Roadschooling has become a central part of our homeschool. We love to learn through experiences, real life history lessons, and everything different locations have to offer. But, what exactly is roadschooling? 

What is Roadschooling?

Roadschooling typically refers to those who travel full-time (usually in an RV) and teach their children from the road. To me, roadschooling is so much more than that.

Do you have a vehicle? Do you have the desire for your children to learn beyond their textbooks? Do you want to get hands on education with your kids? Then you can roadschool!

My Definition of Roadschooling

My definition of roadschooling is a bit different. To me, roadschooling is just getting in your vehicle, getting out in the world, and learning. Roadschooling can happen near or far. You don’t have to travel full time. you don’t even need to own an RV or like camping to roadschool. All you need is a thirst for knowledge and a willingness to get out and seek amazing educational opportunities.

We live in an area that is rich in US history. If we took one roadschooling trip a week, we could likely go three years or more without ever visiting the same location or event twice if we travel in just a three hour radius of where we live. There are so many opportunities! Battlefields, museums, festivals, national and state parks… Those are just to name a few. 

When you open up roadschooling to traveling to other states or plan your vacations around roadschooling, your possibilities expand even more! There’s nothing better than exploring a new area with your kids, learning about different wild life, and seeing places that are different than where you live. 

We recently moved into our RV to give us the opportunity to follow my husband when we leaves for frequent trainings and to travel full-time down the road. You absolutely don’t need to live in an RV to roadschool, but it has become a way of life for us. Living in an RV just puts our foot out the door a little bit more to make these learning opportunities possible as often as we’re able.

But How is Roadschooling Different than Taking Field Trips?

When we take field trips, we typically just sign up with a group of people who are going to a particular place and have a fun day of it. If we go to the aquarium, we rarely study anything around our trip unless my kids have follow up questions or want to explore a topic.

With roadschooling, our trips become a learning adventure. We find books about the people or places were visiting, we watch videos, and we research online. We make sure to find extra learning activities that a lot of locations offer, like Junior Ranger booklets at National Parks or scavenger hunts at museums. We take the learning that a location has to offer and expand on it- we fully immerse ourselves in our adventures!

What are the Benefits of Roadschooling?

When we study about a topic in a textbook with the typical worksheets, my kids absorb very little of the information. Months or years later, you can bet that they don’t remember a single detail. 

When we roadschool, my kids remember so, so much. Their brains are wired to remember these memories so much more than they will when doing a worksheet. If they visit a civil war battlefield or ironclad boat, they’re going to remember that experience when you discuss the civil war even years later. When facts come up in books, they’re able to say, “I saw that! I went there!” This brings life long learning into play. 

Roadschooling has transformed how we homeschool and I don’t think we can ever go back. The memories my kids have made are priceless, and I wouldn’t trade the experiences with them for the world.

Do you have any roadschooling adventures you want to share about? Let me know in the comments or join my online homeschool community!

If you’d like to see more posts about roadschooling and the adventures we’ve been on, click the image below!