Questions Inevitably Asked

 We are still a month out from our big trip. People are already asking questions like,
What about School?
We are taking a long road trip that will go beyond the normal back to school date for most kids in the USA. But That's OK... we're (second generation!) homeschoolers. All of the cousins on this trip are already being taught at home. This is a tremendous opportunity for ALL of us to get to see so many beautiful, historical places along the way. Yes, we will continue the "book learnin' " (read that in Jed Clampett's voice, from The Beverly HillBillies) along the way. For one thing, kids need to stay on top of math facts. We will be reading about the various National and State Parks, and icons along the way. Two of the girls want to give reports on the State birds, flowers, and plants for every state we visit. The trip in itself will be educational.


How are you going to travel? Cook? Sleep? Keep track of Seven EIGHT Children?
We are using a large van... you know, the kind you think of when someone mentions "homeschool" and "seven EIGHT kids" in the same conversation. We are pulling a travel trailer, for the purpose of having a kitchen, a bathroom, and a way to haul all the necessities we can imagine to keep a large family on the road for an extended period of time. We also have a large tent. (But what if the campground doesn't allow tents and trailers in the same camp site?) We are prepared for that! The tent is set up on the tent site, and our baggage and bedding dispersed to the tent. The trailer is set up on its site, and the designated cook and her helpers get food started while the rest of the crew sets up camp. At bedtime, people will sleep in their assigned location. (So, are the grown-ups leaving defenseless children alone in the tent while they sleep in the comfort of the trailer?) No. Not happening. We have plans in place that have children under supervision 24/7. They will never be without actual adult supervision... including those who believe they are not in any need whatsoever of adult supervision- be they 15 or 5.


Where are you going? How long will this take?
We don't know all the places we will visit. We have a rough estimate of how long it takes to get from point A to point B... but until we are actually traveling from point A to point B, we don't know. How long it takes to set up camp, cook, shower, check homework... those are things we will figure out as we go. Many things will get faster as we get into a routine. As for how long the trip will take, Dan has to be back to work by the 5th or 6th of October. Maybe we will head home before that, and go get him when he's done... it's one of those things we will figure out as we go.

Are you CRAZY?!
If we aren't already, we may be well on our way by the time we get home.

If you have a question, feel free to ask!