Schooling

A lot of people ask what will happen with Liam's schooling during our trip. Well, we're just going to let him have a break for a year. Joke. Whilst we're sure that Liam would love that, we have done some planning. Liam was 11 in August and was in year 7, so the rest of his class were aged 12+ and some of his school work was being taught at GCSE level. He was also doing really well, top in English and Maths so we do not feel that taking a year out of traditional school will adversely impact his education. We have secured the Key Stage 3 coursework and workbooks to cover years 7, 8 and 9 for Maths, English and Science. Liam will be working through these as well as using educational software loaded onto our laptop. Liam has been closely involved in the planned itinerary which has given him the opportunity to collect materials and help plan experiences, that will increase the educational value of the trip. He will be continuing his journal, and contributing to this blog, so that he can keep in touch with friends and family; so that the transition for him when we are back in the UK will be less challenging. He is an avid reader and as well as taking a supply of books and picking up more as we travel, he enjoys listening to audio books on his ipod. We will cover history, geography and language subjects according to the destination. We will encourage independant and interactive learning through visiting science museums, galleries, aquariums, historical sites, national parks, performances, nature trails, special exhibits, etc. Also, we will be visiting some of the most amazing places and this will fuel questions and discussion. Liam's old English teacher is also sending us the lesson plan for the next book they are doing ("Holes"). Finally we will encourage him to mix with children his own age; he is keen on mountain boarding and we are hoping for some opportunities for this along the way. We'll post about our progress.