Christmas on the Road

How to incorporate Xmas tradition with a holiday vacation? No xmas tree, no lights and no white Christmas (except for the white foam left behind on the beach by each wave).

The one request my children had was to receive their stockings.

So that's what we did.

We loaded their stockings full of treats, both for the road and for xmas day indulgence.

We also gave them each something they could do, a project for Xmas day. Making sure it could be a  road friendly to-do.

Watching the sun rise was amazing. With our balcony facing the ocean we were able to see for miles out to the open sea. We watched the sun peak and blare it's radiate head along the horizon.

Even though the air was chilly, some of us chose to put our feet in the salty haven or pulsating waves.

We found a couple dead jelly fish, an injured duck and many friendly people who were also out for a holiday morning stroll.

Relaxing and napping was necessary. Swimming in the pool and relaxing in the jacuzzi was mandatory. Walking on the beach both morning and after dark with a flashlight was required.

What a fun day!

We Found the Sun!

 

We found the sun today!  It shown so bright and warm it was wonderful.

We had a relaxed travel day.

We incorporated into our day a couple road games.

Thanks to www.TheDatingDivas.com, I came across this free printable state license plate game.

We have seen license plates from NC, SC, Maryland, Vermont, Colorado, Georgia and more.  It made our 4.5 hour drive fun and interesting. 

No amount of electronics will deplete the joy of songs in the car.  I highly encourage old time songs or new ones for that matter, but singing together as a family reminds me of being a kid.

 

 The #4 Clue that we gave today led to the idea of swimming, sun and beach side.
The guesses were pretty right on.
We arrived a little late to our destination but we could hear the ocean waves.  That sound is magical.
This is on our balcony.  Such excitement from our girls.

Beach combing with a flashlight is a necessity. The wind was chilly and so was the water but excitement took over all senses.  Nature treasures are priceless. 

Merry Xmas everyone.  I hope your holidays are magical and memorable just like ours.

Clue #3 - Emerald Adventure

The girl's couldn't guess from this clue that we were going Emerald Mining.  Could you have?
It was fun anyway, it made them all think and they made lots of guesses.

We drove for a short ride today to Hiddenite, NC where we went gem mining. http://www.hiddenitegems.com/mining.html. 
Siera really wanted to find an Amethyst, she did.  Hana found a great piece of Emerald.  It was lots of fun.  We all have quite a collection.  Rubies, Garnets, Sapphires, Moonstone, Quartz Crystals, Rose Quartz, Emerald, Mica and many others.

Here's some pictures of our adventure.  This was an affordable adventure.  We could have spent more but were happy with our $5 buckets.  The rain stopped for our gem sluicing. 

Math on the Road

Math on the road can be really fun and handy.
My wonderful husband, came up with another way of keeping the kids involved in this adventure South.  We set up a daily budget, keep receipts and subtract through the day from our starting amount.  The kids took turns recording our expenses. Their awareness of how much it costs to fill the gas tank, how much it is to buy subs all became a reality.
We then rolled over the left overs into the next day. 

 

We had a long drive of 12 hours into the Tar Heel State of NC.  It rained most of our driving time.  Thanks to Red Box and electronics for keeping the kids entertained.  I had an amusing, comical road partner who sang songs from the 70's, 80's, 90's.  He was my personal stand up comedian and radio.
So thankful for a lovely day of happy travel.

We arrived at husband's cousin's house for a relaxing evening of hospitality.  Thanks Brian and Vaishali for letting our kids hang out and be goofy and for your holiday hospitality.

Searching for the Sun

This x-mas we are mixing things us a bit.
The past two years we've wanted desperately to leave the cold Northern temperatures and travel South for some warmth, beaches and sun.

The kids have finally been convinced that this is a super-fantastic idea.

So, how do we make Christmas, Christmas, without the tree with lights, and the presents on Christmas morning?

Here's the plan.
Each day the kids will open an envelope with a slip of paper in it that tells, hints or suggests the adventure that the day holds.  This was my husbands idea.  Love it!

I'm having fun writing them up, adding little picture clues, attempting my poetry and rhyming skills.

Intent

This blog may evolve over time but for now, I'd like it to include all the amazing adventures we go on as a family and the ways we learn at home.

I often find myself searching for motivation and ideas for general home learning but also for places to travel to, both near and far.


I have found that adventures to Gettysburg, Williamsburg, Washington, DC, beaches of NH and NC, Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY, Historical downtown Philadelphia and more have offered my children a whole world of experience that can't be gained through memorization or reading a book.  The personal travel experience is priceless which allows our family to learn together through adventure.

This school year we have been focusing mainly on Dissecting, Civics, Art & Writing.  Throughout this blog I hope to pass ideas, suggestions, and encouragement onto you and your family as you home school, choose curriculum and look for ideas.  I would also love to hear from you in return with your reflection and experiences.