A great homeschooling book looks at ways to make time spent in the car into learning time for your kids.
Have you ever counted license plates with your children, or practiced spelling words while you were driving to and from various appointments, soccer games, or friends’ houses? If so, you were engaging in a form of carschooling, a new way to make the most of those hours you spend driving around with your kids.
Diane Flynn Keith’s book, Carschooling [Three Rivers Press, 2002], takes the everyday car-related activities to a new level. Why not make the most of those hours spent in the car and give your child a carschool education while you are driving?
What is Carschooling?
Says Ms. Keith, “This book is designed to help families discover inventive ways to make the most of time spent in the family automobile. I have gathered together the unique and creative ideas of carschooling parents, along with resource recommendations that can be used in the car for learning…on the real Information Highway!” [Carschooling, page 5].
Carschooling is a great book for the homeschooler and the traditional schooler alike. It is divided into subject sections, each describing a variety of activities that parents can do with children while they are riding in the car. Games and activities are included for ages 4 though 17, and examples of age-appropriate “carschool curricula” are given at the start of the book.
Ms. Keith also addresses common and practical concerns such as car sickness, items needed to successfully carschool, organizational materials, and even which types of vehicles are more conducive to this unique educational method.
Car Games and Activities
All subjects typically required by national school curricula are represented, from science and math to visual and performing arts, and even health and physical education. Ms. Keith also includes activities for “electives” such as current events, economics, and driver’s education and even some for “recess”.
Especially helpful at the start of each section, is the list of subject area-specific tools that should be on hand to enhance the activities. For example, resources for the science section include such handy items as binoculars, cameras and film, rubber gloves, a journal, and the Periodic Table of Elements. Each section has similar suggestions that are specific to the subject area.
Rest Stop Olympics, How Do They Make That?, The Car Mechanic’s Cat, and Skeleton Hokey Pokey are just a few of the over 350 activities included. All are appropriate for use in the car, but many can also be adapted to other forms of travel, or just for some backyard fun.
Homeschool Resources
Ms. Keith also includes a robust list of resources that parents can use to expand upon the ideas presented in the book. Many additional ideas can be found at the Carschooling site, where you can also listen to a radio interview with Diane Keith herself.
All in all, Carschooling is a great resource for parents looking to expand their children’s educational opportunities while making time spent driving around in the car both rewarding and productive.
Carschooling is available at your local bookstore or library, from Homefires.com, or at national booksellers such as Amazon. Pick up a copy and start making your carpooling time into carschooling time.
