Road Resources

It all started as a joke when one of the Roadschool 101 crew said “Why can’t we just play games all day?” The immediate reaction was that roadschool isn’t all fun and games. Or is it? What happened after that is 30 days of roadschool games. You heard it, the Road Trip Teacher and crew made an intentional pact to play a game together every single day. For a whole month!

As a fulltime Rving family, the Road Trip Teacher crew is always looking for fun but engaging games that are space friendly in our home on wheels. Every year about this time, we are on the edge of our seat  for the Fulltime Families Toy of the Year reveal. The 2016 pick is the award-winning ThinkFun game Gravity Maze.

What we especially love about this game is that it is designed to be a single player game. For this crew, that means if you’re done with your roadschool schedule for the day, you don’t have to wait for someone else to play. On the other hand, it’s also super fun to play with someone else. Because we are just a little lot competitive in this house, we are actually thinking of buying a second game to hold head-to-head challenges.

Our roadschoolers have already asked and yes, the Road Trip Teacher has confirmed! Gravity Maze meets the criteria for the science portion of a typical roadschool day in our rig. That’s a win-win for everyone!

For more details on how this game made it to the top of the Fulltime Families list, click here and you’ll also find out how to win yourself the 2016 Toy of the Year.

If you’re a traveling family and aren’t familiar with this camping club, visit FulltimeFamilies.com to find out why this is the most important membership in our collection!

Last year there were upwards of 400,000,000 online searches in the United States for “love”. That’s more than the U.S. population! It’s a reminder that so many people turn to the internet to answer their deepest questions. And it’s a sign of the enormous need that so many people are craving love – to love and be loved. Unfortunately, it’s also a great example that many, many people are looking for love in all the wrong places.

The answer to this is simple. We were all created in the image of God; therefore, we were created to love and be loved. In one of His greatest commandments, Jesus basically says “Love God and love others with everything we’ve got.” (Matthew 22:36-39)

The Roadshool Moms team arrived at a fulltime RV lifestyle on different paths; however, both Mary Beth (creator of Road Trip Teacher) and Kimberly (found of Fulltime Families) were led to life on the road by the goal to make their families a priority and to live their lives more intentionally. This week on the Roadschool Moms’ episode, the Roadschool Moms celebrate Valentine’s Day by their dish on How to Love Your Family Well in 5 Easy Steps:

Feed your family well. Now, this is figuratively as well as physically in our house. First, it’s important to feed your family well in the form of input into their minds and souls. After all, what comes in, must go out. Positive, loving thoughts and information that is fed into our family members on a daily basis will come out the same, in one form or another. In a physical sense, just small doses of extra effort here and there in the healthy eating habits of your family will also realize positive results. Today’s Valentine’s Day: If you were already making sandwiches for lunch, cutting them in a heart shape will take you from zero to hero in about 5 seconds flat!

Give your family the space it needs to grow. While it is so easy to try to control the outcome of every situation with a well-intentioned Mama’s heart, there really is something to be said for giving your kids and even your spouse, the room to grow and spread their wings based on their own thoughts and dreams. Providing them the love and support they need is just like Mother Nature providing the water and fertilizer needed to harvest good crops. Love is essential and space is required to grow and to flourish.

Make your family a priority individually as well as a family unit. This means that while we spend much of our time as a family, during our roadschool and in our daily routines. But there is also a time to intentionally spend one on one time with each member of your family. Just as Mom and Dad needs one on one time to see each other in a different light, so does each and every other member of the family. Dad needs time with sons and daughters. Mom time with each kiddos is equally important. Honestly, we have even started extended this family date time, if you will, amongst the siblings in our household. Nurturing a big brother’s relationship with a little sister reaps rewards as sweet as a Mother/Son breakfast date.

There is no substitute for time and attention. We’ve talked about one on one time and that is important. But loving your family well means making your time a priority by intentionally dividing your time for what’s real and what’s important. If you find yourself scrolling Facebook instead of reading to your littles, take the social media app off your phone. There are many facets to a Roadschool Mom’s day. Eliminate the parts of the day that really aren’t important to your family. Your days will be simpler. Your load will be lighter. And your family will be loved.

At the end of the day, tuck your family in with the security of your unconditional love. No matter what has happened during the day, it is important for each and every family member to go to sleep with the confidence and well-being that they are safe and they are loved. Tucking your family in at night will have different meaning in your household based on your family ages, routines, and traditions. But, ending each day with the knowledge that you are loved, wholly and completely, is a true gift to your family.

To listen to the Roadschool Moms’s 5 Easy Steps to Love Your Family Well, tune in to the February 14th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

This time of year can be hectic no matter what kind of lifestyle you enjoy. Many families on the road take time off to travel back home for the holidays or simply enjoy their surroundings for the season. No matter what your holiday schedule, the Roadschool Moms team encourages you to Roadschool through the Holidays. These are the favorite homeschool holiday resources on the RoadSchool Moms Approved list this year:

Language Arts & Cross-Curriculum Resources

Homeschool through the Nativity from Intoxicated on Life

All About Christmas from Meet Penny

Holidays Around the World from Teachers Pay Teachers

The History of Santa Claus from Lesson Plans Page

All About Rudolph from Mrs. Thompson’s Treasures

Christmas Vocabulary Puzzles from Road Trip Teacher

Truth in the Tinsel from Oh Amanda

Science

Christmas Science Labs from The Science Penguin

Christmas Nature Study from Our Journey Westward

Tie-Dyed Christmas Ornaments from Happy Hooligans

Math

The Twelve Math Days of Christmas from A2Z Homeschool

Christmas Math Facts from ABCya

Writing & Copywork

The Christmas Story Copywork from Mom’s Mustard Seeds

December Scripture Writing Plan from Sweet Blessings

Reading

Advent Book List from My Humble Kitchen

Christmas Chapter Books to Read Aloud from What Do We Do All Day

12 Christmas Books to Read to Your Kids from Stewardship

Art, Music & Other Fun Resources

Christmas Carols Music Study from Squilt Music

How to Draw a Reindeer from Busy Kids Happy Mom

Christmas Tree Chalk Art from Hodge Podge

Lego Christmas Projects from Frugal Fun 4 Boys

Many of the resources above can be used to homeschool across the ages of your roadschool. Here are a couple of other holiday roadschool resources we found that your middle school/high school teens might especially enjoy:

5 Days of Teen Christmas Ideas from Education Possible

Nutcracker Unit Study from Homegrown Learners

Holiday Math Activities from Lindsay Perro

To listen to the Roadschool Moms’s favorite resources used in their own roadschool during the 2015 holiday season, tune into the December 6th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

• Time  It doesn’t have to be a ginormous time commitment. Offer to read a book to another Mom’s kiddos for 30 minutes. Watch someone’s laundry for them while they run an errand. Sit down and spend 20 minutes with a single neighbor that would appreciate the time.
• Joy  Everyone can use a little bit of joy. It can be a favorite coffee, or a plate of cookies, or just a freshly picked bouquet of flowers to send the message.
• Compliment  This little token can go a long way. Verbally recognizing someone for their efforts or their commitment to something can make a real difference in their day.
• Smile  Sometimes just a smile and a kind word can really brighten someone’s day.
  

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  To listen to the Roadschool Moms’s talk about holiday gift giving in their rigs, tune into the November 29th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

  Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

Living in an RV requires daily routines that involve words like small, managable, and minimal.  Thanksgiving dinner, no matter where you cook it, has a tendency to be big! This week on Roadschool Moms, Kimberly and Mary Beth share their 5 Top Tips for whipping up Thanksgiving Dinner in Your RV and it involves two words:  Instant Pot!

1. Get an Instant Pot! If you don’t already own an Instant Pot, this is the time to seriously consider investing in this amazing kitchen appliance. Both Kimberly and Mary Beth were skeptical at first of one more kitchen gadget. But both are in agreement that it has transformed their RV kitchen and cooking routine for their families!
2. Gather your favorite Instant Pot Recipes. Thanksgiving day is not the time to experiement with new thoughts or ideas on how to make tried and true recipes in the Instant Pot. Roadschool Moms put together their Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipe Book to help guide you through the day!
3. Make a list and check it twice! Although living in an RV doesn’t always resonate with bulk food shopping or storing grocery items for days, this is definitely the week to find that extra refrigerator or counter space to do just that! Go through your recipes and make your shopping list. Ready, set, GO! (This is a great time to enlist the help of your roadschoolers in estimating the ingredients needed, actually handwriting the shopping list, and helping in the kitchen!)
4. Don’t wait until Thursday to get the party started! Do as much pre-Thanksgiving day planning and cooking as possible. If you already own an Instant Pot, now might be the time to go out and invest in an extra pot and lid for this already amazing kitchen appliance. Go ahead and cut up any vegetables for ingredients, such as celery or onions, a few days ahead and store them in containers. If you are making deviled eggs, boil your eggs a day in advance. (Just don’t forget to go ahead and peal the eggshells so the inside yolks do not turn green.) Every minute you spend before Thursday is one more minute you can take out of the kitchen to enjoy your family on this special holiday.
5. Share the Thanksgiving spirit. You don’t have to have come over on the Mayflower to share your Thanksgiving feast. This is a great time to be neighborly and take advantage of your nomadic surroundings. Sharing the cooking load with friends and neighbors takes some of the the heat off your kitchen and also makes for a memorable holiday meal. Kimberly and Mary Beth shared Thanksgiving dinner together during their first Fulltime Family meetup! It’s a great time to make new traditions and memories!

To listen to the Roadschool Moms’s take on an Instant Pot Thanksgiving Dinner in the RV, tune into the November 15th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

No matter where you are at in the country, fall is upon us. The Roadschool Moms team loves this season and the great opportunity for all sorts of natural learning activities that are a perfect fit for your fall roadschool plans. During this change of season, its easy to find all kinds of autumn related activities to incorporate into roadschooling lessons for all ages. Here are the Roadschool Moms 10 Favorite Fall Roadschool Activities. Just imagine all the directions your roadschooler can rabbit trail into learning more about the subjects they love!

Fall Leaf Collection. You can always take the old-fashioned fall leaf collection route and use it to study the changing of the season. Or, explore the reason why leaves change color in the fall. Our roadschoolers love science and this year we are doing an experiment to separate the colors in leaves.

Seed Projects. Collect and identify different types of seeds. This is a great reading project that can also incorporate lapbooking or notebooking to illustrate the different kinds of seeds that are produced by trees and how they spread.

Nature Hikes. A planned nature hike is fun any time of year but there’s something special about the crisp fall air and the discovery of all the things that change during this season. Road Trip Teacher backpacks have everything a roadschooler needs to collect, identify, illustrate, and discover nature in all its colored glory. It doesn’t have to be complicated. A nature scavenger hunt is a great place to start.

Apple Picking Field Trip. A trip to the local apple orchard can provide an entire day of fun for the whole family. After picking a bountiful harvest of nature’s sweet treats, there are all kinds of apple-treats that can be made and shared from your rig. Take it a step further and celebrate the story of Johnny Appleseed and see where that can take you.

Fall Math Finds. It’s hard to believe that math activities can be found in fall fun but everything from acorns to pumpkin seeds can be used for all ages to count, sort, estimate, graph, and otherwise explore.

Handwriting & Copywork. Fall is all about the harvest season and collecting some of the many verses in the bible about this time of year is a great way to recognize all the gifts of color that God gave us and how we can use these blessings from the harvest.

Fire Safety. October is fire safety month and a great way to make sure everyone in your family stays safe is to teach, talk, and repeat this important message.

Fall Art. All the brilliant colors of the season can be illustrated from your roadschoolers imagination with a chalk pastel art project. One of our favorite resources for this comes with everything you need to know from one of our favorite resources, Southern Hodgepodge.

Over the next few weeks, Kimberly and Mary Beth will be adding to this list for an even bigger variety of fun fall activities to keep your roadschool fresh!

To listen to the Roadschool Moms’ Eight Favorite Fall Roadschool Activities, tune into the October 11th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

Being the best parent you can be is a priority on all our lists. But, what is the best avenue to reach this goal? And, even after many years of structure, support, and unconditional love, how can you be certain that your kids will be successful at living independently in the real world? Tonight on Roadschool Moms, Jay Forte from The Greatness Zone joins the mix to discuss all the rights things to get your kids on the road to success.

To listen to the Roadschool Moms’ interview with special guest Jay Forte, tune into the September 6th episode of Roadschool Moms over atiTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

1. If you’re new to the idea of full-time RV traveling with your family, we understand you may not know where to start.  In “How to Hit the Road” and “Our Journey Journal,” these detailed steps are outlined to help families set a foundation of success for their adventure.  The Roadschool Moms duo gives an overview of the top five steps for getting your life off hold and on the road.The Big Idea.  Figuring out why this idea is attractive to you?  What do you find appealing about full-time rv travel? What is your motivation for researching this lifestyle option?  Once you have established that you are not in-fact running away from something (which doesn’t work) and have your priorities aligned you can move on to step 2.
2. People Prepping.  You may be the only one in your family who thinks full-time rving is a viable option.  The second step is making sure every one’s to on board.  Set aside some time to discuss this idea with your significant other and use this time to LISTEN to their thoughts about this transition.  Before you bring this idea up to your extended family and friends, you may want to listen to our show on Dealing with NaySayers and Negative Nellies.
3. Get Your Ducks in a Row
   A. Stop buying things immediately. Start out with a personal commitment to not buy anything for one week. After that accomplishment, vow to not buy anything for two weeks, and then one month, and so on and so forth.
   B. Start purging. Weeding out unnecessary, unused, and unwanted items is a never ending process in this lifestyle. Begin with small areas, such as a single drawer or a specific cabinet. It gets easier each time. The more items that are pared down now, the less that will have to be dealt with later.
   C. Get out of debt. If you have debt, work hard to get out of it. We suggest Dave Ramsey’s FPU, a great program for families with debt.
4. Set a date.  The date motivates!  Come up with a reasonable launch date and post it everywhere! This will give you an opportunity to take baby steps toward your goal in an intentional manner.  A goal with no date is just a dream. A dream with a date becomes an inevitable reality.
5. Come up with a money plan.  Assess your current sources of income and determine if any can be modified to a location independent opportunity.  If not, come up with location independent income stream.  Several shows dedicated to this topic exist over in the Roadschool Moms archives.  Mentoring services to families seeking the transition to a full-time rv lifestyle are now being offered by Kimberly Travaglino, onwer of Fulltime Families.  Together with Kimberly, you can come up with a lucrative independent income stream that can fuel the adventure of a lifetime. Kimberly only takes three clients in a season. If you are interested in more details, head over to fulltimefamilies.com/mentoring to complete the contact form.

To listen to the Roadschool Moms’ five quick steps on getting your life off hold and on the road, tune into the August 30th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.

As a fulltime traveling family, we find no shortage of amazing things to do and fabulous places to visit. What we do have to remember in our quest for the next adventure is to be fully aware of the costs involved in everyday life on the road. Our roadtripping family tries to have a “money-free weekend” once a month or so just to remind ourselves that it doesn’t always take a dollar to make the day special. It’s also a great way to save a few bucks during the monthly budget!

1. Enjoy a Roadside Attraction.  Have you taken a stroll down the Hatfield/McCoy Feudin’ Trail or taken a family photo with the world’s largest ball of paint? Go to RoadsideAmerica.com for literally thousands of locations across America that you can plan the most bizarre road trip ever!
2. Visit the Local Library. We can’t stress enough how much of an awesome roadschool resource the public library is! Many programs and opportunities can be found right at your fingertips by entering your current location at this government site or scrolling through the listing by state at PublicLibraries.com.
3. Go for a soak. Imagine a soak in a hot springs or a jump into a swimming hole. While swimming in natural places can often be dangerous, caution and common sense can reduce the risk. Find the perfect place to get wet at SwimmingHoles.org.
4. Take a mystery field trip. Click on Family Day Out to map out the roadtrip to fun. Thousands of family friend locations are listed across the USA so that family fun can be found in any area.
5. Hunt for treasure. No matter what your booty, be it gold, gems, minerals, fossils, or rocks, a search site is easy to locate at 42Explore.com! Rockhound anywhere in the country for a whole lot of free family fun.

To learn more ways to find free family fun, tune into the August 9th episode of Roadschool Moms over at iTunes!

Roadschool Moms is a live, one-hour weekly broadcast dedicated to the needs and challenges facing today’s roadschool moms. Kimberly Travaglino, of Fulltime Families, and Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, team up every week to offer listeners a fresh take on homeschooling while traveling full time, working in current events and featuring a mix of expert guests.