It’s no secret that I’ve stepped outside the system in many aspects of my life. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to live out my dreams because of the choices I made years ago to extricate myself from the way most folks are living their lives.
So it will probably come as little surprise that I’ve decided to set off on a new adventure with my youngest daughter.
Tomorrow, we’re heading out on a road trip of more than 10,000 miles.
The Great American Unschooling Tour
This year, we decided to completely part ways with the school system in all forms. We decided to unschool.
And what better way to celebrate our freedom and encourage curiosity than an epic road trip?
Saint Augustine said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
So we decided to take him seriously. We’re traveling the United States by Jeep, visiting historic places and geological wonders. We’re taking our time doing it, with no set schedule.
I have a feeling that my 15-year-old will learn more over the course of this adventure than she would have learned in 3 years of classroom education. Plus, there are the skills she’ll learn that are becoming somewhat obsolete:
- How to navigate using a paper map
- How to figure out the amount of time it will take to get from Point A to Point B
- How to seek information about the things that strike her fancy
- How to deal with the practical aspects of travel, like making reservations, packing efficiently, and eating healthfully on the road
- How to manage a travel budget
- How to spark curiosity in others
- How to immerse yourself in local cultures
- How to stay safe in unfamiliar places
- How to find off-beat hidden treasures
- How freakin’ awesome our country really is
And for those who are more interested subjects that tie into a more formal education, we’ll be studying:
- History – what better way to learn about the things that happened in our country than to actually see where they happened and walk the same paths that others did?
- Geography – duh. Driving around the perimeter of the United States will definitely help with that!
- Cool facts about different states
- Geology – we’ll get up close and personal to many natural wonders
- Literature – my bookworm kid has already mapped the stomping grounds of famous authors – we’ll be reading their books before visiting their homes
- Math – Calculating times and distances, managing a budget – these things will be her responsibility
- Entrepreneurship – How to run a website and online business (She’s starting her own over the course of our journey)
I hope you’ll follow along in our journey. (For reasons of safety, we’ll be posting after we leave an area.) I’ll be updating some stuff here, but if you really want to see the fun day-to-day stuff, follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at Learn.TheOrganicPrepper.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
I hope you are taking a self defense tool or two for both of you. Ink pens (the clicky kind, not the take the lid off kind)in the sock or shirt pocket can do the job nicely if nothing else is available.
We sure are 😉 Reciprocity maps are all printed out, too.
Hiya…metal nail files work perfectly as defence items…and you can keep your nails looking good.
have a safe trip
We spent 4 yrs in Europe for working reasons & we homed schooled there. We used as much of Europe as we could for history,language, ( boy was that a real challenge as there so many of them) We learned from the local people about customs & food.Those fellows in Switzerland really do wear the leather shorts.LOL They were so friendly & helpful. My kids still talk about it & most of their friends wish they could have done it. The kids are so grateful to have been given the chance to use the world as their book. We saw things that most people would never get to see,ate food that most will never get to try & for the rest of their lives they will always have thesis memories. If I had to do it all over again you bet we would!!!
I am so glad that you have chosen this path for you both. Never will you 2 regret it. May God keep & bless you both as you travel. My prayers will be with & for you both. ENJOY!!
My sons teacher always was thrilled when I took them on a trip she said traveling is a great teacher. Have Fun!
Perfect idea! You are the best parent ever!
Fabulous! This is a great way to bond with your daughter, get to know the USA, and the schooling lessons will now have meaning! I feel sorry for the kids who are stuck in regular government schools. There is no joy in memorization, constantly watching for recess, and being bored to death for 8 hours. Your daughter will be excited to put “education” to work! As a mother, you will never regret this journey!!
This is great. Visits to foreign countries are great too. School is so life sucking. They even reach into your nights and weekends, with homework. Kids in school make the whole family unfree. When they can’t get you during official time, they try to get you with sports. I remember when friends could not attend summer vacations because their kids had to play football.
Everyone is tied to the schedule of waking up at 6 a.m. to force their kids onto the bus to go learn things that won’t help them do anything. They spend 50% of the time teaching them how to obey (so they can fight wars and kill people?) They spend about 25% of the time not teaching them anything. They spend about 20% of the time teaching them useless materials that they will never use. That leaves about 5% of the time for teaching stuff that matters.
The first year I began homeschooling we made reservations at several of our state parks. My boys were 14 and 15 and my daughter was 9. What an amazing richness was added by our travels and it was mostly close to home. I hope you are able to include the national and state parks in your touring. It will be a most memorable year. Have fun and stay safe.
Sounds awesome. Are you towing a travel trailer?
I have a friend who did that with her youngest (who was a teenager) a few years ago in a motorhome.
All four of our boys were homeschooled. We started over 30 years ago when it wasn’t as popular. I hope you guys have a wonderful trip. Stop and say HI if you go through Southern Indiana.
Safe journeys. I’m looking forward to hearing all about your experiences.
I started unschooling myself while still in school (Exploring New York City via subway when I should have been in school, THAT was an education!), and I dropped out the very day I turned 16. Best decision I ever made. I’m 54 now, and have had an amazingly interesting life- my real education beginning after I dropped out.
I’ve thus far only met one man who had “one up” on me- a slightly older man who has never set foot in a school.
Teenagers and 20-somethings today are like little children, because stay mired in thec mono-culture of schools, and have no real responsibilities. Try being self-employed when you’re 18! -you become a man.
Your children are SO lucky, and I’m betting that the things they’ll learn will surprise you. Amid much criticism from others, I took my son out of school, and unschooled him from 6th grade on. Best decision I EVER made!! He’s now a competent young adult who has all kinds of skills, and a love of learning (and I still get criticized). Jay Sherman nails it: real life responsibilities teach competency.
Hi Daisy,
i would want to follow your journey – but am not on social network you mentioned above.
assist please
Hi Franc! You can see the photos and captions on Instagram on your computer even without an account. You won’t be able to comment on them but you can still follow along 🙂
Hope you both are having a great time on your road trip. What a great idea to learn and use SKILLS in real life situations.
Enjoy! God bless and be safe.
Thank you! We’re having a great time!
So what happens if the SHTF happens while you are thousands of miles from all your preps?
It would really, really suck, Freedomwoman. But that’s a great question.
I’m actually writing about this topic – you will see it this week, but here’s the Cliff Notes version: Life needs to be lived. Who knows if this wonderful stuff in our beautiful country will be available for my daughter to witness in a few years? We can’t wait for a better time because there really isn’t one. Things don’t seem to be getting better, but for now, they’re safe enough to travel. Of course, we took as many precautions as possible and brought supplies. Prepping doesn’t mean that you can never take a vacation, go away for work, or do exciting things. It isn’t time to go into the bunker yet 🙂