Worldschooling Defined

May 4, 2014 by Aimee

When I first considered homeschooling as an option for Tina I was voracious in my research to discover which approach we should use. I was overwhelmed for several months because the number of choices and available resources are staggering. It didn’t take me long to determine that there was no one, *right* approach for my family.

Some approaches were obviously not a good fit. Pre-packaged curriculum? Nope. Can’t bring those around the world in one suitcase. Christian-based? No thanks. We are agnostic. Computer-based? Maybe later on, but not when Tina is little.

Then I met a lovely French family on the beach in Hoi An, Vietnam. They were in the midst of a one year round-the-world adventure with their two children. The daughter was 8 years old and they had obtained permission to pull her out of school. The son was only 18 months, like Tina. I asked her how they were doing school and the mom said, “We’re doing it now!” as her daughter examined a sea anemone Edgar had pulled out of the ocean in a bucket. It was like being hit by a Mack truck. She was right. Real life was such a rich place to learn. That was my first foray into the idea of worldschooling.

Worldschooling in action. Animal science on the beach.

So what is worldschooling? While the idea has probably been in existence before the advent of internet and blogs, the earliest reference I can find is from Eli Gerzon in 2007 (http://eligerzon.com/worldschooling.php): “It’s when the whole world is your school, instead of school being your whole world.” Gerzon goes on to say that worldschooling is “when one actively experiences and learns from the world around oneself.”

I would define worldschooling as taking advantage of the wonders of the world to learn, grow, and connect. For our family, it’s not just learning wherever we are, it’s seeking out places that interest us so we can learn directly from them. For instance, last year Tina fell in love with ballet. Seeing her growing interest, we went out of our way to take her to the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg so she could see Giselle performed by one of the top ballets in the world. We saw Swan Lake in Lima, Peru for $6 and it was NOTHING like the experience we had in Russia. For us, it was worth the extra cost to create a heightened learning experience and something Tina will never forget. (Heck, we will never forget it either!) This is the value that worldschooling endows a child beyond any of the other approaches to learning.

As we have continued on our journey of discovering the method(s) that works best for Tina I have realized that almost every approach has something redeemable, and many of them are highly related… especially to worldschooling. For example, several approaches discuss the importance of considering stages of brain development, with 7-8 years (when the corpus callosum is fully developed) being an important milestone in a child’s life. Being a person that likes to collect information and synthesize it, I created a table of each approach, summarized its philosophy, and defined its connection to worldschooling. Perhaps you will find it useful for organizing your thoughts and coming to a conclusion as to what works for your family.

Approach	Philosophy	Connection to Worldschooling
Charlotte Mason	Belief that children should be respected and they learn best from real-life, hands-on experiences.	Take nature walks, visit art museums and historical sites, discover animals in their habitat.
Classical (Trivium)	Teaches children based on three phases of cognitive development: concrete, analytical, and abstract thinking.	Favors links between subjects – Math and Science, Literature and Art, History and Religion – which can be seen naturally around the world, especially UNESCO sites.
Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education	“Seven Keys to Great Teaching” are: (1) classics, not textbooks; (2) mentors, not professors; (3) inspire, not require; (4) structure time, not content; (5) quality not conformity; (6) simplicity, not complexity; and (7) you, not them.	World travel offers high quality, inspiring learning experiences. Having those experiences with parents allows for development of relationships and family values.
Montessori	Emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.	Liberty to choose and act freely with an environment (the world). “Absorbent mind” is sensitive to language acquisition (0-6 years old).
Waldorf	Child’s learning based on developmental stages (7 year cycles). Early childhood teaching with imitation, repetition, imagination, connection, warmth, rhythm, and gentle guidance.	Journal experiences, daily drawing and painting. Develop rhythm to travel life despite the inconsistencies. Establish strong connection to the family unit due to shared experiences.
Reggio Emilia	Children must have: some control over the direction of their learning, be able to learn through experiences of the 5 senses, a relationship with other children, opportunity to use and explore material items in the world, and have endless ways to express themselves.	Travel offers opportunities to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing. Aligns with belief that children have rights and should be given opportunities to develop their potential because experiences occur at magnified levels and in the real world.
Unit Studies (Interest-led Learning)	Takes basic area of interest as a catalyst to develop in-depth knowledge across the span of subjects.	Travel locations become jumping off point for discoveries in geography, science, religion, reading, writing, art, music, etc. Many locations become pivotal to learning certain eras in history (e.g., ancient Rome).
Project-Based Learning	Alternative to paper-based, rote memorization, teacher-led classrooms. Provides depth of understanding of concepts, broader knowledge base, improved communication and interpersonal/social skills, enhanced leadership skills, increased creativity, and improved writing skills.	Can be incorporated into the learning environment though creation of journals, movies, blogs, books, music, or artwork based on worldschooling experiences.
Unschooling(Child-led, Self-directed, Life or Natural Learning)	No use of curriculum or scheduled lesson plans. No difference between living and learning. Encourage child to follow interests. Learn through curiosity, passion, and daily experiences.	Best fit with worldschooling as the universe of possibilities for learning are open to the entire world (not just the classroom, home, or local community).
Eclectic	Relaxed homeschooling. Draw from multiple approaches.	Strong alignment with worldschooling based on connections listed above.

If you would like to read further on any of these approaches, here are some resources I recommend:

Charlotte Mason: http://simplycharlottemason.com/

Classical: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/

Thomas Jefferson: http://www.tjed.org/

Montessori: http://www.montessori.org/

http://livingmontessorinow.com/category/activities-cultural/

Waldorf: http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/01_WhyWaldorf/index.asp

http://thewaldorfconnection.com/exploring-homeschooling/

Reggio: http://reggioalliance.org/

Unit Studies: http://thehomeschoolhearth.thepeacefulpalace.com/Pages/08_TeachingApproaches/UnitStudies/0_UnitStudies.html

Project-based Learning: http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning

Unschooling: http://www.naturalchild.org/

http://livingjoyfully.ca/blog/

http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/

http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

http://zenhabits.net/unschool/

Worldschooling: http://eligerzon.com/worldschooling.php

http://edventureproject.com/

http://www.raisingmiro.com/category/unschooling-2/

http://worldschooladventures.com/tag/worldschooling/

http://thenomadicfamily.com/

Great read about the benefits of worldschooling, by a worldschooler:

http://www.edventuregirl.com/10-ways-world-schooling-has-ruined-my-childhood/

Worldschooling Math

February 26, 2014 by Aimee

Tina was happy to have the right amount of money for a copper lamp. She negotiated hard with the Berbers in Morocco!

Traveling long-term makes it nearly impossible to carry textbooks, so it becomes necessary to find organic ways to encourage learning subjects like math. However, every day life on the road provides a multitude of natural opportunities to learn math if you take the time to notice and point them out to a child:

1. Number recognition – Point out numbers on signs (especially home addresses as you walk down the street). Discuss price tags. “This means 45. The sign in front tells you it is dollars.” Count the number of steps to get somewhere. Have the child count out the number of items needed at the market. Encourage counting in the local language for an added twist. Since visiting Morocco, Tina likes to count out five breads for our breakfast in French. Let the child collect coins (and bills if you can afford the loss) from each country and talk about how much they are worth. This has worked great for getting Tina past the single digits into 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100.

2. Addition and subtraction – While packing, have the child add up how many things they will bring. Then have them take a way some and discover the answer. Anytime a multiple number of items is at hand (e.g., forks and spoons on the table) you can talk about them. “Two forks plus two forks makes four forks. What if we add two spoons? What if we take one fork away?” Works great when you are stuck at a restaurant with bad service.

Overall, addition and subtraction is about more and less. It comes up all the time. Give your child a certain amount of money and let them figure out if they have enough to buy things. “Do you need more money? How much?” Make sure your child gets the right amount of change!

3. Fractions and division – In the context of travel, fractions and division can look like the same thing. Take for example, if you order a pizza and have the child split it up evenly for the family. This could be explained like this: “You have 16 pieces and 4 people who want to eat. That means each person can get 4 slices (division). Or everyone gets 1/4 of the pie (fraction).” Anytime splitting occurs there is an opportunity to discuss fractions and division. “The tour group is splitting in half. That means 10 people will go over there and 10 people will stay in this bus.”

4. Multiplication – This is a concept that comes up often if you think about it. Have the child make hotel reservations and calculate the total cost based on rate per night and number of days you will stay. Determine how much money you need for food by calculating costs per day then multiply by 7 or 30 for the week or month.

5. Percentages – You can consider percentage of total cost whenever a discount is offered. In many third world countries, vendors consider their percentage of gain when they start negotiations. In Morocco we noticed a markup of 400% for me (obvious tourist) and only 200% for Edgar (who can pass for a local Berber). We discussed with Tina the reality that prices can fluctuate based on perception and she should consider how much an item is really worth before settling on a price.

6. Algebra – Currency conversion is a wonderful way to help a child grasp algebra concepts. Figuring out how much the local currency is worth in your home currency is a daily task while traveling. For our family, we have to do this twice because I think in US dollars and Edgar thinks in Peruvian soles. We set up mental equations to make quick conversions. “1 US dollar is about 35 Russian rubles. Or 100 Russian rubles is about 3 US dollars, which is about 1 Peruvian sol.” Algebra can be essential if you rent a car. Have your child figure out how much gas is needed for a day trip, or how much you’ll have to pay to fill the tank before returning the car. (Some of these equations can cross over with multiplication.)

Tina noticing the symmetrical pattern of painting on a palace door in Marrakesh.

7. Geometry – Notice shapes, point out patterns, discuss the symmetry in a unique piece of art, examine the angles and structural integrity of ancient architecture. Geometry is all around us when we are looking for the opportunity to discover it.

8. Budgeting – What better life skill can you teach a child than to create a budget and stick to it? Let your child know exactly how much money you make and how much it takes to live while you travel. Discuss things like emergency funds, setting aside money for activities like surf lessons or scuba diving, and allowances for souvenirs. Create a spreadsheet and show your child how it works. Then when they ask you for a $50 teddy bear in the Paris De Gaulle airport you can tell them it’s not in the budget. Or in my case, I also explained to Tina that I could buy her 5 teddy bears for the same cost if she waited until we got back to the United States. That was a great lesson in impulse control and the value of hard-earned money!

9. Manipulatives – Now what about those kids that need to see things before it clicks? I suggest carrying a small notebook and pencil to write down numbers and equations. You can also take advantage of anything you have in large numbers (e.g., dried fruits, crayons, coins, rocks, Legos) to use them like Cuisenaire (counting) rods.

10. Cartography – Maps are ubiquitous with world travel and they provide a great way to learn lines, points, area, curves, scale, projection, and coordinate systems. Tina likes to collect maps and make her own. We have discussed our location and where we want to go, letting her plot the course and determine the distance traveled. The concept of area is evident when examining the globe. Even a little kid can see that the Earth is mostly covered by water and there are relatively large distances between certain continents. More complex concepts can be gradually introduced as a child’s understanding of how to read a map develops.

As you can see, most of these methods to introduce math concepts come up in the day-to-day activities that happen during long-term travel. But they can happen on a short vacation or at home too. It’s all a matter of seeing math in every day experiences. Are there any ideas I have missed?

Happy Birthday Tina!

February 16, 2014 by Aimee

Today represents the birth of this blog, but it is also marks Tina’s 5^th birthday. Being that she is the inspiration for this website, I consciously decided to start publishing the events of her life on the same day that it began.

The idea for Tina the Tiny Traveler came to me about 3 years ago on a night bus in Mexico. It was one of those torturous bus rides where the seat didn’t recline, the air-conditioner was too cold, and the route was so curvy my head bounced back and forth like a bobble-head doll. I couldn’t sleep a wink.

As dawn was approaching and I hit a state of delirium, I looked down at Tina. Her head was resting on my lap with her mouth gaping wide open. She was curled up in a little ball to fit within the confines of the seat, but she looked comfortable. Tina was sound asleep despite all the reasons she could be wide awake like me.

In that moment I thought to myself: “I need to write about this awesome kid.” So I started writing (in my head at that point) the manuscript for a children’s book called “Tina the Tiny Traveler.” That idea is still in the works.

In the meantime, I plan to use this website to document the amazing adventures Tina and I (and her father, who I’ll call “El Dada”) have experienced over the past 6 years.

Why 6 years when Tina is only 5? Well she arguably started traveling with us from the day she was conceived. El Dada and I embarked on a 6 month backpacking trip through Central and South America when she was just a zygote. More on that in a future post!

As of today, Tina has traveled over 100,000 miles through 5 continents and 30 countries. Needless to say, I have a lot of material to draw from… and who knows where we will end up next?

I hope you enjoy following along our (retrospective) log of world travels and my (prospective) reflections on family travel, worldschooling, and unique cultures!

Un abrazo (hug) ~ Aimee