An Impromptu trip to the beach

If you've read our recent post Ghost Park then you'll know one of our absolute favourite things about home educating is the flexibility.

Our 4 year old would have started school this week, but insteady, we're continuing our chaotic programme of following what seems fun today, and today - we're here.

Being able to hop up and head out whenever suits you and the kids, at times when you know the interesting places to visit aren't going to be heaving with other people, is a gift that just keeps on giving.

It almost feels like that sensation of being awake in the middle of the night, while everyone else is sound asleep, feeling as if you've got the world to yourself, undisturbed. It's magical.

On Thursdays the 4YO and 3YO have ballet at 10:45, giving a decent amount of time for a gentle wake up, a proper family breakfast followed by a good block of morning reading, before bundling into the car and heading over to the dance session.

On this particularly sunny day, we drifted out of the lesson and sat around in the car park having a drink and a snack, watching the other kids and their parents clamber into their cars and drive away, wondering what we should do next.

Since we were halfway to the beach from our house, Marie suggested we swing by Tankerton and grab an ice cream from Scoops. (Not cheap, but damn good and generous portions. Also a very powerful motivator to get the kids to agree).

What resulted was a blissful hour of throwing stones into gently lapping waves, skidding up and down the promenade on balance bikes, and hunting for shells all topped off with a well-earned ice cream before driving back home in time for a late lunch.

Look mummy - AVION!
- The 3YO, pointing at the sky, having learned the word at Speedy Spanish on Monday

Marie and I were sat with the 1YO exploring the pebbles while the other two scooted around, and we chatted about our aims for the next few weeks to months, what we want to prioritise when it comes to our jobs, money, travel and the kids' education, and reflected on how far the kids had come in the last couple of months.

We both commented on how the flexibility of being able to pop to the beach at a moment's notice on a random September Thursday was an absolute blessing, and something we wanted to continue to provide for the children.

This is the holiday

In particular it dawned on us that this, what we were doing right now, is a holiday. It's exactly what we would do on a 'vacation', one that you might plan months in advance, to fit in with your work and school schedules, except we had just randomly decided to do it today.

This is what life is all about, finding those beautiful little moments and snatching them up before they disappear, and just enjoying them. We also discussed the idea of hiring or even trying to save up and buy a motorhome in the future, and upping sticks for a while - driving around the country, continent or even further, learning and living on the fly, because why the hell not?

We just need to figure out how to fund it...

Some people won't get it

It's hard to talk about this kind of stuff with other people, because the set routine of term time, half term, school holidays and homework mean that most people haven't even considered the idea of a more nomadic existence, if only for a few weeks or months at a time, because it simply doesn't work if you're tied down to conventional schooling.

Having a child in school means a lot of the decision making is done for you. You can't go to France next Wednesday when the fares happen to be really cheap, because the kids have school. You can't stay up tonight to see Jupiter at it's brightest, because you've got school in the morning. You can't just 'go away' for three days to an AirBnB near a beautiful lake that's a bargain because of low demand in the off season, because - guess what - they've got school.

All of these amazing options open up once you take school out of the equation, and it's exciting as parents to think of the opportunities and amazing experiences that we could provide for our kids while they're in the learning prime of their life.

We're still learning

We're not for a second suggesting that they would be taking random breaks from their education. Quite the opposite - every unique and quirky experience will only serve to strengthen and encourage their understanding of the world around them, and make for one hell of a story to tell.

The possiblities are endless.

They're also very expensive, which is currently the biggest barrier to us doing all this fun stuff - but we're working on how we can save up and afford little bits of joy as frequently as possible.

But for now, let's just enjoy this ice cream.