9 minute read
Travelling Oz with Kids
Travelling Oz Travelling Oz with Kids with Kids
By Anthony Kilner
I first met Martene and Nathan Wallace and their three kids in early 2022, whilst on a caravan shoot. We found them on the outskirts of Melbourne in their brand new van, very excited to be heading away from Victoria and pointing the nose of the Cruiser bush!
The approach to schooling on the road was one that involved the whole family and was really tailored to making education while travelling fun and exciting. I have to admit when chatting with the kids, they were friendly and happy to talk. They had a keen awareness of the people and places they had visited and looking forward to more.
Martene and Nathan started up a website, www.freetoexplore.co, to cover their family’s adventures. There is plenty of fantastic real-life information regards touring Australia, as well as home-schooling and a blog that offers a range of hints and tips for anyone wanting to school on the road. We grabbed some of the information for this story from the blog, including some useful hints and tips.
Nathan, when did you guys leave home and when are you heading back?
“It was Australia Day 2020 when we said final goodbyes to our house and moved into a caravan half the size of what our pool used to be! The house was sold, along with most of our belongings and what was left went in the skip or storage. “It was tough to do at the time, yet we felt lighter for it. There was something uplifting about removing the things that sometimes pull you down.
“Moving forward, the plan is to sell our current setup at the end of this year and begin a new adventure in 2023. What that looks like we’re still not sure. We’d say there’ll be a stint of main-stream schooling for the kids, and then perhaps some international travel on the cards.
“We are a pretty spontaneous family, so we will see where the wind blows us.”
Martene, what prompted life of the road for you and your family?
“I missed my son’s first birthday, because I was working massive hours as a clinical nurse manager and it hit me hard. I realised I was never going to get that moment back. Therefore, I started to plan for a future that ticked all the boxes I wanted, one where life was
on our own terms. The people I loved were getting all the left-over bits of me, so I finally said enough is enough.
“I wanted to travel, I wanted adventure, I wanted time with my family and I wanted to live life on my terms. I wanted to make a change after following all the ‘rules’ for what I thought it was to be successful and ending up feeling ripped off. We knew something had to give and the kids were at an age where if we didn’t do it now, we would miss the opportunity.
“It was at this point our family began putting the wheels in motion to work towards a life that gave us all this and more.”
Nathan, how did you find teaching the kids and how did you see them bloom?
“It was rewarding, challenging and some days frustrating. We found it best if we had a routine to work to.
“We would do Monday, Tuesday and Thursday’s mornings. Both the kids and the parents would have to be ready by 8am, with consequences if you weren’t. For example, if kids were ready and parents weren’t, kids didn’t have to do school that day.
“Road schooling, whilst being tough some days when the ocean is calling, has taught the kids independence, resilience, and self-starting. It will set them up to live however they choose as adults. We have gifted them a skill set that should they want to be entrepreneurs, they’ll be miles ahead of kids who haven’t had the same experiences outside of mainstream school.”
Nathan, what’s it been like distance schooling in a caravan?
“We are super grateful for our huge club lounge giving us the space and there is nothing better than having nature as your playground. Experiencing different cultures and communities and enjoying different landscapes is wonderful.
“We have learnt to have good clear communication and to plan and organise during the constant change, which can regularly feel like chaos.”
We asked the kids, through Martene, about what they thought of their journey and coming to an end? The question was, “What’s your favourite thing about road schooling and going back to school?”
Matai - 9yo “The schoolwork is pretty easy really and then I get to play outside and explore. Going back to school is good. I’m excited to have friends. Going to places with friends and playing basketball.”
Matai preferred distance education, as it was more fun than home schooling. They get sad leaving the kids they meet all the time travelling. This really became an issue during the last 12 months.
Maisie – 12yo
“I like being creative and distance schooling lets me be really creative. I can pick my own projects and I like being able to do the work outside, sitting in the grass. I’m very excited to head back to school and to meet new people.” Maisie loved the ability that enabled them to travel and meet lots of people. However, she missed routine and friends.
Zali – 14yo - Teenage dirt bag “Some parts of it were cool, like going fishing. I wasn’t as keen on having to do the maths and English though!”
Martene, from memory Zali headed home to do sport?
“In 2021, Zali made the huge decision to go after her sporting goals and live with her Nan in Wollongong. In 2022 she made it happen. It definitely wasn’t an easy decision for her to leave immediate family and the travel life. However, she is a very driven and determined girl and can make anything happen when she sets her mind to it.
“The move has given her an opportunity to learn from other people, giving her independence and adaptability for later in life too.
“Each school holidays we fly Zali to wherever we are in the country and we spend a week or two together again as a family.
“Initially they loved it, but the joy of travel expired as they have gotten older. They want to go back to school and be with their friends. They loved meeting new kids but were sad have to leave them and move on. The first 12-18 months it wasn’t as much of an issue but, as they got older and we travelled longer, it was a bigger challenge for them.
“Matai’s challenge was that the curriculum it was a little too easy. Maisie loved the opportunity to pick her own projects in the creative space. Zali loved fishing and the elements, yet she found it more challenging to be disciplined to work on the subjects she doesn’t love as much.
“As time has gone on, they have craved more structure
and to be with their friends in a classroom. They want to be spoon fed more and enjoy the social side of school, plus they’ve missed after school sports.”
What advice would you guys share to prospective parents about hitting the road with kids for a big adventure?
“Do it while you can, when the kids are still young.
“The perfect time will never arise, so set a date to hit the road and do whatever you have to, to make it happen. You have the rest of your life to make more money, but you can’t make more time. There are so many people choosing to live life on the road with their kids, on their terms and it looks different for every family. Find what’s right for you and yours and just start. Everything is always figure-outable!”
Our Top Ten Tips for Teaching Whilst Travelling:
Create a plan together as a family Have routines and rules Be consistent Reward good behaviour Give breaks when needed Aim for morning schoolwork, after a good sleep Understand sometimes it’s just not a good day Don’t struggle alone, create a support network Take your learning outside Keep it fun
Here are four tools we find helpful:
A Shared Schedule: it pays to have the entire family on the same page with the schooling schedule. Make sure everyone feels heard and that the schooling schedule is agreed upon by everyone.
Rewards and Consequences:
provide rewards for making the right choices and consequences for not, just as a traditional school would. Keep It Fun: try making learning as much fun as possible by mixing up the medium of learning. Look at ways of incorporating schoolwork into your adventures or everyday life, such as using maths and budgeting to assist with weekly spending costs.
Take The Classroom Outside:
there are heaps of resources and lesson plans that link outdoor learning to the Australian National Curriculum, so make the most of the tools right on your doorstep! The Nature Play QLD Resource Hub is a great place to get ideas on how to do this.
Anthony is available for Dream Interpretations, 1:1 Readings and Bridging Realms Core Issue Vibrational Healing™ sessions.
Image Credit: Free to Explore, Anthony Kilner
