Caroline Haroldson is getting ready to embark on a fascinating endeavor, one which I have actually contemplated: a six week tour of the United States. From Homeschool Across America's website:Like millions of other children around the country, 9 year old Caroline Haroldson of Lake Oswego, Oregon will start school the day after Labor Day. But unlike most fourth graders, she won't enter any school doors.You can share her travels with her through her website and podcasts, once her journey commences.
Instead, Caroline will begin a six week trek homeschooling (or "travelschooling") across the contiguous United States with her mother in a quest to learn about our nation's history, geography, and government. She's on a mission to find the best learning adventures in the country for families looking for enriching travel destinations.
It reminds me of something Noah Webster once wrote which prompted me to begin thinking of incorporating more travel into our homeschool schedule. He was writing at a time when it was expected to send a child overseas to finish his education, but the suggestion has as much merit today, I think. Maybe even more in this age of "global citizenship."
A tour through the United States ought now to be considered as a necessary part of a liberal education. Instead of sending young gentlemen to Europe to view curiosities and learn vices and follies, let them spend twelve or eighteen months in examining the local situation of the different states--the rivers, the soil, the population, the improvements and commercial advantages of the whole--with an attention to the spirit and manners of the inhabitants, their laws, local customs, and institutions.As an American, it would be nice to know more about America, first hand from her inhabitants. Not just the "enriching travel destinations" but a glimpse of her character, that side of her she only shows when you take the time to do more than skim along the surface, taking in the sights.
homeschooling, home school, education, travel
