When you’re following the warm winter weather in the US there are only so many places you can go – and Texas is one of those popular spots for traveling families. We came here because it is warm and because there are many of our membership campgrounds to choose from. However, honestly, I wasn’t exactly excited to travel to TX again because there are many other places I’d love to visit, but in a tiny trailer the warm weather is priority #1. So since we’re here for two months, we’re going to jump in and enjoy it! (see more below)
I was listening to The Rose Code until I foresaw a major tragedy and didn’t want to hear about it, so I stopped listening. It was an engaging story until that point!
After many years of traveling, I’ve realized that my ‘favorite’ places are usually those that took me by surprise. Likely that’s because I went in without expectations. I left my mind open to what was actually there instead of my looking for what I expected to find.
Texas is one of those places for me.
While I wouldn’t call it a favorite place, it is definitely a great place in many ways – most notably, everyone is so nice! From the friends we met at the campsites to cashiers to people we chatted with at the dog park…everyone was so, so friendly. Both of us were surprised by how welcomed we felt.
There’s also a lot of interesting history to learn about and many cool places to visit. Texas history is also distinct from the rest of the USA, filled with stories of cowboys, German/Czech/Polish immigrants in the 1800s, Native American “prehistory” from thousands of years ago. Since the 1500s the land has been claimed by six nations – Spain, France, Mexico, Texas as its own country, the Confederate states, and now the USA.
All of these cultures and events come together to create a diverse and unique part of the United States.
Highlights from our two months
About 1.5 hours outside of Houston is the rural town of Schulenburg with its local frontier life history museum. I love seeing these types of remnants of the past – when people had to do everything by hand instead of relying on large corporations for all of our modern conveniences. While it was a difficult and laborious lifestyle in many ways, I admire all the skills everyone had to learn just to survive. For women the skills revolved around growing and preserving food, daily scratch cooking, spooling/weaving/knitting/sewing, animal husbandry, first aid, medicine making, raising kids, creative uses for old things, and so much more.
In the same area are the Painted Churches, part of the National Register of Historic Places. These unassuming churches were built by Czech and German immigrants in the late 1800s – early 1900s as replicas of the churches they left behind in Europe. The grand ceilings, decorative paintwork, and stained glass windows are a delightful surprise after entering what seems to be just a simple stone or wooden church. My particular favorite has a vibrant blue ceiling covered in gold stars giving the room a whimsical, imaginative feeling.
Nearby, the quirky town of Round Top was a fun visit. The town is laid out with old-style buildings around a grassy area with seating and walkways. There are several shops and restaurants, but we couldn’t miss the pie shop (I had blueberry-lemon gluten free pie) and the cheese shop where I purchased the most delicious apple-ginger-lemon jelly to go with our cheese.
Round Top, TXWorlds smallest active catholic church.
While we’ve visited all of the major Texan cities, San Antonio was the one we were most excited about because of the history of the Alamo and the missions. Plus, it has a completely different feel that than the other cities because of its mix of Mexican, old Texas, and young modern families.
The AlamoBuffalo milk ice cream from a local farmer’s marketAlong the Mission TrailAlong the Mission Trail
About an hour outside of San Antonio the famous “Cowboy Capital of the World,” Bandera, was a fun visit. It was an original staging area of the cattle drives in the 18th and 19th centuries. The town holds onto its history as a frontier town with its original buildings, cowboy heritage, and many dude ranches nearby. The local Frontier Times Museum is filled with artifacts from the area – both historical and quirky!
Bandera, TXBandera, TXTree carving in BanderaFrontier Times MuseumHandmade frame with..deer parts
Surprisingly, there are some beautiful lakes that we camped alongside and had fun spotting the bluebells, and then pressing some for future crafts!
Homeschooling by a pretty lakeLocal flowersPressing bluebells
Overall, we spent most of our time in rural Texas, which can be pleasantly summed up by this photo…
I’m writing this in the early morning hours of a cool January morning in Florida. Rain is pattering loudly on the metal roof of our RV but it’s supposed to stop soon – just in time for our morning walk. I actually love waking up to the rain; it’s a gentle transition from the sleep world to the world of life.
I had planned to get some work done this morning, but my attention changed course when I saw the frigid weather forecast for the next week. Multiple days in a row getting down into the low 30s! Plus rain. We’ve spent nights in the RV when it’s been high 30s. I’d bundle us in layers and warm blankets, and wake up several times throughout the night to check on Ellie. Always, however, she’d would be kicking off the blankets and socks and somehow still radiating so much warmth…meanwhile I’d be adding another layer and snuggling up next to her to stay warm! But those were only a rare cold nights before the temps rose again. Several nights in a row in our little uninsulated RV — brrrr. Off I go to find ways to keep us warm…
Making resolutions
This was the first year that I’ve made resolutions in a very long time. I used to make those typical losing weight, working out, eating no sugar declarations that would last exactly one day. These types of goals are disheartening and unmotivating..and of course unrealistic to expect yourself to go from one way of being to an entirely new way of being from one day to the next.
But I realized that I actually like having a few resolutions for year. I use them as guideposts to creating habits that I want to include in my life. My resolutions are things that enhance my life, instead of things I want to change about myself. I think that makes them more expansive and enjoyable.. and much more likely to become part of my everyday.
My resolutions this year are: to spend time with a creative practice every day; read for enjoyment; read/watch/listen to more enriching content (versus for solely for work or self development); create a clear boundary with my work time and our homeschooling / creative time.
I posted these resolutions in a prominent spot so I can constantly remind myself of them. The constant reminder will slowly train my brain to take different actions each day. They’ll remind me to break through my current routines to try something new – something that will feel enlivening.
Almost two weeks into the new year and our days mostly look the same, except for a few changes on some days – I’m getting up earlier to work; I’ve put work away earlier at night and picked up a knitting project I haven’t finished from last summer; Ellie and I play more board games and have been drawing together in our journals since I’m aiming to create that clear work boundary. To me, these are great changes already! With awareness and intention, these guideposts will gradually become part of our every day.
Projects Lately
Microgreens: When it comes to growing plants, you can’t get a faster harvest than with microgreens – they are ready to eat in just 10-14 days. They’re a great way to constantly have fresh greens and they’re a nice addition to lots of meals. I add them to soup, sandwiches, stews, and usually just grab a bunch and dip them in hummus. This month we have pea, broccoli, radish, and alfalfa sprouts coming up.
Knitting: I don’t know what it is about knitting – I love it, but I can’t bring myself to sit down and knit often. It’s probably because I’m very slow, so it doesn’t feel satisfying until close to the end of a project š . Either way, I have been forcing myself to do two rows a night so I can finish some projects that I’m excited about. First up is a beautiful leaf patterned tank top: Leafinity top https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leafinity-top
Baking: Baking in less than 100sq ft is not enticing – no counter space and the heat! But we missed all the baking and roasting we usually do, so this year I invested in a decent toaster oven. It’s big enough for baking mini muffins, small loafs of bread, a small tray of veggies, a small chicken, and even a batch of cake pops! I set it up outside and enjoy a modern version of outdoor cooking. Elodie kicked off our baking with pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) using a recipe from this kids baking book. They were really good!
Art Journaling: I have been taking several short classes by Alisa Burke. They are great for inspiring me to get drawing and for learning additional techniques for my journal. Plus, they’re really inexpensive so I have bought many of them!
Life in Florida
This month, and for the past two months, we’re in Central Florida enjoying the coldest Florida winter in 30 years (according my my uncle)! There have been nights in the low 30s, but overall it’s still warmer than up North! Our camping spot felt more like Vermont than Florida – under a large oak tree, next to a green field of cows and their calfs. It was a beautiful sight to wake up to each day!
One fun experience were the many natural springs around central Florida. These springs are a constant 72 degrees F, a refreshing temp during warm days. We had fun swimming at Wekiwa Springs State Park (below) – the clear water makes it possible to see the bottom even at the deepest spot (around 6 feet). However, I was constantly on guard for alligators because they are apparently in other parts of the spring and can roam anywhere. I feel like I’m constantly on the lookout for alligators everywhere we go because of our little dog…he’s perfect size for gator chow (Elodie’s words!).
Of course, seeing the unique animals is always fun … manatees, alligators, gopher turtles, and black swans!
The one thing I will never tire of seeing are the gorgeous old Oak trees that have been around for hundred of years. Imagine everything they’ve witnessed in the past few centuries…
So how did we keep warm during those freezing nights? A space heater and electric blanket! Plus, of course, warm coffee and hot chocolate to wake up to š
We are currently in our 5th year of homeschooling. During these years we have tried different strategies, curriculum, learning styles, and resources. We’ve tried all-in-one curriculums with a schedule to follow, Charlotte Mason approach, classical approach, unit studies and project based learning, online classes, and unschooling, as well as roadschooling.
I have borrowed or purchased many resources and curriculum – some of which are great but most we didn’t finish. Now as we’re nearing the end of the elementary years, I realize how true it is that kids are natural learners and they do not have to follow a specific learning path, sit down to learn, or even need to learn specific things by a specific age. When we choose how to learn, the act of learning becomes enlivening.
This ‘favorites’ list is a compilation of the resources we used for many years and mostly still use today.
With this in mind, how do we homeschool now? In general, we choose topics that are interesting to us and learn about them! I get ideas about what to study based on the curriculum below, a badge Elodie wants to earn, or any other question she has. Since we also travel often much of our learning has to do with where we are and the museums/parks we visit. Elodie uses a math curriculum and we focus many of our learning ‘projects’ on writing and speaking/discussions. Sometimes we’ll do projects, such as lapbooks or videos, to record her learning (and because it’s fun to look back on them!).
Mystery science – Mystery Science is a collection of science topics for K-6. Each unit focuses on a specific topic and includes videos, thoughtful questions to discuss, and hands-on activities.
Junior Ranger programs – Every National Park, National Historic Site, and even some state historical parks have Junior Ranger programs. Each location has a booklet of activities that help you understand the history, geology, biology and/or people of the area, and when it’s complete you get a badge. Elodie has learned so much more by using these booklets because they encourage her to read the signage, attend the lectures, and ask the rangers questions.
Layers of Learning (LOL), Build your Library (BYL) – I’ve bought a few different curriculum over the years to help me implement consistent learning days – most we don’t finish because they had too much busy work and unnecessary projects. However, these are two curriculum that very helpful for topic sequences, great living book lists, and project ideas. BYL is more structured as it gives you a schedule of what to do each day, however I use it more for a sequence to follow, book ideas, and projects to expand learning.
I used LOL in the early years of homeschooling and I found it very overwhelming, however now that I’m much more comfortable with our daily rhythms and learning style, I highly appreciate the LOL format. Each unit comes with a long list of living books, many subtopics within the main idea, and then a long list of project ideas to engage with what we’re learning. I like that it gives us many topic ideas to dive in to, and Elodie likes to choose the topics and projects that catch her interest.
Curiosity Untamed – Curiosity Untamed is somewhat like Girl Scouts in that you earn badges in different areas, yet its more expansive as well. There are over 1000 badges that members can earn in topics ranging from art, science and tech, and outdoors, to world knowledge, history, home ec, and more. There are groups that complete the badges together (similar to Girl Scouts) or, as in our case, you can do them individually. We use this program as a way to learn about many different things that we wouldn’t have even thought of learning about! For example, Elodie explored Maedup (Korean knots), mythology, history of our flag, origami, first aid, and many more.
This week she’s completing the Peanut Butter badge, which at first glance might not seem important, but these are the topics explored — history of peanuts in the US, George Washington Carver’s life and role in popularizing peanut farming and use, nutrition of fat and protein, baking with peanuts/nut butter, geography of where they’re grown around the world, how peanut butter is made on a large scale, current events of why peanuts are a problem in tropical climates. I would have never thought to explore all of these topics, but now we’ll both learn so much more…and we’ll get some home baked peanut butter treats too. š
Beast Academy – Math is the one area I had no interest in teaching beyond basic counting, so I had to find a good program that we could use for many years. Beast Academy is perfect. It’s a rigorous math program that uses graphic novel-style “texts” and mildly gamified learning. By ‘mildly’ I mean that it looks colorful and engaging like a game, there are cute monster characters as the teachers and students, and as you complete activities you earn coins that can be used to create your monster avatar. However, this is not like a video games that ‘hides’ the learning within playing a game – the lessons are quite challenging. The program encourages mental math and using the math topic in a variety of abstract ways beyond rote math problems.
Evan-Moor Writing workbooks – Teaching how to write is difficult, especially since I don’t feel like a confident writer. After a few different curriculum, the evan-moor books have become my go-to. For each grade, they approach writing by starting with crafting strong sentences, then move on to paragraphs, then eventually longer pieces of writing in different genres. The layout is easy to follow and it is easy to apply the lesson to our own learning, so Elodie can write about what is relevant to her.
Books
This is a list of our favorite “learning” books that we’ve used specifically for introducing or understanding a topic. It does not include the many, many pictures books, chapter books, and novels we’ve read (another list will be coming soon!)
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne – Between first and third grade, we read almost every one of these! The series follows siblings Jack and Annie on their adventures back in time to solve a mission, meet real historical characters, and get back to modern time without getting caught. They are fun as a read aloud, but the simple writing is perfect for young readers too.
While the series is historical fiction, which mixes a real time period and events with real and/or fictional characters, the Fact-Checkers series helps distinguish between the fact and fiction. Many of the Magic Tree House books have a corresponding Fact-Checker book that answers all the questions that arise about the real events in the story. For example, we dove into topics such as dinosaurs, knights, Ancient Egypt, ice age animals, pirates (and so much more) by first reading the story then using the fact-checker book to learn more.
Folk tales and mythology books (so many to choose from!) – Elodie loves reading mythology and about mythical creatures. At library sales and used book stores we’ve picked up dozens of mythology books specific to certain countries or cultures, and she has also enjoyed the colorful compilations (pictured above). Elodie reads these for fun, but we also use them when we study individual countries – it’s a fun way to learn more about the history and culture of a place.
DK Visual Encyclopedias – These are beautiful encyclopedias that have clear, easy to browse layouts. Some encyclopedias have too much info with pages that are packed with little paragraphs, multiple boxes of info, tiny detailed photos, but these are different. These are so enjoyable to look at and have just the right amount of information to introduce a topic with some details, but also gives us the starting point to dive further into the areas of interest.
Who Was? Series (including Where Is?, What Was? series) – These books profile a significant person, place, or event throughout history or modern times with the perfect amount of detail for elementary age. Each book focuses on one person, place, or event, bringing history alive and making it relevant for kids. We occasionally use them as read-alouds, but mostly Elodie reads them on her own within an hour or two (so, they’re easy to read for 4th-5th grade) and then we discuss them. We’ve used these as stand-alone biographies, as part of the Curiosity Untamed badges (described above), or as a way to dive deeper into a topic we’re learning about (such as prominent people from the American Revolution).
Usborne Encyclopedia’s (the newer ones with a more open format): General encyclopedia, World History, World Religions – Similar to the DK Encyclopedias, these have an more open, uncluttered layout that allows the photos and information to be easily enjoyed. Each entry has additional internet links, such as videos or webpages with additional information.
Additional resources
Everand – A huge collection on ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, magazines, and more. (Get 60 days free with my affiliate link!)
Kern County travel museum membership– This membership gets 2 adults and up to 6 kids into tons of museums around the country that are part of the reciprocities – NARM (many types of museums), ASTC (Science Museums), ACM (Children’s Museums). Anyone can purchase this membership – you do not need to live in California, near this museum. This membership has been indispensable! We have visited dozens of museums around the country, including many smaller museums that we wouldn’t have found without this the reciprocity programs.
YouTube (of course) – We use YouTube almost daily for everything from quick questions to history docs to Minecraft shows.
Resources for MOM
The Brave Learner – Anything that your child is interested in can be used to learn about a wide range of topics..and anything can be a worthwhile topic to study (yes, even video games). This books shares many ideas about how to make learning relevant and interesting for your child, as well as fun ideas about how to make learning a lifestyle instead of a chore.
Home Learning Year by Year – I have referenced this book every year since Kindergarten. The book outlines learning expectations for each grade and is filled with ideas for topics, books, resources, and projects. I appreciate having a general guideline of what to focus on each year – I love learning alongside Elodie, yet it can be overwhelming to figure out what to learn about next! There are SO MANY interesting topics to learn about and SO MANY resources – this book helps me narrow down ideas to frame our general plans for the year.
Honey for a Child’s Heart– There are so many books out there. So many are great…and there is so much junk. When we go to a library, it is overwhelming to choose a new book to read! This book helps me find quality books from recent authors as well as classics. The titles include everything from board books for toddlers, pictures books, early readers, to novels for older elementary and middle schoolers. I wish I purchased this resource earlier!
Hello! Iām Amy. This is my little spot on the internet where I share about travel, homeschooling, getting creative, food and healthy living. By day Iām a homeschooling mom and Certified Nutritionist..by night Iām a knitter, collage artist, and herbal remedy maker. Thanks for being here!
