Lately, we have been in the throes of planning our upcoming road trip to Florida. The lists of ideas are scattered throughout the house and my Google Maps looks like someone vomited stars and hearts all over the southeastern United States. We have the campsites reserved. The days are generally organized but we still need to prioritize what we want to see and how we can build lesson plans for Sarah. After all, this is our first swing at road schooling.
For anyone who is new to this like we are, road schooling is literally school on the road. As more and more families ditch conformity, this form of homeschooling which incorporates curriculum with lessons drawn from your surroundings is growing in popularity.
In a few short weeks, we will be road tripping through 6 states over the course of 21 days. What better chance to try our hand at this newfangled teaching style?
Starting this week and stretching through April, I will break down the planning process as we uncover and decide upon unique learning opportunities. The best way to do this is probably one state at a time. So, this week, I will start at the end in Florida.
How road schooling fits for us
About a week ago, we got our 10-year planner in the mail! Yeah, I said 10 years.
After a brief panic brought on by my obsessive need to fit every little piece together like an intricately woven Turkish rug, Amanda helped me take it one step at a time and we started visualizing our life in broad strokes.
This got me thinking about how we want to travel and who we want to help.
For the “how we want to travel,” I recalled last week’s post about responsible travel. Mindful travel was the overarching theme. We want to travel with awareness and care of the world around us. Minimize our carbon footprint as best as possible. Limit our waste. Help out in whatever capacity we can wherever we go. Seek more off-the-beaten-path experiences.
For the “who we want to help,” family certainly rose above all the rest. Until this past week, I had been tentative to narrow our scope to “family” as it can be an off-putting term in its “conventional” sense. Many people don’t fit into the married couple with kids mould. Hence, for us, “family” is any tight-knit group of people who support each other.
Once we settled on family travel, we realized that we should share the lessons we learn while educating our little ones through road schooling. Even if you don’t have a school-age child, these tactics give you a whole new perspective while traveling.
Road schooling will give us the flexibility to travel during off- and shoulder-seasons, while forcing us to look deeper into our destinations to find those unique learning opportunities. Those truly authentic experiences are typically only found when you look beneath the surface. Thus, road schooling achieves educating our children, broadening our shared worldview, and brining our family closer.
Road schooling in Florida
Starting at the end makes the most sense to me for two reasons:
1) we will spend the most time in Florida;
2) that is how I read any magazine I pick up.
I’m not going to guarantee that we will stop at every place we discuss but I fully intend on incorporating at least a few into our road schooling itinerary and sharing the lessons once we return. So, without further ado, let’s get started by looking at the top 5 places for teaching a 2nd grader.
1) Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida
The Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida is a non-profit organization based in Pensacola. It is a convenient 16-minute detour down SH 295 from exit 10A on eastbound I-10. They take in injured or orphaned wildlife, provide medical care, fostering, and rehabilitation with the intent of release.
Housing over 100 animals that cannot be released, visitors can take self-guided tours on specific days for a nominal fee per person. This donation helps offset expenses for animal care.
Our 2nd-grader has been learning much about animal habitats, human impacts on the environment, and environmental responsibility. I can think of few better places than a wildlife sanctuary that would better bring these topics to life in the mind of an 8-year-old. Equally important, this particular location provides various educational programs (currently only available for a fee due to COVID-19) and volunteer opportunities.
Road Schooling Lesson Plan
Subjects: Life Science, Social Studies, Math
Topics: Animal care, Donations, Habitats, Conservation
For our first road schooling stop, we will have to be a little creative with the subject matter. The science curriculum we use for our little one is a compilation of sources including a free resource called Under the Home and various YouTube channels such as Crash Course and SciShow.
Each week, we do topical studies of animals, nature, or systems put context to this crazy thing we call life. In preparation to visiting this wildlife sanctuary, we started ramping up lessons on habitats, migratory patterns, and human impact. A quick trip to a place where people actively seek to have a positive impact puts real-world action to the schoolbook lessons.
Unfortunately, as I write this, the Wildlife Sanctuary is not permitting group tours due to COVID-19. I am awaiting response about self-guided visitation. However, they are always accepting donations of supplies. A list of what is needed can be found on their website. We plan on dropping by with some donations before we camp down for the night. That wonderful feeling of helping others is a phenomenal lesson every 2nd-grader should learn.
Visitation
Hours: 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday
Drop off injured wildlife: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., 7 days a week
Donations Accepted: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., 7 days a week
Fees: $5 per person (Child or Adult); Group Tours by appointment only
2) Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park
Situated just north of Gainesville, Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park is much more than your run-of-the-mill natural area. As a destination for our road schooling entourage, it provides a unique learning opportunity millions of years in the making. Devil’s Millhopper is a large sinkhole that features more than 100 feet of exposed geologic strata (rock layers).
The 120-foot bowl-shaped cavity strangely hosts a miniature rain forest at its base. The lush vegetation thrives in a unique ecosystem protected from the elements by the walls of the limestone sinkhole and nourished by small streams that flow down the slopes.
There is a boardwalk and stairway that allows visitors to descend into the sinkhole, making for a truly out-of-this-world experience. Unfortunately, access into the sinkhole is not permitted due to COVID-19 but visitors can still enjoy views into the depths below.
Road Schooling Lesson Plan
Subjects: Geology, Botany, Reading, Social Studies
Topics: Layers of the Earth, Erosion, Plate tectonics, Photosynthesis, Folklore
This one has me reeling in my seat, as I imagine scenes from Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” The fantastic tale is a good place to start your little one’s imagination before arriving to this real-life portal into the Earth. As soon as I post this, I’m going to sift through our library to find my copy to get Sarah started. It will be fun to see how she compares Verne’s take to her own observations.
Once you arrive at Devil’s Millhopper, you can take your pick of subject matter to teach. For the dinosaur-loving kid, the layers of exposed dolostone, phosphatic sand, clay, and quartz will help you contextualize dating fossils. Much of what is known about the site comes from the fossilized shark teeth, marine shells, and other remains of extinct land animals found inside.
Or, maybe there is more interest in plants and flowers. Well, here, you can walk through how ecosystems develop in response to geological features while soaking up the beautiful flora and fauna surrounding you.
You can even touch on Native American studies and how reading and writing has shifted our perception of the past. A past where oral histories created legends like those suggesting Devil’s Millhopper was a place where animals and beasts went down to meet the devil, or that the sinkhole was created to trap the rescuers of a captive Native American woman.
Visitation
Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday
Fees: $4 per vehicle, up to 8; $2 pedestrians and bicyclists
**Make sure you keep an eye on the Florida Museum website as they periodically have events tailored to school-age children that explore Devil’s Millhopper.
3) Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest is the first road schooling stop where we will actually be staying the night. We have reservations to camp at the Fort McCoy/Lake Oklawaha KOA Holiday site for two nights. This gives us ample time to explore, learn, and have fun.
Nestled between well-known theme parks and picturesque beaches, Ocala features 607 square miles of lush vegetation, meandering streams, teeming wildlife, and more than 600 lakes. It is the dream destination for any outdoors-enthusiast with tons of family-friendly activities such as swimming, fishing, snorkeling, canoeing, and boating.
The hard part for a road schooling family isn’t the lack of options in Ocala, rather the sheer volume available. I think our lesson plan for this immense wetland will have to be a bit more flexible and go with the flow (pun intended). And as much as we may want to get up close and personal with the gators, our study of those prehistoric lizards will remain from afar.
Road Schooling Lesson Plan
Subjects: Life Sciences, Limnology, Social Studies, History
Topics: Dendrology, Park Rangers, Rivers and lakes, Local wildlife and safety, Ornithology
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has a fantastic “learning center” where you can reference interesting facts, outdoor safety, and more. In the “Just for Kids” section, you’ll find a handful of links that will take you on some educationally-enriching family adventures.
For example, take a stroll through the ancient forest along Salt Springs Run and have your little one lead a discussion about the carbon cycle, photosynthesis, or how the age of trees can be determined. Do all this while staring at some of the tallest cypress around.
You can also have a cultural history lesson that discusses the prehistoric village sites and homesteads scattered throughout the forest. While taking a step back in time, don’t forget to broach the topic of the turpentine and timber industries which contributed to the economy of local communities at the turn of the 20th-century while simultaneously escalating problems with deforestation and over-burning. You could even touch on the impact of President Theodore Roosevelt with the founding of the Forest Service.
Don’t forget to check out a wonderful resource that urges families to get outdoors more at Get Outdoors Florida!
Visitation
Fees: $60 per person – Ocala National Forest Recreation Area Pass (Provides entrance to concession-managed recreation areas); $50 per vehicle (up to 5 people) – Ocala National Forest Day Use Pass (Covers entry fees to Farles Prairie, Fore Lake, Lake Delancy West, Lake Dorr Boat Ramp & Pier, Lake Eaton Boat Ramp & Pier, Mill Dam Boat Ramp & Day Use)
*Active military who present their military “CAC” Card are eligible for a free annual pass to all National Park Service areas which includes the Ocala National Forest. The card allows the military member and up to three other adult guests into per-person fee areas, or any accompanying passengers in a private non-commercial vehicle.
4) Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
The oldest seventeenth century fort in North America dominates the waterfront of the nation’s oldest city. Castillo de San Marcos was built between 1672 and 1695. Formerly a Spanish fort built to protect the Florida-Atlantic trade route, the impenetrable fortress also housed Revolutionary prisoners and Native Americans in the post-war expansion era.
Known as “The Ancient City,” St. Augustine is located between Northeast and East Central Florida, along the Atlantic coast. The city itself offers a plethora of family-friendly attractions such as a pirate-themed museum and zoological parks.
This road schooling pitstop provides the perfect opportunity for a history lesson. St. Augustine is a treasure trove of historical value from the first free African-American settlement in the U.S. at Fort Mose to the country’s Oldest Wooden School House. To truly take advantage of all there is to offer, I strongly recommend spending at least 3 days in the city, if not an entire week.
Standard 2nd grade curriculum emphasizes social studies over history. In reality, the two are not all too different as history is a subcategory under the social studies umbrella. What is important for the 8-year-old is how these lessons relate to their reality. Thus, historical topics are glossed over to give 2nd-graders context of how people in the past dealt with early life and developmental issues. We have seen this consistently in our Under the Home history curriculum.
Road Schooling Lesson Plan
Subjects: Literacy and Language Arts, Math, Social Studies
Topics: Spanish colonial history, Early American history, Seafaring, Trade, Religion
The National Parks Service provides a wide area of educational opportunities on their website. You can pick and choose from a list of supplementary materials, virtual tours, or developed 60-minute lessons. They are listed for “Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade;” however, the material seems perfectly suitable for a 2nd grader, especially late in the year.
For our little one, we will use the “Timucua meets Spanish Armada” to teach her about the impact of European colonialism on the lives of Native Americans, the congruence of cultures through social interaction, how to be open and accepting of people who are different, and the importance of writing.
The “Coquina: The Mighty Shell” lesson will give us the opportunity to discuss the Atlantic Trade Triangle, transportation and trade by sea, and understanding the use of different construction materials for various purposes.
Further enrichment activities include: a virtual field trip, distance learning, ranger-led tours, and the Junior Ranger Program.
Visitation
Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday-Sunday, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
Cannon Firing: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Friday-Sunday
Entrance Fee: $15 per Adult* (16 years of age or older); Free for children under 15
*Active military who present their military “CAC” Card are eligible for a free annual pass to all National Park Service areas which includes the Castillo de San Marcos. The card allows the military member and up to three other adult guests into the fort for free.
COVID-19: A maximum of 100 visitors at a time; Face masks required; Formal programs and historic weapons remain suspended. Last Updated 2/5/21.
5) Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Last but certainly not least, it is time to take this road schooling ship to the moon! The Kenedy Space Center Visitor Complex is located on the Space Coast just a hop, skip, and a jump from Titusville. While we are looking for as many off-the-beaten-path experiences as possible to fill our itinerary, missing a trip to the famous space center is simply out of the question.
The Visitor Complex showcases a storied history of space exploration, from the Space Shuttle Atlantis to the heroes and legends who pioneered missions to the new frontier. The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operation Center) became an independent NASA field center on March 7, 1962. It has been the hub of the nation’s human space operations ever since, making it a fantastic place for interdisciplinary educational opportunities.
Road Schooling Lesson Plan
Subjects: Astronomy, STEM, History
Topics: Planetary science, Space travel, Moon landing, Rockets
The KSC provides tons of STEM-based educational programs. These range from field trips to private educational programs to summer camps. Sarah is participating in one of these very programs. From April 6-8, she will be participating in a 3-day Virtual Camp KSC where she will learn about rocketry, Low Earth Orbit on the International Space Station, and living and working on Mars. We figured this is a marvelous precursor to the road schooling experience once in Florida.
Many of the other camps are much more intensive, some lasting an entire week. There are other experiences that are hosted in house like traveling to Mars for the day or the Astronaut Training Experience. If you happen to be an educator from Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, you could even get complimentary access to the complex with the Educator Study Pass.
Before you go, be sure to download an expedition logbook which will guide your future explorers with activities and special projects tailored to their grade level. The links periodically go down, so keep checking or contact the KSC for yours. If you cannot find the logbooks, there is a great supplementary resource vault at NASA STEM Engagement. Here, you’ll find fun learning activities for students in grades K-4.
Visitation
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday; 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday
Fees: $57 per adult (12+); $47 per child (3-11) – Daily Admission; Other options available on KSC website
The NExT Chapter – Road Schooling Louisiana
I hope you enjoyed embarking on a road schooling trip through Northern and Central Florida with us. This is going to be quite the learning experience for us once we get on the road. For anyone interested in trying your hand at this type of lifestyle, I urge you to go for it. There are countless resources out there summing up many, many different accounts of families coupling their children’s education with their travels.
I’m sure you can find something that will resonate with you.
We did not get to delve into all the places on my list, nor did we discuss any of the wonderful volunteer opportunities I have uncovered on my research. Of course, many of those opportunities are not available right now due to COVID-19, or require a bit longer of a commitment. However, I am going to reach out to a couple archaeological groups in St. Augustine to see if we can jump on for a day. I will definitely share more about that if it happens.
No matter what you decide to do, where you go, or how you plan on getting there, don’t forget that your impact lasts. Whether that is negative or positive is up to you, and the smallest act of good will can make the biggest change. Travel with purpose, wherever you go. Mindful travel is a truly enriching way to see the world.
Before I leave you, here is a list of other places we may check out:
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Great Florida Birding Trail)
Florida Seminole Wars Heritage Trail
Next time, we will flip back to the beginning and check out Louisiana.
Happy Travels!
Think Big. Act Small. Travel with Purpose.
-Michael
~ Change the world one nameless stranger at a time. ~
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