If you could take a year off with your child(ren), what would you do?

[lax16]

I’m letting myself run with this idea: What if I take a year off from work, home school my ten year old daughter and enjoy our time together?

Our older three children will be out of the house (one in the Navy, two in college) so…why not?

We could take trips, read good books, sleep in…

What do you think?
Where would you go?
What activities would you do together?

 

[bitterhope]

I homeschool my kids already but I think about this all the time. If money were available and we had no other commitments (farm animals, jobs with older kids, military orders with dad, etc) I would hit the road and see all the National Parks. We would go to the reservation to spend a few months with my cousins. We would see many State Parks and historical sites all over the country. We would visit cemeteries and museums. We would stop at Catholic shrines and pilgrimage sites. We might hike the entire Appalachian trail or follow the Trail of Tears. If money was still available we would head to Mexico to spend time with everyone in my husband’s family. We would visit the Mayan and Aztec pyramids and see the tree that Cortez cried beneath during La Noche Triste en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Noche_Triste
Yes, it’s actually still standing though severely damaged. We would definetely go back to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We would put our school books away and learn from living for a while. Of course we would read and practice math but history would come alive and science would be hands on. Astronomy class as we lay under the stars at night on the prarie, geology as we sort rocks and look for fossils in the creek, botany as we identify trees in the Daniel Boone National forest, that sort of thing. We would also do community service projects everywhere we went or at least spread the joy of Christ to everyone we met. Life is an adventure waiting to happen. If it’s a possibility for you to take a year off with your daughter I encourage you to do so.

 

[Tablefor9]

What bitterhope said ^^^^^^. We have home educated the entire time; our oldest is a junior in high school, the youngest in kindergarten. We actually did this for about 6 months right after baby #6–we did Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefields, National Parks, revisited sections of the AT (husband and I hiked the AT NoBo 1999), museums, you name it.

School books school, living educates. As Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of the bucket, but the lighting of a fire”.

 

[Jelrak_TB]

We did this last year…purchased a pass to all historic sites and traveled across the country to view as many as possible. We spent about 40 days on the road, with the remainder of the year remaining in Quebec to learn French…

It was a very rewarding, but be prepared to face some jealousy from your older children…

 

[mommy_k]

The fun side of me would want to travel and ski and play tennis and visit states that have these activities. I like learning about different cultures and and I would love to see a pyramid.

The serious side of me would want to live as a missionary in a poor country to teach all of our children how blessed we are and to give back to those who need some help.

 

[chevalier]

Probably something to do with nature, responsibility, organization/management, ways of life that no longer seem viable to the technology-enabled (such as visiting a library, gasp!). Perhaps touring and learning more about the region, both history and nature, if you expect it to stay relevant in the child(ren)'s lives.

 

[Kelfa28]

If money was zero object…I’d travel everywhere with my kids.

Europe mostly and maybe some parts of Asia…like Russia.

Bitterhope did hit the nail-on-the-head. I would do the national parks everyone in this country…including the ones in Hawaii and Alaska.

Hubby and I have kicked the idea around a little…renting an RV over the summer and driving cross-country to do the national parks in California, Wyoming and Arizona.

Maybe one day with the kids are older.

I wouldn’t take a year off from work/school. I hate routine changes and so do my girls…keeping them home would be a huge adjustment I wouldn’t be willing to make.

 

[Casilda]

What if I take a year off…?

What do you think?
Where would you go?
What activities would you do together?

Our family has been planning that for years. We did a dry run of sorts in 2000, when my parents had me and my siblings vacation with them in South America. We all loved it. Really laid back. Now we are planning a similar trip with our own kids, now grown. Different country this time. Our goal is maybe not come back to the states We have job and church community connections already. Did you know that amongst Catholics the homeschooling movement is growing in South America?

 

[wild_thing]

If my youngest kids were older and I had the ability to homeschool, I’d definitely pack up and live and travel all over the various continents. Take a boat ride down the Danube, stand underneath a gentle Irish rain, kiss the ground of the colosseum where the martyrs died, attend a papal mass, see the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, buy a rug in Marrakech, pray a rosary in procession in Lourdes…

 

[lax16]

I homeschool my kids already but I think about this all the time. If money were available and we had no other commitments (farm animals, jobs with older kids, military orders with dad, etc) I would hit the road and see all the National Parks. We would go to the reservation to spend a few months with my cousins. We would see many State Parks and historical sites all over the country. We would visit cemeteries and museums. We would stop at Catholic shrines and pilgrimage sites. We might hike the entire Appalachian trail or follow the Trail of Tears. If money was still available we would head to Mexico to spend time with everyone in my husband’s family. We would visit the Mayan and Aztec pyramids and see the tree that Cortez cried beneath during La Noche Triste en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Noche_Triste
Yes, it’s actually still standing though severely damaged. We would definetely go back to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We would put our school books away and learn from living for a while. Of course we would read and practice math but history would come alive and science would be hands on. Astronomy class as we lay under the stars at night on the prarie, geology as we sort rocks and look for fossils in the creek, botany as we identify trees in the Daniel Boone National forest, that sort of thing. We would also do community service projects everywhere we went or at least spread the joy of Christ to everyone we met. Life is an adventure waiting to happen. If it’s a possibility for you to take a year off with your daughter I encourage you to do so.

Wonderful ideas! I have always wanted to go to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (I have a great devotion to her). Where would you stay if you visited there?

I know there are a couple of American shrines that are worth a visit - in Wisconsin or Nebraska I think.

We went on the Little House on the Prairie loop and highly recommend it. Our favorite was their homestead in South Dakota. It ended up being the highlight of our trip.
ingallshomestead.com/

You have mentioned so many great places. I am going to look them up!

 

[lax16]

What bitterhope said ^^^^^^. We have home educated the entire time; our oldest is a junior in high school, the youngest in kindergarten. We actually did this for about 6 months right after baby #6–we did Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefields, National Parks, revisited sections of the AT (husband and I hiked the AT NoBo 1999), museums, you name it.

School books school, living educates. As Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of the bucket, but the lighting of a fire”.

So true! Thanks for the encouragement. The more I think about it, the more excited I become.

 

[lax16]

We did this last year…purchased a pass to all historic sites and traveled across the country to view as many as possible. We spent about 40 days on the road, with the remainder of the year remaining in Quebec to learn French…

It was a very rewarding, but be prepared to face some jealousy from your older children…

My older kids have been all over the country - and I have the pictures to prove it if they complain!

Our youngest has not had the experiences her siblings had. I think it’s time to catch up.

Did you stay in hotels, rv, campsites? I like the idea of learning another language.

 

[lax16]

The fun side of me would want to travel and ski and play tennis and visit states that have these activities. I like learning about different cultures and and I would love to see a pyramid.

Good ideas. Pyramids, neat. I was thinking maybe a pilgrimage somewhere. Maybe Israel.

The serious side of me would want to live as a missionary in a poor country to teach all of our children how blessed we are and to give back to those who need some help.

That’s a wonderful suggestion. Mix that in with some of the road trips perhaps or maybe work on a kibbutz (unfortunately I’m too old and she’s too young for that)…

 

[lax16]

Probably something to do with nature, responsibility, organization/management, ways of life that no longer seem viable to the technology-enabled (such as visiting a library, gasp!). Perhaps touring and learning more about the region, both history and nature, if you expect it to stay relevant in the child(ren)'s lives.

I would love to ditch technology for a year.

We have a bird sanctuary a bit north of us and I keep saying we should go there. Good idea.

 

[lax16]

If money was zero object…I’d travel everywhere with my kids.

Europe mostly and maybe some parts of Asia…like Russia.

Bitterhope did hit the nail-on-the-head. I would do the national parks everyone in this country…including the ones in Hawaii and Alaska.

Hubby and I have kicked the idea around a little…renting an RV over the summer and driving cross-country to do the national parks in California, Wyoming and Arizona.

Maybe one day with the kids are older.

I wouldn’t take a year off from work/school. I hate routine changes and so do my girls…keeping them home would be a huge adjustment I wouldn’t be willing to make.

We have traveled across the U.S. in an rv. It was an interesting experience. I loved seeing all the places I would never normally visit.

I have heard that there is an rv park across from the Statue of Liberty. That would be fun.

Going to the Ellis Island museum would be on my list as well. That, and New York pizza.

 

[lax16]

Our family has been planning that for years. We did a dry run of sorts in 2000, when my parents had me and my siblings vacation with them in South America. We all loved it. Really laid back. Now we are planning a similar trip with our own kids, now grown. Different country this time. Our goal is maybe not come back to the states We have job and church community connections already. Did you know that amongst Catholics the homeschooling movement is growing in South America?

No, I didn’t. What part of South America?

Laid back sounds nice. Was it nice and sunny too?

I always tease that I may travel abroad and not come back for a really, really long time.

 

[lax16]

If my youngest kids were older and I had the ability to homeschool, I’d definitely pack up and live and travel all over the various continents. Take a boat ride down the Danube, stand underneath a gentle Irish rain, kiss the ground of the colosseum where the martyrs died, attend a papal mass, see the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, buy a rug in Marrakech, pray a rosary in procession in Lourdes…

Every thing mentioned here sounds like the ultimate bucket list.

I would add a St. Patrick pilgrimage in Ireland, a visit to the Holy Land, and the pilgrimage of The Way of St. James.

It is fun to think about, isn’t it?

 

[bitterhope]

Wonderful ideas! I have always wanted to go to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (I have a great devotion to her). Where would you stay if you visited there?

I know there are a couple of American shrines that are worth a visit - in Wisconsin or Nebraska I think.

We went on the Little House on the Prairie loop and highly recommend it. Our favorite was their homestead in South Dakota. It ended up being the highlight of our trip.
ingallshomestead.com/

You have mentioned so many great places. I am going to look them up!

I am not sure where to stay. There are lots of very nice hotels in Mexico City though. We stay with my husband’s aunt in Cuernavaca, Morelos and take the bus to the basilica from there. Cuernavaca is a beautiful city but from what I understand the cartel violence is increasing there. If you are able to ever go to Mexico City, there are so many interesting tourist sites and activities. The basilica is the highlight of the trip but the whole tour is wonderful. The pyramid of the sun, the mountains and volcanoes, street performers, historical sites, museums, the home of Frida Khalo, and the Anerican embassy if God forbid you run into problems. Honestly I prefer the gulf coast, especially northern Veracruz. That’s where most of my husband’s family lives. They also have mountains, pyramids, historical and Catholic sites, beautiful beaches and very rural non touristic places.

Another few places in the US I would like to go are the Crazy Horse monument, Mount Rushmore, the NASA space museum in Huntsville, AL, and various farm tours across the country.

 

[JimG]

Someone actually did this and wrote a book about it. I read the book a few years back. It was a fun read and it sounded like a fun trip. But the kids might not necessarily enjoy the same tourist attractions as the adults. I recall the author describing how the kids greatly enjoyed an unscripted and unexpected visit to a Torture Museum in some European city.

 

[Jelrak_TB]

My older kids have been all over the country - and I have the pictures to prove it if they complain!

Our youngest has not had the experiences her siblings had. I think it’s time to catch up.

Did you stay in hotels, rv, campsites? I like the idea of learning another language.

RV…my family is too large for a single hotel room…