I dream (and I dream BIG) of one day being able to leave my 9-5 nursing job and spend the days frolicking through the wilderness with my family, appreciating creation and all God has given us. I imagine a beautiful homestead with a fruitful garden; animals happy to give us their milk, eggs, and meat; solar power energy; rainwater collection and truly being a self-sufficient family. But I cannot even comprehend the damper this lifestyle would put on my NEED to travel and explore the world.
So I also dream of the day I can convince my husband to sell everything we own (or maybe rent?) buy a big ole camper and set out across the country on the adventure of a lifetime! Moving locations every few weeks, exploring all this country has to offer, and allowing my children to learn through experiences and life lessons along the way. Another BUT…. My husband is not interested in this lifestyle (at least, I haven’t been able to convince him, YET).
So I fill my days imagining how our lives could be so different and planning short, local trips to supplement my kids’ homeschool lessons in an effort to expose them to as many things as possible.
We started this school year off with a trip to the zoo. We haven’t taken the kids to the zoo in quite some time. They’re both animal lovers to the max (and we both enjoy the zoo, too!), so we knew this would be a big hit as well as get them excited for learning! We visited the Hattiesburg Zoo in Hattiesburg, MS for the first time. While this zoo is much smaller than the Memphis Zoo where we typically go, it is SO NICE! The Hattiesburg Zoo was beautiful, clean, updated, and in a lovely part of town. Entrance fees were low and crowds were virtually non-existent (I’m sure the fact that we waited until school was back in full swing was helpful with crowd levels). We were able to take our time and really check out everything the zoo has to offer, including the High Ropes Adventure Course!
I can only imagine what a truly full life those who roadschool, worldschool, and unschool have the chance to achieve. When we first began homeschooling, I was in such a “traditional” school mindset, that it was hard to imagine anything other than a hard and fast schedule based on the same curriculum the kids started with in public school. But the more I learn and more I see them thriving in a less structured environment, the more I know we are doing this right.
I plan to continue utilizing awesome field trips like this zoo day to explore topics such as science and history with my kids and allow them to continue learning through doing.
Follow along as we continue to share our anything-but-traditional homeschooling journey with you!
—A dreaming mama forced to live a “normal” life
