. It just wasn\u2019t any fun for him at first.<\/p>\n

    One day as we were struggling through California history, I started to read in the accent of Mariano Vallejo, a California land owner from the 1800\u2019s. My son started to address me as \u201cMr. Vallejo\u201d and was suddenly very interested in what I had to say. He was laughing at our interactions and he was learning<\/em>. Soon, new substitute teachers began to appear for different topics. Mrs. Einstein (with an Austrian accent) showed up for math and Mrs. P from the Bronx showed up for English Language Arts.<\/p>\n

    This only lasted about a month, but it helped get us over a huge hurdle at the beginning of our trip. As I\u2019ve learned more about how my son learns, I\u2019ve tried to adapt how I teach. Sometimes I use positive reinforcement, sometimes I use monetary rewards, and sometimes I used withholding privileges. I\u2019ve even drawn up a \u201ccontract\u201d that he\u2019s signed with the behavior that\u2019s expected of him. Ultimately what I have realized is that we have continually needed to keep tweaking the way we boatschool to adapt to what works.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Encourage Natural Interests<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Our son has a very engineering-oriented mind and loves to delve deeply into something once he discovers he\u2019s interested in it. For example, when he was reading the Percy Jackson series he became so interested in Greek Mythology, he would devour anything I could find on the subject. I even gave him bake-able clay to create tiny shields, swords, helmets and armor. When he read the Hatchet series of books, he became interested in survival skills, so out came the books on that subject. I have tried to feed his interests so that he could gain an in-depth knowledge on a subject and feel a sense of accomplishment. Or, wait, did I feed his interests because it kept him quiet and occupied on long passages? I can\u2019t remember\u2026 Either way, it has worked. We have discovered that he also has an affinity for electronics. We purchased a lot of components at Radio Shack, including a \u201chow to\u201d book, and soon he was creating circuits and tripwires and doing all sorts of magic things with breadboards. He was also introduced to a computer program called Circuit Wizard by a fellow cruiser. None of this is part of fifth grade curriculum, but who cares? He\u2019s learning, he\u2019s interested, he\u2019s involved and he\u2019s productively occupied.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Take Advantage of \u201cTeachable Moments\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        My husband is really good about taking a random, and seemingly mundane task and turning it into a teaching opportunity. Setting the anchor? Let\u2019s talk about geometry and scope, son. Trimming the sails? Let\u2019s learn about lift. Doing money conversion? Hooray for fractions and decimals! Lifting a 300 pound generator off of our boat?\u00a0 Time to talk about physics and mechanical advantage. We try to take these teachable moments and relate them to our son\u2019s curriculum. But it doesn\u2019t have to be related. On a road trip to Morocco, we had conversations about different world religions. We talk a lot about weather and concepts on physics, topics that are ever-present on a sailboat. There is always something to teach, but the key is remembering to take a seemingly mundane situation and turn it into a fun lesson. Initially I was very focused on having formalized \u201clessons\u201d otherwise I felt it wasn\u2019t part of school. Now I believe that nearly everything we do is part of our son\u2019s education, we just have to make a point of teaching as we go.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Everyone is a Potential Teacher<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          We thought we\u2019d meet a lot of other \u201cKid Boats\u201d while on this trip. However, we\u2019ve only met a handful of other boats who have had kids around our son\u2019s age. As a result, he has to hang around with adults. A lot. Fortunately, boat owners tend to be a resourceful and intelligent lot, many of them experts in electronics and other technical arts \u2013 something of great interest to our son. We have met some wonderful people on this trip who have taken notice of our son\u2019s interests and provided him with encouragement, advice, their time and sometimes even gifts of equipment! He has had conversations with one captain about boat design and building (with a former airline pilot who built his own boat), military tank design (with a retired army tank officer), flora and fauna (with a biologist from Alaska), voltage regulation (with an electrical engineer), and circuit design (with an radio and electronics expert). After one late evening on a friend\u2019s boat in the Bahamas, our son said to us on the dinghy ride home, \u201cYou know, adult conversations can be kind of interesting when you actually listen to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

          As we were crossing the Atlantic Ocean, our son also started an email (sail mail) conversation with a boat neighbor and good friend of ours back home. This friend happens to be exceedingly intelligent, and the email conversation that began as a few fun exchanges has turned into an amazing math odyssey. We\u2019ve actually incorporated it into part of Dante\u2019s curriculum (see #1: \u201cBe Flexible\u201d) and are turning the email exchanges into a mini \u201cbook\u201d to be published on our website.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Keep Learning<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Personally, I find the curriculum of 4th<\/sup> and 5th<\/sup> grade in California fascinating. We happened to be cruising up the U.S. East Coast during the time that our son was supposed to be learning about American History. My husband and I realized how little we remembered and read extra books on the side just for fun. Our field trips up the East Coast were so much more interesting because of everything we were learning. Before going through the Panama Canal, my husband and I read up on its history while our son was researching a report on the topic. As a result, our transit through the canal was much more meaningful and interesting. Right now, we\u2019re studying Ancient Rome. I\u2019ve purchased a number of Kindle books for our son while my husband and I are simultaneously reading through an adult version on the topic. We actually have family conversations about history and I love it.<\/p>\n

            I also try to continually learn about teaching and curriculum. There are so many resources out there, and new ones pop up all the time. I am sure I only know a fraction of what\u2019s available so I am always keeping my eyes and ears open.<\/p>\n

            Our Curriculum<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

            Here is a description of the curriculum I am currently using. It has evolved since we left in September of 2013 and I imagine it will continue to change.<\/p>\n

            Our school district was in the midst of switching to the \u201cCommon Core\u201d standards. Love \u2018em or hate \u2018em, the state does a great job of outlining what students are expected to learn in each grade by subject.<\/p>\n

            California Common Core Standards: http:\/\/www.cde.ca.gov\/re\/cc\/<\/a><\/p>\n

            Here is a document outlining all standards for each subject for the fifth grade: http:\/\/www.cde.ca.gov\/ci\/cr\/cf\/documents\/glc5thgradecurriculum.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

            I find these documents helpful because I can see what our son\u2019s peers are learning back at home.<\/p>\n

            Math<\/strong><\/p>\n

            For math, I selected the math book that our son\u2019s peers were using in our public school. We simply went through the book chapter by chapter. Of all the subjects, we spend the most time on math. We do this partly because we know that our son will likely choose a career in which math will be important. (Also because math is awesome.) I have not purchased the teacher editions for the any of the textbooks in any subject. It would definitely make correcting faster and easier, but we are already below the water line.<\/p>\n

            HSP California Math (grade 5). I also purchased workbooks: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B003EAS22G\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n

            We have also supplemented with other math books for fun. While we were in Ft. Lauderdale I came across a great math book at the local science museum:<\/p>\n

            Perfectly Perilous Math by Sean Connolly – http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Book-Perfectly-Perilous-Math-Mathematicians\/dp\/0761163743\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422090893&sr=8-1&keywords=perfectly+perilous+math<\/a><\/p>\n

            Through Internet research I also discovered the \u201cMath Dude\u201d and bought his book on algebra. We haven\u2019t used this yet, but I\u2019ve started to read it myself and it looks great. He also has a podcast, which we can\u2019t really use while cruising, but I plan to hook Dante up when we get back to California. The Math Dude\u2019s Quick and Dirty Guide to Algebra by Jason Marshall – http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Dudes-Quick-Dirty-Guide-Algebra-ebook\/dp\/B004ULPLDQ\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422090938&sr=8-1&keywords=the+math+dude<\/a><\/p>\n

            (By the way, if you are homeschooling a girl, Danica McPatrick \u2013 Winnie from the Wonder Years \u2013 has grown up to be a mathematician and written a series of books on math targeted at girls.)<\/p>\n

            English Language Arts<\/strong><\/p>\n

            For English Language Arts I choose the \u201cWrite Source\u201d textbooks published by Great Source. The textbook covers ELA basics and also goes into detail about different types of writing and rubrics for correcting. This has come in handy for our son\u2019s blog posts, which is part of his curriculum while we are cruising.<\/p>\n

            Great Source Write Source (grade 5). I also purchased workbooks in addition to the textbook: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/054748500X\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n

            Dante\u2019s Dory (our son\u2019s blog): http:\/\/easethemain.com\/?cat=2<\/a><\/p>\n

            History \/ Social Science<\/strong><\/p>\n

            For fifth grade history I selected a basic history textbook that covers American History. Since we were cruising the U.S. East Coast the summer before our son\u2019s fifth grade year, we covered this entire book (and dozens of related field trips) during the summer. I supplemented this text with some great books I found online by Steve Sheinkin and other authors. It was a great coincidence, but our timing doesn\u2019t always work out that way!<\/p>\n

            California Common Core Standards also come with lessons provide by the California Education and Environment Initiative that align with some of the standards for history and science. The lessons even come with teacher instructions. We used them for fourth grade and are also using them to supplement our fifth grade curriculum.<\/p>\n

            Now that we are in Europe, we\u2019ve now moved on to European history. (Again, not something covered in 5th<\/sup> grade California curriculum officially, but who cares?) I\u2019ve purchased a score of digital books from various authors. I also found a series of digital books about world history aimed for kids that\u2019s wonderful. I have read excerpts of the series at different points (for example, I read about Islam when we went to Morocco), and my plan is that the whole family will read the books simultaneously so that we can discuss them.<\/p>\n

            HSP History (grade 5): http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0153385030\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n

            One of author Steve Sheinkin\u2019s great books: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Two-Miserable-Presidents-Amazing-Terrible\/dp\/1596435194\/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8<\/a><\/p>\n

            Susan Wise Bauer has written a series of books on the history of the world that are a wonderful introduction to history, starting with ancient times: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Susan-Wise-Bauer\/e\/B001H6GNLG\/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1<\/a><\/p>\n

            There is an endless supply of great history books out there for kids these days. The \u201cWho Was\u2026?\u201d series is terrific, as is \u201cIf I Were A Kid in Ancient\u2026\u201d and \u201cHorrible Histories.\u201d Just search Amazon.com.<\/p>\n

            California Education and Environment Initiative: http:\/\/www.californiaeei.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

            Science<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Our son loves most aspects of science and we try to encourage his interests. We started each year with a science textbook and once we finished it, moved on to the EEI curriculum and other lessons (including Khan Academy videos and books on Kindle.) We are hampered by the fact that we can\u2019t do a lot of experiments in a home that moves. However, we are lucky in that we are surrounded by science living on a boat. My goal is to cover the guidelines in California Common Core, and then follow our son\u2019s interests wherever they take us.<\/p>\n

            California Science (grade 5): http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0022843795\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n

            George\u2019s Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen Hawking and Lucky Hawking: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B004DI7T9U\/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n

            Ask Uncle Albert: 100 \u00bd Tricky Science Questions Answered by Russell Stannard: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00B5ULGUM\/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o05_?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n

            Music, Typing, Cursive and Art<\/strong><\/p>\n

            We use Kiran\u2019s Typing Tutor for teaching typing, cursive notebooks for practicing writing and we have a ukulele on board to have some music in the curriculum. I bought several books on art for children (including this one http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Childs-Introduction-Art-Paintings-Sculptures\/dp\/1579129560\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422124919&sr=8-1&keywords=art+for+children<\/a>) and we learn about specific paintings before going to large art museums on \u201cfield trips.\u201d The Khan Academy has great videos about many famous works of art.<\/p>\n

            Is Minecraft a Curriculum?<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Speaking of natural interests, my son might argue that Minecraft is a passion of his. Personally, I\u2019ve gotten to the point where if I start to hear about my son\u2019s descriptions of what he\u2019s built in Minecraft, my ears instantly begin to bleed. It kills me. I don\u2019t see the appeal of this game, but it is popular around the world (literally) with children my son\u2019s age. One positive thing I will say for this application is that wherever we go, Dante will incorporate aspects of our travel into his Minecraft designs. Riads from Morocco, Art Deco buildings from Miami and\u00a0Roman colesiums.\u00a0I guess you have to take what you can get.<\/p>\n

            Other Resources <\/strong><\/p>\n

            Caveat \u2013 I\u2019m sure this is just a fraction of the tools and resources available. I\u2019m continually on the search for new ones!<\/p>\n

            Khan Academy<\/span><\/p>\n

            Recently, I discovered the fact that the Khan Academy has developed an app for the iPad. I love the Khan Academy videos, which have instructional content in every subject area. With the iPad app, you can download videos for watching offline. So I\u2019m able to load up content for our son when I have access to the Internet, which he can later view while we\u2019re at anchor or on a passage. They have great content for math, history, art, and science as well. www.khanacademy.org<\/a><\/p>\n

            Homeschool Brew<\/span><\/p>\n

            I discovered a great resource in Homeschool Brew, a publisher focused on providing affordable resources for homeschoolers. They have a variety of books (many on Kindle) by grade and subject. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_2?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=HomeSchool%20Brew&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank<\/a><\/p>\n

            iTooch<\/span><\/p>\n

            iTooch is an app for the iPad that has interactive games and lessons for all subject areas by grade. We use iTooch when we are on a sailing passage or in a road trip in a car. It\u2019s nice to have this as a backup when we can\u2019t get the textbooks out.<\/p>\n

            Free Books<\/span><\/p>\n

            Did you know that Amazon.com offers loads of free books for the Kindle app? Boatschool kids read a lot (they have no choice) and we were spending too much money downloading books. Then we started to download children\u2019s classics (Animal Farm, Alice in Wonderland, Call of the Wild and hundreds more) for free. Project Gutenberg has a similar problem.<\/p>\n

            http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

            Wikipedia Offline<\/span><\/p>\n

            This is a must for the ipad. When we don\u2019t have Internet access but want to answer a question about something, this has been an extremely useful tool.
            \nConclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

            There is so much to learn, I sometimes now find that I have a hard time choosing what not to include in our curriculum. The choices seem endless! I try to keep up-to-date on resources and options for our curriculum, but I regularly come across new tools, books or resources and wonder why it took me so long to find out about it. I figure by the time we return home to California and our son is back in public school I will be pretty good at this boatschool thing…<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

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            \u00a0 \u00a0 I was recently asked by one of our blog readers if I had published my homeschool curriculum. It occurred to me that not only haven\u2019t I published it; I haven\u2019t even mentioned boatschooling, even though it\u2019s a huge part of our life. I had delusions of grandeur before departing on our voyage. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sailing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1343"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1411,"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343\/revisions\/1411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}