Feral Fridays: Feral Carschooling!

This post is written by our special guest, Wanda Vesana, the guru of the Feral Homeschooling movement that is sweeping the nation.  Wanda is the proud mother of two ideal children, son Silas and daughter Verna.  You can read more about her here.  Wanda generally posts here on "Feral Fridays."

What is "Carschooling"?  Diane Flynn Keith, homeschooling maven, uses the term in her book  "Carschooling: Over 350 Entertaining Games and Activities to Turn Travel Time into Learning Time - For Kids Ages 4 to 17" to refer to the devious art of making car time "educational".  This means turning time  kids would otherwise be spending poking each other and whining, "Are we there yet?", into educational opportunities.  Is it right to take such shameless advantage of their captive state?  I say, heck yes!!!  Now, you may think some restraint is in order.  After all, Ms. Keith recommends her methods not just to homeschoolers, who easily can complete a day's worth of classroom work in about an hour or so, but for school children as well.  Specifically those who spend a lot of time in the car (after a full day at school!) being shuttled from one extracurricular activity to another.  Having yet more lessons foisted on them in the car might seem to make them just a teensy bit overscheduled, you say? May I just remind you, "The devil gives work to idle hands!" I speak from experience.  The last time I gave Silas and Verna significant free time, the FBI added them to their "watch" list, and now the level of document forgery we have to go to in order to travel overseas is just ridiculous.  Free time is bad!

So, where to begin?  The obvious place is with your car itself!  If you're like a lot of homeschooling families these days, getting by on one income, you may have one of those "paid for" beauties that's worth slightly less than a pair of Stride Rite light-up shoes. If so, you're already freed from the constraints of preserving its resale value and your ride is an ideal candidate to become an Art Car!  Now, before you grab a can of spray paint, some plastic junk and some epoxy, and head to the garage, you must understand that the Art Car is a serious opportunity to create a moveable masterpiece, and would make a wonderful homeschooling project for the whole family. You can learn more about the proud American tradition of the Art Car by watching one of Harrod Blank's brilliant documentaries,  Wild Wheels and Automorphosis.  You'll feel challenged to find what really inspires your family and make your unique vision a reality!  Right now, Silas and Verna are working on how to fuse their visions into one vehicular magnum opus by combining his amateur taxidermy and her fabulous collection of sporks.  

How 'bout language arts?  Well, billboards are your friend!  All manner of silly word games can be made up to incorporate billboards and signs.  Searching for words that begin with each letter of the alphabet in turn, searching for specific parts of speech or consonant blends, etc. are all games that are easy to invent on the spot. You will doubtless be so excited to discover this resource, that you'll understand how important it is to mobilize against those misguided fools who want to preserve the natural beauty of our nation by imposing limitations on outdoor advertising.

As for math, what could be more natural?  Driving a car is already all about math.  Beginning with, "But when will we be there?", kids are ready to begin calculating distance and time, and then it's an easy leap to miles per hour ratios.  Next, try learning miles per gallon.  Set your trip odometer to figure out how many miles you get between fill-ups, and what the miles per gallon are for your car.    Here's a fun twist:  the next time that annoying "low fuel light" comes on, try getting the kids to calculate how many miles you can get on what's left in the tank.  Bring out the map and get them to calculate the furthest possible gas station you can drive to on your available gasoline, and go for it!  Learning doesn't get much more fun!

Let's not forget the stereo!  When they're strapped into the car is the perfect time to make impressionable young minds listen to educational music, not just songs about grammar and skip counting, but also music of deep cultural significance, such as the rustic folk songs of the ancient peoples of Cleveland.  Audiobooks are of course a goldmine for Carschoolers.  You can listen to all sorts of fiction and nonfiction and  language instruction in the car.  You just never know what will pop up on audiobook.  In her book, Ms. Keith points out that car time is also a great time for both adults and children to read books aloud. (For those books that are beyond your child's ability to read aloud themselves, don't overlook  those long, boring stretches of highway when you might as well read aloud yourself while driving.) And what could be more appropriate and inspirational than books about epic journeys?  She particularly recommends this gem, Patty Reed's Doll: The Story of the Donner Party.  That's right, a touching story for children, as told by a little girl to her dolly, about the Donner Party.  Ms. Keith says "the more horrific details of the tragic journey are not revealed."  I guess that means no cannibalism!  I'm eagerly awaiting more titles from this publisher to see if they can provide a cute story for children about the achievements of Attilla the Hun or the reign of Caligula.

Your real ace in the hole is with natural science.  If you and your kids spend a lot of time in your car, you may feel sad when your "greenie" friends rave about the time their family spends wandering around blissfully soaking in the beauty of the wilderness.  They may have stories about polishing their animal tracking skills, looking for tracks, scat, and other signs of animals passing by, and sometimes even catching an elusive glimpse of an unusual species.  Never fear!  In your vehicle, you have the potential to make their wilderness encounters seem positively pathetic.  All it takes is just keeping your eyes peeled and being willing to make a quick stop.  That's right, I'm talking about roadkill!  Not only can your kids get a good look at such unusual creatures as the nocturnal 'possum, the shy mink, and the elusive chupacabra, they can see both the inside and the outside of the creature! If you like to drive slowly, you'll likely spot more roadkill, but if you favor driving fast, especially at night, you may even get to squish some yourself! (And don't neglect the possibility of making artwork from what you find.)  In her introduction, Ms. Flynn shares this charming antecdote she credits to Carschooler Tracy D.:

"One of my favorte memories of carschooling was when my son and I were driving through the inner city of Austin, Texas.  We saw a vulture trying to eat an opossum road kill, but three mocking birds would not let it.  They dive-bombed and pecked the vulture whenever it landed near the carcass.  We just stopped the car in a parking lot and watched until the birds drove the vulture out of the neighborhood.  My son and I were fascinated... My son was inspired to write a story about the incident that he titled 'Goldy Vulture and the Three Mocking Birds.'"

You may think phys ed in in the car is a lost cause.  I've got just two words for you.  "Mailbox Baseball."


As Ms. Flynn says, "You can see that educational opportunities are abundant when you are in the car and on the road."  Amen, sister!  Stay Feral, everyone!