December Monthly Updates

ROAD SCHOOLING TIPS!

Homeschooling looks different for every whānau — and for some, the freedom it offers becomes an invitation to hit the road and learn through real-world experiences across Aotearoa.

Road schooling allows families to:
Explore the country together
Learn through museums, DOC sites, historical landmarks, and local communities
Build flexibility into their days
Follow interests as they arise — from geology to local history to wildlife

For many, it sounds like an absolute dream… but taking the leap can feel a bit daunting!

So we’d love to tap into the wisdom within our NCHENZ community:

Do you road school (or have you in the past)?
Please share your tips, advice, and must-knows!
Here are some ideas you could comment on:

How did you make it financially workable?
How do you decide where to go and how long to stay?
How do you keep learning flowing while travelling?
What practical things made life on the road easier?
What were the biggest challenges and best moments?
What would you say to a family dreaming of road schooling but unsure how to begin?

Your insights could really help another family make informed, confident choices about this lifestyle of learning.

We can’t wait to hear your stories! Email them to info@nchenz.org.nz

Responses so far:

We have been on the road for 3.5 years now and have an 8, 5 and 2 yr old. We follow a Charlot Mason curriculum and found it is really complimentary to the lifestyle. We also incorporate a bit of modular learning and we are very mindful of asking kids questions around where we are, what they see. So things we have learnt
1. This lifestyle really feeds into our children's natural rhythm and being flexible and realizing 9 to 5 is not what we naturally want to do. Some nights we stay up late to learn so we sleep in the next day. Some mornings we up early for the sunrise. Being flexible is really key
2. As mentioned museums, libraries l, art galleries. My kids love it.
3. Scavenger hunts if you want to keep kids engaged. We even do these on hikes, in cities, in a gallery.
4. Having mandatory quiet time in the afternoon. At least 30 min of reading, listening to audio book and maybe a nap if we lucky.
5. Creating opportunities to learn by asking the kids what they think about that volcano, or why do they think the mud is doing "bubble farts". Not a quote from my son
6. If things go crazy, get outside in nature. A bike ride, a hike, a blanket with some toys in the shade. It helps everyone reset.
7. Get an NZMCA membership. Really helps with keeping cost of accomodation down
My husband and I have a laundromat and campervan business. Most of the year it is remote. I work remotely 15 hours a week.
We don't plan details, we plan which region to head to. I know you dont get badges anymore but we look up kiwi guardian tracks to know where good trapping options are. We plan our stays with no longer than 2hour drives as with pack up, travel, school, work, and setup time we find 2 hours is a good balance. I look up things to do with young kids online and we pin it on maps. We then go with the flow and plan a day in advance depending on the weather or if we meet new friends.
We have structured learning blocks, however most of the time we spontaneously fall into learning. Good example was when we were in Cromwell last year during the solar storm. We got to have the older kids up and see the southern lights and talk about the science behind it. We also motivate the older ones to do their work before we go on an outing. That often works well.
practical things. We have a winter bag and a summer bag that we keep in the car so we can do spontaneous swim or drive up the mountain etc. We always have fruit and other grab on the go snacks and water with us. Hiking backpack for baby.
Biggest challenge is finding time for my husband and I to have adult time and conversations. The kids are always with us. Greatest memory - so many but main one is watching my kids become best friends and how their confidence has developed over time. They obviously fight sometimes but it doesn't last too long.
If you thinking about it I would say just take the leap. There are hard times and challenges are different. Like where is the next dump station or how long will my water last but I cannot imagine anything better than the quality time I have been able to have with my husband and kids. We will eventually get a home base again in future as we went all in and sold out home and possessions when we started, but we intend to continue traveling indefinitely.

I've been worldschooling with my three daughters now aged 15, 13 x 2 for the past three years.
Our health isn't good in NZ especially in winter so we've headed to Asia for between 3-7 months per year.
We haven't figured out how to make it work for our whole family, so my husband stays in NZ with our dog. This is a big negative for us but we make it work because of the huge benefits we get for our families health and education.
I work part time and was also studying last year.
When we travelled for 7 months, we returned to NZ with savings. We averaged $2,000 per month for four of us. This excluded travel insurance and the initial flights to and from Asia.
A key is to be flexible. I find cheap flights over there from NZ.
Also, we usually stay 1 month + in each place. This saves us a lot as we can negotiate lower accommodation costs and transport between places costs a lot in time and energy.
We did two 'Workaway's, one for a month and the other for two weeks. We painted murals in exchange for accommodation. This is difficult to do with kids, so I'd recommend house sitting.
This year we had 6 weeks pet sitting in Hoi An, Vietnam. There is a wonderful home schooling community there with so many activities.
We return to some of the same areas because we have friends there and know where to get what we need instead of starting from scratch each time. We also explore new cities and countries.
We treat our life like living in another location rather than as a tourist; trying to cram as much in as possible. We don't try to replicate our NZ life. So we mostly eat local food etc.
We have a semi structured day with 'field trips' and activities interdispersed depending on where we are and what we're doing.
It's not always easy but for us it has been worth it!

We started roadschooling a little over a year ago in a caravan, exploring New Zealand. It has been a crazy adventure that we hope to continue for a few more years. My kids are 12 and 14, and we use an eclectic schooling approach.
How did you make it financially workable?
We are fortunate that my husband works remotely. We have a Starlink satellite so that he can work from anywhere.
How do you decide where to go and how long to stay?
We try not to travel more than two hours from where we are. We search for museums and other things to do in the area. We mainly stay at NZMCA parks or park-over properties and especially love being on farms. We usually stay for 1–2 weeks in a spot, but if we love it, we stay longer. I don’t plan more than two weeks in advance because we also keep an eye on the weather.
How do you keep learning flowing while travelling?
We do bookwork either in the morning or afternoon, depending on what activities we want to do. We try to meet up with friends as often as we can. I buy all our curriculum digitally. I have a printer in the tunnel boot so I can print out each week’s work, and when it’s done, I scan and save it. That helps reduce weight in the van. We also have a Kobo and Kindle for reading. I subscribe to their monthly plans because we all read a lot. We also use audiobooks in the car or on rainy days.
What practical things made life on the road easier?
I keep everything in baskets for easy access and quick tidy-ups. We have lots of board games for rainy days (Ecosystem, Cytosis, Valence, etc. are great and educational). We always have snacks and water with us. We also keep hiking boots, water shoes, and togs in the ute for any spontaneous adventures.
What were the biggest challenges and best moments?
The biggest challenge was just starting. We had never camped or been in a caravan, so we watched loads of YouTube videos and used them as inspiration. It was hard selling our home and belongings, but it was also freeing. I never realised how little you actually need to be happy. We have grown even closer as a family. Every place has been an adventure, and I love seeing everyone grow in their own way. My biggest advice: don’t buy anything until you know what you actually need.
What would you say to a family dreaming of roadschooling but unsure how to begin?
If you’re in a position to make it work, do it. Join roadschool/worldschool groups and talk to people who are already doing it. Know why you start on this journey so you can hold onto it on hard days.