The number-one question people ask, right after they say, "And you guys are taking the kids with you?!?" is, "Will you homeschool?" Short answer: yes.

Then come the specifics: are you teaching the curriculum they'll be missing at school? Are you bringing a bunch of books? Will they have to pass some kind of test to return to the school system? Short answers: no, no and no.

But the real question people want to know is, what will the kids learn on the road? And that answer is, we don't really know.

We do know that math will be their most structured subject, and will hew the closest to what they'd get during the course of their school year. We're lucky the kids have excellent math teachers at their current school, and they have provided us with an outline of topics they'll be covering in class. Armed with a couple of online texts and the Khan Academy, we should end the year in pretty good shape, math-wise. 

Science will be a recurring theme during the course of the year. We'll have lots of chances to talk about evolution in the Galapagos, explore the Scientific Method all through Europe (Kepler, Galileo etc.) and even talk about the roots of modern medicine in Greece. We'll also get to see many different landscapes, from the active volcanoes in Iceland to the fjords in Norway, see how climate change is already affecting communities in a variety of ways...the opportunities to see science in action are endless.

Pretty much everything else we're lumping under the umbrella of Humanities. And even during our summer "break" we've had them researching our destinations and writing about the relevant history, arts, literature and innovations. With three kids in three different grades, we're not looking to replicate what they'd learn this year at school, but rather to introduce topics they'll come back to year after year, and show how those topics manifest, echo and spread in the various places we visit.

And from a purely practical standpoint, one of the most valuable things we plan to focus on is teaching self-sufficiency: how to navigate around a city, advocate for yourself when communication is limited, keep shared space clean, manage possessions, screen time, laundry, nutrition, the list goes on. And once Adam and I figure that out, we'll work on getting the kids on board too. ;-)

All this sounds great in theory--we'll keep you posted on how it goes in practice. More soon, we promise.