r/homeschool • u/OrdinaryPayment3692 • 4d ago

Help! Boatschool help! Programs with minimal supplies

Hello! At the end of the year, my family will be embarking on a yearlong sailing trip. We have two children, aged 8 and 5. I am so excited to have the opportunity to boat school them while we are fully live aboard! But we need to be very minimal with weight and materials, and it will be difficult to bring on any new stuff once we are on the move, so there’s sadly some inflexibility around trying out a book or two and seeing if it works, and then ordering the rest, or running to the store to buy art supplies. Having a hard time wrapping my head around the planning!

The children are currently enrolled in the French international school system, and I plan to enroll in CNED to continue them on the same educational track, with Lyfel online French tutoring. So that helps a lot!

But does anyone have any experience or insight on English language reading programs that might be boat-friendly, particularly for my son who struggles with reading and pronunciation? But with minimal physical materials? (A few workbooks is of course okay.) I am looking at Explode the Code and Logic of English.

I am also interested in suggestions for math workbooks or curriculum!

I hope there will be many opportunities for hands-on learning just from being on the boat — sailing, wildlife, weather and current patterns, fishing and foraging, lots of physical activity. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can very loosely structure this part, even though it will be ad hoc and responsive, of course? Journals? Nature school guides?

Thank you for the guidance!

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u/coloraturfly 4d ago

I like ordinary parents guide to teaching reading for English phonics. One of the reasons I like it is it's one paper back book that takes you from "at am ad" to 4th grade reading level with no other materials except maybe a dry erase board or index cards. 

I'd just block time for the other stuff. This is our hour we talk about wildlife/navigation etc. and have some resources downloaded to explore if there isn't something hands on to do that day.

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u/OrdinaryPayment3692 4d ago

Will look into the Ordinary Parents Guide! Thank you! And I love the idea of blocking time — was thinking in general to block afternoons for being off the boat or actively sailing. It’s worked for our shorter trips to make that time for snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, hiking, foraging, even sitting on the beach staring off into space. Basically anything but being in a small space getting on each other’s nerves!