GIVEAWAY! Christmas in England & The Other Side of the Wall

Come December, we love to dive off into a holiday-based unit study!  Putting our regular studies aside, we tackle a topic from the holiday perspective, incorporating reading, math, history, home ec, and crafts.  In The Other Side of the Wall, we are transported into the magic of London at Christmas....where the imaginary seems real and wishes might come true!

Download Home for the Holidays for three complete units + lots of holiday homeschooling extras!

What to Read

• The Other Side of the Wall – 
• It's Christmas break and Tess and Max are in London, staying at the posh Sanborn House with their Aunt Evie. As they wait for their parents to arrive, there is an unusual snowstorm that makes the city seem as if it's caught in a snow globe. Perfect weather for an adventure in Hyde Park. But when Max, Tess, and Aunt Evie leave to search for a cab, they find a horse and carriage and driver curiously waiting for them at the curb. And that's just the beginning...  Soon Tess is charmed by a mysterious boy named Colin who lives at the hotel all year round--on the 8th floor. But Max is sure the elevator only had 7 floors the day before. And how come everyone at the hotel seems to ignore Colin? Things seem to get stranger and stranger. There's a 1920s costume party in Colin's parents' apartment. A marble that seems to be more than it appears. And a shadow that passes mysteriously by Tess and Max's hotel window.  Tess wants to figure out what's going on, but finds only more questions: Is it just a coincidence that Colin's last name is Sanborn, the same as the hotel? Why does the cat's-eye marble look eerily similar to the crystal at the top of their hotel room key? And, most importantly, what happened in that hotel one Christmas long, long ago?  
• Christmas in England - Come explore the sights and sounds of the many English traditions that bring people of this country together at Christmas.
• The Christmas Eve Ghost - In 1930s Liverpool, where streetcars clang on iron tracks, young Bronwen and Dylan live with their widowed Mam.  This is a story of community and kindness.
• Letters from Father Christmas (J.R.R. Tolkien) - A charming collection of the letters Mr. Tolkien wrote to his children each year for Christmas as they were growing up. Each story is told from the perspective of Father Christmas himself!

Music Appreciation

• The Cambridge British Carol Collection - Twenty-eight classics performed by the Choir of Trinity College in Cambridge.
• On a Cold Winter's Day - Early music from the British Isles - collection of Christmas songs. (free with Prime)

Classic Literature (Comprehension)

• A Christmas Carol - The classic by Charles Dickens
• Use these FREE worksheets for comprehension activities
• Scrooge's Diary (elementary / middle)
• Folder Project (middle / high)
• Thematic Teaching (middle / high)

Traditions (History)

Although we generally think of Britain as being one country (England), it can also describe the United Kingdom. The UK includes the nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Several smaller islands are also included.  The first recorded use of the word “Christmas” was in 1038 when a book from Saxon England used the words “Cristes Maesse” in it.

Many of the traditions practiced today come from Britain's ancient past. Under the Romans, December had a festival called Saturnalia.   King Alfred was the first king to enforce the observance of the twelve days of 'Christ's Mass' according to church law.  This time of year was known as 'Nativity', 'Mid-winter,' or Mid-Winter Mass' up until 1043.

Medieval traditions in Britain may seem odd to us today, but they’re actually the basis of many of our traditions today. Several of our Christmas carols came from this era, as did the tradition of caroling.  "Carol" meant to sing and dance in a circle, and that is what people were doing in church services, so they were banned to the streets.  We still carol in the streets from house to house today!

Two of the oldest surviving carols are The Holly and the Ivy and I Saw Three Ships. Another tradition is Boxing Day on December 26th. This is a bank holiday in the UK nowadays. It originates from the tradition of churches breaking open their alms boxes to distribute to the poor.  The money was put into hollow clay pots with a slit in the top.  They had to be broken to get the money out, and were nicknamed 'piggies.'  This is where we get the piggy bank!

Decorations & Gifts (Math)

Complete these math problems after watching the video above:

• If postage is 54 cents per letter, how much will it cost to mail 16 letters to Santa from the United States?  How much will it cost in England?
• Mum is making stockings for each child.  Each stocking requires 3/4 yards of material.  How much material will she need to make five stockings?
• How many prizes and jokes will you need to fill 237 crackers for your school class?

Christmas Recipes (Home Ec)

Christmas dinner is very important. It is usually served at around 1 O’clock in the afternoon but varies from family to family. Some people like to have it over and done with in time for the Queen's speech at 3pm.

Find more recipes in Christmas with Dickens - From Mrs Cratchit’s plum pudding to Mr Pickwick’s "mighty bowl of wassail," Charles Dickens's novels and other writings are alive with examples of good food being enjoyed in good company. In this selection of Victorian classics, updated for modern cooks, you will find old favorites for Christmas dinner such as roast fowl with tarragon, plus recipes for entertaining, such as lobster patties and a Charlotte Russe. There’s even a recipe for a hand-raised pork pie to keep in the pantry for unexpected visitors (or escaped convicts.)

Mince Pie
You'll need:

• 1 1/2 c chopped pecan
• 1 peeled & chopped apple
• 1/2 c chopped figs
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 2 tsp grated lemon peel
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir together mincemeat, pecans, apple, figs, brown sugar, and lemon peel.  Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
2. Let pie filling stand at room temperature 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425°F.  Make pie crusts as directed on box.  Stir filling well; pour into crust-lined plate.  Top with second crust, and cut slits in several places on top to vent.
3. Bake on lowest oven rack 40 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.  Cool completely on cooling rack.

Wassail
You'll need:

• 2 apples
• 8 cups apple cider
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients, including the apples, to a large pot over medium low heat.
2. Bring to a simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Remove the apples.  Serve & enjoy!

Christingles & Crackers (Arts & Crafts)

A Christingle is a symbolic object used in the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany services of many Christian denominations. Christingle, a word of German origin, means 'Christ Child' and is used to celebrate Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World."  Today they are used in the Anglican Church of England for Christmas services.

You’ll need:

• A large orange
• red tape or ribbon
• 4 cocktail sticks
• 3” square of tinfoil
• a wax household candle
• small soft sweets/raisins/cherries etc

Directions:

1. Fasten a piece of red sticky tape or ribbon around the middle of the orange.
2. Cut a small cross in the top of the orange, and lay the square of silver foil (3" square) over it. (The foil is to catch the hot wax.)
3. Place a wax candle on top of the foil, and wedge it firmly into the orange.
4. Put raisins, cherries or soft sweets onto the ends of the four cocktail sticks making sure the points are covered. Insert them around the base of the candle so that there is one in each quarter.
5. Store upright in a cool place until they are needed.

Christmas crackers are festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled opened, and often contain a small gift and a joke. They are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Week One

November 6 – Eltpeace – Creative Instagram Picture

November 7 – A Fictional Bookworm – Favorite Christmas Middle Grade Reads

November 8 – Laura Bookish Corner – Dream Cast

Week Two

November 11 – The Reading Corner For All – Baking + Creative Instagram Picture

November 12 – Homeschool On the Range – Christmas in England Unit Study

November 13 – Wishful Endings – Tess and Max’s Favorite Top Ten Things about London at Christmastime

November 14 – Homeschool by the Beach – Inspired by the Book

November 15 – Trissinalovesbooks – Creative Instagram Picture + Pin Fit

We've teamed up with The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island to bring you another great giveaway hop! 

 One lucky reader will win a Bricks Through the Holidays bundle!  (ends 11/26)

 Open to US residents only; ends Good luck!

Entry-Form

Horses in History: Appaloosy Books {Review}

We might live on a farm out in the country, but the kids don't really know that much about horses.  You know what they do love?  History!  If you have a kid that loves one or the other - or both! - Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series by Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books are a wonderful accompaniment to the curriculum.  You can spend a couple of days using each book as a 'side road,' or even read the short ones aloud and use the units as a Fun Friday study...

Aimed at kids aged 8-14, these would make good read-alouds for younger children as well.  They range from 60-140 pages, and the lengthier ones coupled with the enrichment guide make a good unit for middle and high school students.  Each book focuses on a different historical period or event.  There are hand-drawn pictures sprinkled throughout the book, and the text is a good size with spacing for younger readers.

The books are narrated by the horses themselves, which lends a really unique voice and perspective to the story!  The horses make friends, suffer insecurities, and have many human characteristics.  They also seem to be omniscient, knowing much about what's going on around them and the reasons why.  We liked this different 'take' on narration and found it refreshing.

We had the opportunity to check out the first four books in the series:

• Appaloosy - Set amongst the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho, Storm must choose between his freedom and his caretaker, Faith.
• Dusty's Trail - Carrying mail for the Pony Express is a grueling job, as well as one that presents many challenges for Dusty and his caretaker, Levi!
• Golden Sunrise - The Mexican-American War in Texas is a dangerous place for Cheyenne and her caretaker, Jared.
• Day and Night - The Civil War not only tears apart human families, but horse families as well, bringing heartache and worry to brothers Shiloh and Tucker, who end up galloping on opposite sides of the war.
• We also used the downloadable enrichment guide for Day and Night.

Learning through reading is our family's preferred learning style, so these books were right up our ally.  The middle schooler and I read three of the books together as a review for some of the things we have already covered in our We Were There studies.  He's one of those kids that you want to cover material with umpteen times, and this was a gentle and fun way to go over it again.  

We saved Day and Night for a 'fun week,' and did it with everyone together.  Each day we read a portion of the book aloud and then completed the corresponding enrichment guide activities.  We really enjoyed having the enrichment guide, and I hope that the author has the time to go back and create one for each of the other books as well -- they are a fantastic way to incorporate the material!

The 100-page enrichment guide for Day and Night is divided into eight sections and includes:

• Reading Comprehension - Each day of the guide has one page of comprehension questions.  These also make good jumping off points for discussion.  I like to read the comprehension questions from the previous day - to refresh the story in their minds - before reading the current day's chapter.
• Vocabulary - Each day of the unit guide also covers vocabulary words from that chapter.  We cover these, and all of the other subsequent sections, the same day we read.
• History - This section gives more in depth information about what's going on at this period in history in the story.  It covers events, places, and people.
• Geography - Each book is set in America - some are set in small locales, while others cover a wide expanse of land.  The geography section not only covers locations, but also geographical features and landscapes.  We also used some YouTube videos to better visualize the elements discussed here.
• Horses - Since the books center around equine narrators, it only makes sense that there would be a section on horses!  This section looks a horse-related topics.  It was interesting, but the least favorite section for my kids.  For a horse lover or a child interested in horses, it's fleshed out well and leaves room for further investigation.
• Biography & Research - In this section, students are asked to research a historic figure from the era.  The boys each picked a real-life character from the story and wrote a short essay.
• Creating Writing - Broken into smaller pieces that are spread over the eight days of this unit, students learn writing techniques and how to craft their own short story.
• Living History - This section provides a craft or game that is related to the story.  It lays out which materials will be needed and gives good instructions.  The crafts are more appropriate for younger children than upper grades, but would be a fun activity to do together with a multi-age family.
• Soldier's Life - In Day and Night, there is an enrichment guide section about daily life for Civil War soldiers.  I'm not sure whether this extra section will be included in other enrichment guides or what the topic would be, but this was one of my kids' favorite sections!  They enjoyed learning about uniforms, insignia, medicine, and bugle calls, as well as making up some hardtack!

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves horses or animals in general!  It's a wonderful way to introduce history to younger children, and the narration brings a fresh perspective to traditional stories.  We look forward to seeing more enrichment guides and what else this young author has to offer!

See what others are saying about Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series at the Schoolhouse Review Crew...

Orville Wright: YWAM Review + Giveaway!

Very soon, we’re going to be headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We visited here last year, and the Wright Brothers’ Memorial was a favorite, so when we had the opportunity to review Orville Wright: The Flyer, from YWAM Publishing’s Heroes of History series, we jumped at it!  The book even comes with a Unit Study Curriculum Guide, with many ideas for creating a full biographical study of America’s first aviator.

We read Orville Wright as a read aloud over a week-long period as we geared up for our trip back east.  As a supplement, we watched a video about the Wright Brothers, reviewed our trip from last year, and worked on a few of the mapping activities in the unit study.

 Book Description

When Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur set out to solve the problem of flight, they recognized that success would come with careful observation, perseverance, and ingenuity. From experiments in their Dayton, Ohio, bicycle shop to test flights over the beaches of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the amateur aviation enthusiasts risked their lives and worked tirelessly to solve the problems that had stumped the world's best scientists.

Together the Wright brothers designed and constructed a power-driven airplane and, in it, made the world's first controlled, sustained flights. As a result, the skies were opened and the era of aviation began (1871-1948).

Heroes of History is a unique biography series that brings the shaping of history to life with the remarkable true stories of fascinating men and women who changed the course of history.

Geared to students ages ten and older, Orville Wright and the accompanying Unit Study Curriculum Guide are a fun way to learn more about one of our first aviators.  The chapter book is written in a narrative style, and while there are no pictures beyond the small black-and-white line drawings at the beginning of each chapter, you’ll be so busy learning about this great hero of history that you won’t notice!  We loved the book, but I was not nearly as impressed with the unit study guide.  While I appreciated the Chapter Questions section and mapping activities, the rest of the guide was not as useful for us. 

Unit Study Curriculum Guide 

There are several biographies in the Heroes of History series, from Columbus and Davy Crockett to Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman. There’s even a chronological list so you can easily add them to your existing history curriculum.  If you want to use that list to create a year-long course, the Unit Study Curriculum Guide comes with a guide for using all of the books in homeschool, co-op, and school settings. The unit study itself is broken down into eight major sections, as shown below.

Key Quotes	This section has quotes from other famous figures that are offered up as examples of what may have inspired the hero.
Display Corner	Suggestions and examples of items to collect for display are offered.
Chapter Questions	Each chapter is allotted four questions to help students focus on vocabulary, factual information and opinion/ interpretation of the information.  Answers are provided at the end of the book.
Student Explorations      -  Essay Questions      -  Creative Writing      -  Hands-on Projects      -  Audio/ Visual Projects      -  Arts and Crafts	This section is divided into several sections with writing prompts, research probes, map-making projects, play and script writing, and other crafty projects.
Community Links	This is basically a ‘field trip’ section.
Social Studies      -  Places      - Terms/ Vocabulary      - Geographical Characteristics      - Timeline      - Conceptual Questions	This section offers more traditional and familiar study tips for understanding the geography of the area.  The Conceptual Questions section involves more short projects to help students dig a little deeper in the politics and geography of the area.
Related Themes to Explore	This chapter allows you to see other topics (specific topics in science, history, geography) that can be tackled during your unit study.
Culminating Event	These are ideas for closing out the unit study.

You can find this book and more at the Benge Books site or on their Facebook page.

GIVEAWAY

One winner is going to win 3 sets of 5 books!!  (ends 12/5)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Renaissance Unit Study + The Good & the Beautiful History

One of the things I love about The Good & the Beautiful History is that we cover all four eras of classical history each year.  As part of the first year, we spent a unit in the Renaissance...it's such an exciting time to study because it encompasses several centuries of scientific, artistic, and cultural growth!

History & Literature: Renaissance Europe

• Mary, Queen of Scots and Free Lapbook  (England)
• Leonardo's Horse and Free Lapbook (Italy)
• Stories for Young Readers and Shakespeare notebooking pages
• Michaelangelo's Surprise and Free Lapbook (Italy)
• Hana in the Time of Tulips and Free Lapbook (Netherlands)
• Clown of God and Free Lapbook (Italy)
• free Renaissance Maps
• Lego Renaissance Project Pack
• Renaissance & Reformation Hands-On History

               
Geography:  Continental Europe  (all movies free with Prime)

• Backroads Netherlands
• Portugal & the Azores
• Spain
• France
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Scotland
• Italy

History:  Renaissance Royalty

Queen Elizabeth I     &     Eleanor of Aquitaine

For your amusement...

• Anatomically Correct Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• EduScience Telescope
• Glow-in-the-Dark Star Explosion Kit
• Free - Space Trading Cards
• Impact : Earth (online game)

Science & Literature: Astronomy

• Space Lapbook
• Maria's Comet and free Lapbook
• There's No Place Like Space and free Lapbook (Dr. Seuss)
• Sea of Tranquility and free Lapbook
• Astronomer Notebooking Pages
• Galileo for Kids

         

Science & Physical Education

1. Using these printable sheets, create each of the nine planets and the sun.  If you want larger ones, you can draw your own on separate sheets.  Glue them to popsicle sticks and it's time for an adventure!
2. Find a long sidewalk or path, and stake your sun.  Then follow the directions below to map out the distance between each of the planets.  
3. Once you get to Pluto, turn around and discuss the magnitude of our solar system as you walk back.  (Yes, I know Pluto has been de-planeted, but it's still as planet as far as I'm concerned.)
4. For added credit, try to find the midway point between the sun and Pluto.  (It's Uranus!)
5. All of the planets except Earth are named for Roman gods.  Have older children ponder why this might be.

Distances:

• Sun to Mercury - 3 steps
• Mercury to Venus - 2.5 steps
• Venus to Earth - 2 steps
• Earth to Mars - 4 steps
• Mars to Jupiter - 27.5 steps
• Jupiter to Saturn - 32.5 steps
• Saturn to Uranus - 72 steps
• Uranus to Neptune - 81.5 steps
• Neptune to Pluto - 71 steps

Movers & Shakers: Music Videos

Leonardo Da Vinci

William Shakespeare        &           Nicholas Copernicus

Providing Your Own Thanksgiving Turkey!

There's something gratifying about raising your own Thanksgiving turkey.  You know where your bird has been, and what it's been eating, and you did it yourself.  Now that it's been raised, it's time for the butchering.  I sincerely hope that you didn't name it!

Cleaning Your Turkey

Processing a turkey is similar to processing a chicken.  If you're the video-type, we've got a video of chicken processing at the bottom of this post.  

We began by pulling out a washable table and laying them out.  While they were still warm (it's easier then), we plucked out all of the feathers.  We also took off the wings.  Next, we cut off the feet.  I'm sure that there are folks that use these for stew or whatnot, but we tossed them out...

Getting Down to the Meat of Things

After plucking the feathers and removing the larger pieces, we sliced through the skin to get to the meat.  Starting with the breast area, we completely removed the skin, and then cut out the organ meats.  Again, the organ meats can be used for stew, but we served them as a special treat to our faithful goat-herder...

At this point, we were at a point where we needed to start restoring cleanliness, just for hygiene's sake.  I recommend you putting that big table away from the house, and someplace where you can use cleanser and spray water...liberally.  We placed a large bucket by the table to collect stray feathers, bones, and other innards.  

After thoroughly cleaning the meat, I took them inside to butcher them and prepare them for the freezer.  I recommend letting your turkey sit in the refrigerator for a day or so to let the meat rest before putting it into the freezer or cooking it.

Getting Started with Roadschooling + Freebies for You!

This was originally published on our Gypsy Road site.

Our Road-Schooling Journey

Once upon a time, our family lived on the road.  We traveled to as many at thirty-five states each year, while hubby performed contract jobs and the boys and I explored everything this amazing country has to offer!

Join us as we revisit some of the very best trips in the upcoming year.  Each post is updated to bring you travel tips for visiting the area with kids, as well learning resources to create your own unit study (should you desire).  We hope that you enjoy travelling with us!

Road-schooling :  a form of homeschooling that involves traveling, allowing the places and experiences to drive learning  (compatible with, but not the same as, Unschooling)

Read the full story behind our decision to roadschool at The Old Schoolhouse!

Besides geography...why roadschool?

• Fill the gaps.  You may not study NASA in a regular year, but if you’re going to meet an astronaut in Houston, it only makes sense.
• Peak their interests.  Most children aren’t interested in architecture, but when they visit the Biltmore House, Overholser Mansion, and Cornwall Iron Furnace, each with their distinct styles, they suddenly want to learn more!
• Learn something new.  Two words : Factory Tour.  We’ve learned to make cheese, maple syrup, ice cream, chocolate, pretzels…hmm…maybe we should learn about more than food…
• New friends.  The kids can talk to anyone, and love to meet new kids!  They can also manage a sales table fairly independently.  These are life skills.

Things I would go back and tell myself…

• Know the requirements.  Follow the homeschool requirements of your home state, regardless of where you are currently located.  To be safe, you may want to check with Homeschool Legal Defense Association to make sure that you are completing all homeschool requirements.
•  Plan ahead.  Learn about the area you’re visiting – check for museums, events, festivals, factory tours, and anything relevant to that specific location.  Websites will often have free educational resources to help guide your field trip.
• Keep records.  Field trips count as school days, but you want to have ‘regular’ days in there also.  One day, you’re going to be accountable for that education.  This is one of the reasons that we started our blog – it allows us to document where we’ve gone and what we’ve seen.  It also allows us to connect with families in our current location, which is very nice!
• Don’t get a boxed physical curriculum.  These are great in the traditional homeschool, but take up so much space in the car.  We use (or create) materials to accompany what we’re studying.  I’ll usually share these in a unit study on the blog page.  See the record-keeping in action?  Plus, it helps other families who may be travelling to the same location.  …..and it takes up much less space!
• Relax.  We school through the summer, on the weekends, at midnight…pretty much whenever we want.  We get more than the required days in, and that’s fine.  We have a lot of field trip days, too.  Want to know which style helps the kids learn and retain the most?  Life experiences, of course!
• Seriously.  Just relax!  There are days when we are sick of each other and want space.  There are days when we’re sick of being on the road and want to be home.  And there are days when we’re just plain sick.  Nothing is perfect.  But seeing the children experience this great country from sea to shining sea, having them enjoy the learning process, and watching them find and follow new passions is worth any minor inconveniences.  

Diary of a (Long-Travel) Day on the Road!

June 11, 2017

We had the distinct pleasure of having a ten-hour trip turn into a twenty-hour one on our drive yesterday... 

The trip started out with smiling, happy faces at five o'clock...in the morning.  Yes, there are actually two five o'clocks in the day...who knew?  My night owl promptly went back to sleep, while my morning bird bounced around.

We rolled along swimmingly for a while, stopping at Burger King for a quick breakfast because my son felt sad that he had "never been allowed to go to Burger King before."  He's so deprived.  He got the crown, which apparently was the impetus for the stop.

 

We continued to drive along and figured that as soon as the schoolwork was done, we'd stop again.  I like to take turns working with each of the boys separately in the backseat, while the other has some one-on-one time with Dad up front.  Unfortunately, we got engrossed, and never got around to taking that pit stop.

Now, you haven't experienced true impatience and frustration until you've sat in the car, on the parking lot that they call the interstate, for four hours.  With two kids bickering in the backseat.  With the car parked.  And everyone has to pee.

See those bushes along the side of the highway?  No, we didn't, but we sure gave it a lot of thought.  We made friends with a few nearby truckers who kept us updated on the radio chatter.  Turns out, there was a lane closure about ten miles ahead.  While there were no accidents, it seems that no one had received the memo on how to merge. 

I did not even know that Vera Mae had a pedestrian mode until she popped up with this!!!  It provided a nice moment of levity for the situation.  While we began to move slowly about an hour later, this was just one of the three times that traffic stops of this magnitude occurred yesterday.

 

FINALLY, we got to Ohio.  One of the first things we saw was the Budweiser factory, and it was pretty tempting!  A glass of wine for us, and a scoop of ice cream for the kids, and we were ready to settle down and unwind our nerves...

Just remember…”Life’s a journey, not a destination!”

• You wake up in the morning having no idea what city, or state, you are in.
• You tell the kids you are going to a museum, zoo, gallery, etc, and they say but we where there last week...and you need to remind them that was 3 states ago.
• You do the laundry and realize you've washed legos, caterpillars, ignious rock (lava) a collection of crystals, smashed pennies from 4 different states, and their latest Junior Ranger certificate - all items left in their pockets.
• Your kids constantly ask what state you are in.
• When you realize your milk is from one state, your frozen beef is from another and your eggs are from yet another.
• Our family talks in "states" rather than "months". For example some families might say, "hey remember last Feb when we did xyz"... while my family says, "hey remember when we were in Montana and did xyz" :)
• Perhaps knowing that different things in our coach are all from different states. this jacket from Arizona, this game from Alabama, this mug was from Montana, etc.
• You know you're roadschooling when you've lose a sock every time you dry clothes in the dryer and each dryer is in a different state! I lost my green sock in TN, I lost my short sock in AL, missing one of my son's socks in ME, etc...
• You realize you left a load of clothes in the dryer... 300 miles ago. Then trying to figure out how to have them shipped to you, but you aren't in one place long enough to receive mail.
• Walk out of Walmart and not it do you not remember where you parked your giant truck, you have no idea what city or state you are even in.
• You are learning all the Wal-Mart layouts after visiting hundreds of them around the country
• You know what to expect when changing elevations...the milk jugs, chip bags, and all other sealed containers expand our contract.
• Your Amazon.com account has address from over the country where you have had items delivered.
• Your kids already have the concept of an elevator speech down pat. "Where are you from?" "We are on a 2 year road trip around the US blah blah blah"
• You're talking to a lady at the Waco Tractor Supply Store, and she asks you where you are going next. You say, "Waco, Texas." When she gives you a weird look, you say, "I'm in Waco, TX, aren't I?"
• You hoard quarters for doing laundry at the next stop.
•  You keep changing the radio station every hour, not because the music is bad, but because you keep driving out of range.
• You give up and put on audiobooks for the duration.
• You get your seasons get confused.
• Your 2- year- old sees a bathtub, looks confused, and asks what it is.
• You tell your kids we can come back another day to a place and they both say in unison "but we won't be in this city again."
• Your son asks whether they take pesos or colones at the market.

We've put together a roadschool-themed goody bag for our readers, including a Christmas reading list, gifts for the roadschooling family, and this adorable cross-stitch that we designed, featuring the roadschooler's van and Christmas tree!