teaching kids

Gday,
Short answer..No.. (but thinking about it)
But...Have a look at doing Cert.4 in Workplace Training it would certainly make it lot easier on both you and your kids.
Go for it, in most circumstances I reckon they would get a better education from their parents if you know what you are doing.
Good luck
Cheers

Hi Charlies Pixies .
WE did the big trip in 1979 when our 2 kids were 5 & 6 yrs old , they had work set for them by their teachers from Eneabba school but we found that we were losing too much sight seeing time so we opted to get them to mark on a big map the mileage we had done each day we were travelling & write in their diarys as to what we had done each day. This gave them their maths & reading & writing every day & let us all do our sight seeing & be back in Perth for christmas then to our new home in Geraldton before start of school 1980.
They both went up to their next years grades & had no problems coping with that years work or any years to follow. Both went through university one to become an accountant the other a computer programmer & very responsible adults & parents of whom we are very proud of . The trip was of an enourmous benefit to both of them & both girls I might ad & their old parents are still travelling when we can.
My advice is go for it don't worry to much about formal education But make sure you teach them manners & respect.
Hope this is of some help.
Cheers Bungarra

Hi CP

We aren't travelling but we are home schooling our girls (11 and 7, the 18mo is too young yet) via School of the Air. We live in a remote community where the local standards of education are a bit "loose", so we made the decision to go with distance ed. I grew up with the SA Correspondence School, and did Year 3 to Year 11 by distance ed, and have now just completed a Masters degree by distance ed. So I have a bit of an idea of how it works, and that does make it easier.

If you wish to home school your girls, find a program which offers maximum flexibility for participation. We love the School of the Air, and it would be great for travelling, but having a static location allows use of their satellite link for IDL (interactive distance learning) which adds a lot of value to the program. One word of caution - home schooling junior primary kids is HARD WORK. It is definitely worth every minute of the time you spend, but you really need to allocate the time needed or you'll get frustrated. We have no regrets about going the home schooling path.

Good luck
John

I am a primary teacher and you should go for it. All the suggestions posted are good ones. Everyday opportunities present lots of learning moments. The only time it might not be advisable is if your kids have particular learning difficulties and need special assistance say with Reading. Do maths also as you drive along etc, also spelling out loud, I spy and so on. have a great trip. Cheers, Chris.

Excellent thread.

We have always travelled with our kids and we have always supported the learning process by implementing a few simple strategies. We play spelling games, I spy, and have purchased a huge library of childs learning books which include reading, spelling, mathematic games and the like. We even use these if travelling on school holidays as it also helps kill the long hours in the back seat.

I also beleive in educating my kids about Australian history. I have been contemplating an in car DVD. I have resisted this for a long time as I beleive the above activities were suffucuent coupled with wanting them to enjoy teh scenery rather than the TV screen, but I am at a point of giving in. I have no intention of the kids watching movies however Australian documentaries about Ozi Explorers and ecudational material will be the go.

As already stated above, I think the kids get a more diverse type of education this way.

Toytruck

We are heading off this time next yr for a 6mth trip of the northern parts ,have an 8yr old in grade 4 at the moment , have spoken to his school teachers and principle about how to handle the boy missing the formal parts of his education for the duration , the simple reply was to "do it" , they are prepared to supply us with the books ect. required so that we can go thru the basics of year 5 with the boy while on the road , their basic attitude is that he will learn more "out there" than they can teach in the classroom , will be sending reports to the class via computer so that all the class can share in his adventure.

You seem to have the right ideas, the kids will learn heaps if they are encouraged to pay attention to the surroundings as you travel, unfortunately it seems that most people would rather install DVD players & have their kids noses stuck to an LCD screen instead of trying to educate them about their country.

Enjoy your trip!

We are doing the same thing in August. Sold the house, packing everything up and doing the workaround with our 3 kids (12,11 &6)
We live in Tassie, so we contacted Distance Education ourselves, and were quite amazed at how they tutor and supply schooling for the kids.
It could vary from state to state, but basically once the kids are registered, they are given work to take with them, then post it back once when they finish. You then notify Distance Ed where you will be in approx 2-3 weeks time and they post new schoolwork to the post office. They also have an online facility, which is great, as the kids can access online assemblies, classes and talk to the teachers regarding any work they don't understand.
The teacher also contacts the students regularly to see how they are progressing.