There are several advantages and disadvantages to adopting the digital nomad lifestyle. This is especially true if you have a family with school-aged children. So let’s see what you can do to guarantee a great education for your children while having a good time on the road. We’ll focus on worldschooling since it’s an opportunity that digital nomad kids have that many others don’t.
We’re going to start by examining what worldschooling is, how it differs from other forms of schooling, the major benefits and finally list a few worldschools and the top worldschooling projects that you may need to know about.
School-aged children might end up living the digital nomad lifestyle in a number of ways. They may be born to digital nomads and grow up in that environment, or a parent may opt to become a digital nomad and bring their children with them.
In contrast, some parents consciously select the digital nomad lifestyle when their children reach a particular age in order to intentionally provide their children with a different type of lifestyle and education. Some parents opt to do this for a year or two to enrich their children’s education, while others do it for the long term.
Worldschooling is an educational movement that understands that there is no better way for a student to learn than through experiencing and interacting with the world around them. Traveling together and using the experience to boost their child’s education is typically the case for families who are able to make it work.
While each worldschooling family is unique, some of the principles they frequently share include:
- A strong desire to travel.
- A desire to expose children to the larger world around them.
- A multifaceted approach to education.
- A tendency for hands-on learning to consolidate information.
- A requirement for freedom in developing children’s skills that standard schooling cannot provide.
It’s also vital to consider the different ways you can introduce your child to foreign cultures. Some families, for example, may go to another country and enrol their children in schools there with the purpose of exposing their children to a different culture and language. Others who have the time and finances may opt to travel to several nations with their children to get a broader perspective on the globe. Others may only be able to go across the world on occasion but will concentrate significantly on subjects such as geography, social studies, and of course, international culture.
Immerse yourself in different cultures
Looking for possibilities for your children is, in my opinion, the most enjoyable aspect of nomadic homeschooling or worldschooling. Forget about the school-style curriculum for a while and consider all the things your children could be doing if they were in the ideal situation to test them out, with free time unencumbered by the school or their parents’ work schedules. Our children have had the following opportunities.
- Cooking classes in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Borneo, and Sri Lanka.
- World champions teach high diving at Crystal Palace in London.
- Learning to kayak in Thailand on calm, clean waters
- Trekking through the Himalayas, discovering their inner and physical strength while map-reading and immersing themselves in physical geography.
- Learning to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef and learning about the ecosystem and its conservation problems.
- Volunteering. We volunteer to collect and categorize marine plastics. I’m confident you’ll discover something that suits you.
- Practicing how to scuba dive. On top of marine biology, climate, and geography, there’s a lot of physics.
- Stone carving instruction from an Indian master artisan.
Similarly, there must be an ideal location to study basket weaving, paper-making, ceramics, or painting. By traveling around the world, you may also find better, cheaper, more diversified, and entertaining things for them to attempt or master.
Follow their interests; what they want to explore, and what fresh experiences you can provide them. Don’t forget that by looking for these opportunities, they’ll be able to meet passionate people with incredible skills. Those people will act as mentors who will truly open your children’s eyes to the possibilities in life.
That is socialization in the actual world, as opposed to the institutionalised same-age socialization of public schools. Of course, you’ll need to create chances for them to socialize with other kids on a regular basis. We’ve found that taking them somewhere kids congregate is a good way to do this.
Here is a list of the top worldschooling projects you may find (sorted by continent)!
Europe:
Worldschooling Andalusia
Founded in September 2017 in southern Spain to give a space for our children to connect, develop, discover, and experience, learn and play with similar-minded friends all over the globe. And for parents to exhale, rest, catch up on work and meet up with other like-minded families. They provide a variety of courses, classes, cultural excursions, and regular meet-ups around the region.
Porto Grana Worldschool Hub
It’s a worldschool that is established to meet the unique requirements of homeschooled children and their families that live a nomadic lifestyle through roadschooling and worldschooling. It provides a nurturing environment for all youngsters who appreciate learning via travel. In fact, it’s a recreational studio featuring free internet, a library, basic gym equipment, musical instruments, an audiovisual lab, a tiny theater, and free bicycle rentals.
North America:
Camp Stomping Ground
This great school offers Summer camp programs for free-thinking and radically compassionate youngsters in the Catskill Mountains west of Binghamton, New York. Through restorative practices, their concept of nonviolent communication not only resolves but also embraces conflict.
Manitoulin Worldschooling Community
Located just outside of Toronto, Canada, it welcomes visitors and volunteers during the Summer. Over the last six years, they’ve developed a consistent core of regulars. The ad hoc community stresses harmony with nature and planet stewardship in a learning atmosphere that is welcoming to unschoolers. They also provide a wide range of outdoor sports and entertainment activities for the entire family.
ManitoulinWorldschooling@gmail.com is the email address to contact.
The monthly fee of $400 (as of the time of publication in July 2021) covers accommodation (tents and trailers) and shared dining. Volunteers that contribute to the community are paid on a sliding basis.
Latin America
Abraxas Fun
It’s a wonderful school located in San José Tzal, Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula, 12 miles from Mérida. Families from all over the world welcome other worldschoolers on the first day of their stay in Mexico to have companionship for their children and themselves. They are always actively seeking members and participants for the pilot program, which began in May 2019. It offers a variety of academic, cultural, and recreational activities.
Anahata Worldschooling
Everybody should try exploring the world via a community-focused lens in Yucatan, Mexico. This school is always inviting families to become a part of their welcoming community that emphasizes purposeful living, cultural exchange, discovery, and adventure. From June to August, this is an excellent opportunity to study Spanish while immersing yourself in Mayan culture. In fact, living in Ek Balam for 1-3 months at a time allows the children to grow and nourish themselves with a slower pace and few contemporary distractions in this amazing, tiny and picturesque village.
The Hive
In the Dominican Republic, you have another great place called ‘The Hive’. Whether you want to join their program for 6 weeks or an entire year, it’s up to you. The principle and vision are to provide education for living a wholehearted, purposeful life for worldschooling families who want to raise confident, competent, self-directed learners.
Since they allow young children, I am very inclined to go check them out someday soon!
Asia
Green School Bali
The Green School, which has been in operation since 2008, has garnered international recognition for its unique techniques and curriculum. This is a full-time private school rather than a worldschool hub, although it is of considerable interest to many worldschool families.
The major objective of the school is to prepare future leaders for global citizenship. The curriculum emphasizes environmental science, entrepreneurship, the arts, and ethics. Students learn to appreciate the values of accountability, honesty, sustainability, equality, and community, which are equally essential in academics.
Lombok Learning Village
Lombok Studying Village is an innovative school concept created to meet the special requirements and desires of children, adolescents, and adults living and learning on a tiny tropical Indonesian island. They make sure to provide learners with a holistic education that places equal importance on academics, skills, values, and wisdom with a focus on developing a love of the environment and a respect for other beliefs, cultures, and faiths. It aims to provide a secure yet rigorous atmosphere in which students may explore, experiment, create, discover, practice, and reflect. They aspire towards living and learning excellence via positive involvement.
There are, of course, more schools and worldschooling projects around the world – please leave a comment below if you think that we should add your project/school to our list!
