A couple has left their UK home to travel Europe in a van, ‘roadschooling’ their kids on the way.
Kate Hennessey Bowers and her husband Danny started homeschooling their children, Edith, 7, and Clarence, 5, two years ago, but have since decided to move out of their Staffordshire home and into a converted minibus.
The pair transformed the bus into both their home and a school for their children, enabling them to educate them on the road.
They added a miniature library and whiteboard to the space, as well as beds, a kitchen and a living area.
Now, the family is travelling around Europe, with Kate and Danny teaching everywhere from the woods and on the beach to a museum and in their own tepee tent.
There’s also a table that serves as a school desk, which can be removed when driving, and plenty of storage for things like workbooks, crafting kits, board games, Lego, journals, maps and jigsaws.
Kate, 36, who works as a freelance consultant said: ‘It’s something we have been intending to do for quite a while.
‘It’s still early days but so far it’s what I expected really. There are highs and lows and niggles, but equally, it can be so serene at times.’
Kate and Danny, who are currently renting out their old five-bed detached home back in the UK, bought and refurbished the van at a cost of roughly £10,000.
‘We now live very frugally, but it’s a very rewarding way to live,’ said Kate.
‘We had to declutter and get rid of a lot of things, but that process has been going on for a while now.
‘With regards to toys, we have had a one in, one out system for some time, so for every new toy that comes in they donate an old one to charity.
‘Due to lockdowns, people assume homeschooling means not mixing with other children but in my experience, it is actually more sociable than mainstream school.
‘We have a really busy schedule, staying in campsites run by other home educators and doing activities and things with other children and families all the time.
‘It definitely gives the kids a deeper connection with themselves and also with nature and the community too.
‘They aren’t learning about history from a textbook. Instead, we go to visit the castle itself and learn that way.
‘Cooking has become much more basic – it’s all one pot meals really, but we also have an outdoor fire pit which is useful.’
While there are some things they miss about home, Kate is excited for their future on the road.
‘Of course,’ Kate said, ‘we miss our friends and family back home, but they do come to visit.
‘Edith sometimes says she misses her old bedroom, I think she probably had the biggest bedroom in the house, but they are enjoying this new adventure just as much as us, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.’
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