Who around here spends a lot of time in the car? We sure do–whether it’s driving to lessons, classes, or activities or road-tripping in the summer. Today I’m sharing with you

6 Ways to School in the Car:

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Audio Books and Dramas

We have enjoyed listening to full books in the car. Some of my favorites have been Journey to the Center of the Earth, Treasure Island, The Secret Garden, and Mary Poppins.

I also love radio dramas such as those from Focus of the Family Radio Theatre (try out their The Chronicles of Narnia) and Heirloom Audio Productions (Under Drake’s Flag about Sir Francis Drake and For Freedom’s Cause about William Wallace and Robert the Bruce). For some fun character building stories, pick up the old standbys Adventures in Odyssey. The Truth Chronicles are really great. And for some audios produced by a homeschooling family about modern-day missionaries and their adventures, check out the The Brinkman Adventures.

Study Science and History

The Jonathan Park series has taught my kids so much about science, especially creation vs. evolution. I think we’ll start at the beginning again and listen to the whole set this summer! History is another subject which can easily be listened to in the car. The Story of the World and The Mystery of History both have their entire textbooks recorded.

Spelling Words and Mental Math

Find a list of frequently misspelled words online and use that list to quiz your kids as you drive around town. Take whatever math skills they are working on and have them practice mental math skills. Here are some books we’ve used that are just for that purpose: The Verbal Math Lesson set. We enjoy math/logic lessons in story form from the book 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math.

   

Worksheets

If you’re like me, you have quite a lot of digital curriculum stored on your computer. Find a subject or skill that your kids need some practice with and print out some just for car time. You might want to bind them with a thicker cover so that it’s easier to use on their laps.

Art Kits

For kids who love working with their hands, the car is a great place to do it. Find art kits or build your own. Usborne has some really fun ones. A couple of suggestions would be to put beads and pipe cleaners in a bag or get a set of Wikki Stix Traveler Playset and laminate a piece of cardstock to stick them to.

Another great choice is a drawing instruction book such as The Wonderful Art of Drawing Horses:

Interactive Online Curriculum

Interactive online curriculum means that everything you need is right there online, or downloaded onto your device (like an iPad or Kindle). I love Online Unit Studies. You really have to check them out to see how they are different than anything you’ve seen before.

Also, my music appreciation curriculum 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation can be used on your laptop computer or device. You read the lesson and then listen/watch the YouTube links of the music.

Or, you may want to try one of my music courses! They are perfect on a phone or tablet!

I know there are more ideas for how to “school” in the car. What do you do?