Half way into our travels around the world, we’ve experienced and learned so much that it’s difficult to capture everything in words. Each subject area of our homeschooling curriculum that we originally created for Kai and Vea is outlined here with a summary of our activities and experiences.

 

LANGUAGE ARTS

Our language arts curriculum has consisted mostly of daily reading in the form of fiction and non-fiction novels and books, writing in the form of journals, blog entries and comments using WordPress and general communications related to foreign languages.

Reading:

• reading at least 30 minutes everyday of their chosen novel
• referring to travel guides in preparation for the country we are visiting next
• reading recipes for baking and cooking

 

Writing:

• everyday journal writing
• creative writing and story telling about the places we’ve visited
• writing e-mails to friends and family at home
• writing their own blog entries (Klogs and Vlogs) and following / responding to comments engaging in online conversations.
• writing their own Haiku poetry and free-form poetry
• regular spelling tests
• writing a few japanese characters and learning their meaning
• learning to write their names in Japanese

 

Communicating:

• use of body language to communicate with people from different countries that speak no english
• learning and practicing basic greetings and vocabulary in different languages (so far – spanish, hawaiian, fijiian, japanese)
• learning to express themselves in new social settings

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

While travelling throughout so many different countries, we’ve embraced many learning opportunities relating to the history, culture, geography and agriculture of the regions we visit. This is really about experiential learning as we travel – which has resulted in an increased level of confidence in themselves and a wider knowledge of the world.

Culture:

• experiencing different cuisine (eating and preparing) and how it relates to the various cultures we’re learning about
• how language is linked to culture, and how languages can be expressed in things like dance (Hula dance lessons in Hawaii and watching polynesian dance performances and fire shows in Fiji and New Zealand, Hawaii)
• learning about the indigenous cultures of South America, Hawaii, New Zealand, Fijji and Australia – including traditional customs and ceremonies, religions and beliefs.
• participating in traditional crafts like basket weaving in Fiji, leigh making in Hawaii, origami in Japan
• participating and observing in cultural ceremonies such as: Kava ceremonies in Fijji, morning prayer with the Buddhist Monks in Japan, traditional Japanese tea ceremony
• social ettiquete in foreign countries
• learning about Shingon Buddhism by staying in a working temple overnight in Mount Koya (Koyasan).

 

History:

• visited a museum in Waipu, New Zealand which documented the original founders of the town as being Nova Scotians who emigrated to New Zealand from Scotland
• introduction to world conflicts – past and present
• colonization of indigenous lands (NZ / Australia / Hawaii)
• visit to Hiroshima to learn about the Atomic Bombing of the city in WW2 and a visit to the Peace Memorial Museum and how Hiroshima is now an advocate for world peace
• various other small museums throughout our travels

 

Geography:

• learning about all the oceans and continents of the world
• learning about tectonic plates and continental drift
• rural vs. urban settings
• mapping and way finding
• time zones and travel distances
• climate differences throughout the world
• modes of transportation (planes, trains, automobiles, ferries, taxis, subway, cable cars, monorails, gondolas, bikes, jet skis, kayaks)

 

Agriculture:

• visit to a working goat farm in Hawaii
• coffee plantation tour in Costa Rica
• sheep and cattle farming in New Zealand
• Cadbury chocolate factory tour in New Zealand and learning about dairy milk in the industry
• the importance of sustainable, local farms with free-range animals
• sugar cane harvesting and processing in Costa Rica
• learning how banana trees grow in Ecuador and how bananas are harvested

 

MATHEMATICS

Kai and Vea have respectively completed math skills for grade 4/6 as per the Nova Scotia outcomes through the primary use of IXL math and Khan academy for support / lectures. They are now working on the outcomes for grade 5 / 7. In addition to IXL programs, Kai and Vea have practiced real life math skill with the following activities while we’re travelling:

• conversion of currencies in different countries
• distance, time and speed measurements
• time zone differences and the 24 hour clock
• budget planning through shopping and price comparisons among grocery items

 

SCIENCE

We’re learning a great deal about the natural world and the diversity that exists in our surroundings. We’ve visited places which have scientific and geological significance, and have learned about the importance of conservation and observation.

Geology:

• we’ve learned about volcanoes and the ‘ring of fire’
• unique rock formations
• thermal regions of New Zealand and Japan
• erosion, rock slides, earthquakes, avalanches
• rain forests of Costa Rica, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand
• marine habitats and conservation areas
• the cause and effects of ocean currents and tides

 

Biology / Marine Biology:

• lessons on evolution and natural selection in the Galapagos Islands
• learning about natural adaptions such as bioluminescence and camouflage
• close interaction with diverse wildlife and appreciation for the importance of conservation (visit to the worlds only privately funded penguin sanctuary in New Zealand)
• tours of rainforest reserves and butterfly conservatories in Costa Rica
• discerning between native and endemic species
• understanding the problems with introduced and invasive species in the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii and New Zealand.

 

Astronomy:

• we took a guided tour of Lake Tekapo observatory in New Zealand for star gazing, constellation identification and planet viewing with powerful telescopes and discussions with astronomy students.
• a visit to the Spark Science Centre in Calgary for interactive exhibits and demonstrations
• ‘Grandpa Science’ questions throughout our travels which relate to specific regions (Grandpa Science is our name for Kai and Vea’s grandfather who is a retired Palientologist who has a wealth of knowledge and sends science questions to them about the regions they are visiting)

 

ART and MUSIC

We’ve been embracing how the visual arts and music are so integrated with culture in the places we travel. Kai and Vea have also been keeping a visual journal of their travels with their own digital cameras and sketchpad apps on their iPads.

• visits to Art Galleries in Ecuador, Hawaii and Australia
• visits to travelling exhibits such as the Dreamworks Animation Studios exhibit in Melbourne Australia
• photography lessons about digital camera operation, composition and focal points / macro shots
• sketching and drawing in journals and with iPad digital sketch apps.
• observing different clothing fashions of the world
• learning about different musical instruments in various countries such as, dijeridoo in Australia, Ukelele in Hawaii
• attending a traditional Japanese puppet theatre show

 

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

We love the outdoors and being active – so this area of homeschooling has come very naturally to us in our daily activities. Kai and Vea have an enhanced appreciation for living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Physical activities:

• snowboarding throughout British Columbia for one month
• regular family runs throughout our travels
• soccer games in various fields as we travel
• surfing in Costa Rica, Hawaii and Australia
• swimming and snorkelling in the ocean
• nature walks / hikes throughout our travels
• attending and learning about the different sports that are played in the countries we travel to
• various biking activities – mountain biking and downhill biking in New Zealand, cycle touring in Japan
• trapeze circus lesson in Los Angeles
• diving lessons in Hawaii

 

Health:

• healthy and balanced meal planning and preparation
• importance of cleanliness especially while travelling
• learning about protection from infectious diseases such as Malaria and Dengue Fever and how they are spread through mosquito bites
• various discussions on forms of vaccinations and why we need them while travelling to different parts of the world
• sex education talks

 

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA STUDIES

Kai and Vea have learned to work with many forms of digital media tools for the benefit of communication with their friends and family back home. They have also learned how to make use of the internet for productive research and travel planning.

• tutorials in iMovie and how to create their own videos
• WordPress blogging and working with a word processor (Pages)
• Research tools (Google / Khan Academy)
• Social media (Facebook / Youtube / Instagram/ Email and iMessage)

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Kai and Vea are developing a curious mind with regard to world events and how they affect people living in the regions that we visit.

• planning for trip to Thailand and understanding / keeping up to date on political situations
• monitoring health break-outs and keeping up to date with areas of risk and what to expect / vaccinations
• weather patterns and forecasts in relation to different regions
• severe weather and the effects on local infrastructure (we experienced the tail end of a cyclone in NewZealand)