Global Groovin'
Groovin' With The Woke Folks
World-Schooling Is The New Home-Schooling
You probably know some families who choose to home-school their children. Home-schooling parents report that they educate their kids at home for many reasons - some of the common ones are: so that children learn important life-skills, so that children enjoy the learning process more, so that the family can spend more time together, and so that the kids have more time to explore their other interests.
World-schooling is an increasingly popular form of home-schooling where families learn while traveling together. The idea is that most of the education takes place outside of formal lessons. Also called road-schooling, this form of learning taps the wealth of resources found in the environments and cultures of destinations the traveling families visit.
The World Is Your Classroom
It’s not just a saying! Experiential learning is proven to be very effective. Being immersed in an experience opens us up to deeper levels of comprehension. Parents who expand the classroom to encompass more of the world know that they’re providing their young ones with a wider range of experiences and information than the kids might receive if they were living and learning in one place.
The parents believe that these experiences will benefit their children in both the short and long-term. World-schoolers profit from incidental learning - learning without a specific goal or aim in mind. Students gain knowledge about whatever inspires them along their journeys instead of sticking to a pre-determined lesson plan.
Practical Application
Kids feel empowered when they can immediately apply the new lessons they’re learning. They know that what they’re spending their time mastering is valuable and can be used in real life - versus the common refrain of “when am I ever going to use this?” that can be heard echoing through public school hallways.
Students can learn math skills while helping to plan a food budget or coordinate travel times. They’ll likely feel very connected to their history lessons when they’re literally standing in the sites that they’re also reading about. A world classroom provides all sorts of amazing learning opportunities.
Take An “Edventure”
Let’s face it - most children don’t feel excited about sitting at a desk for a majority of the day listening to adults talk at them. Parents know that receiving an education is so important to the future success of their children. World-schooling is a solution that meets kids’ needs for stimulation and activity and parents’ needs for ensuring that their young ones learn valuable skills and information.
“Edventures” are adventures that families embark upon that emphasize both exploration and education. For example a family might visit a park or natural area where they trek and camp but also spend time focusing on learning about ecology of various biomes or on expanding literary skills by reading literature written about the area.
Outside The Box, Into The World
World-schooling is a lifestyle that works for families who are excited to step away from the norm. It emphasizes being present in your surroundings, taking advantage of the learning opportunities that surround you each day, and creating time in your family’s schedule for adventure.
How does your family learn from the world as its classroom? Share some of your most memorable world-schooling experiences (formal or informal) with us in the comments below.
Image Credit: World-schooling family photo from http://worldschooladventures.com/ where you can follow the edventures of an unschooling family.
Amara Evans is a vibrational healer, collective consciousness-raiser, writer, and devotee of the Goddess. She loves to connect with her global community through writing about important topics like the environment, spirituality, and fair trade.
4 Travel Must-Haves For Modern Moms
Moms on the go, we’ve got to hand it to you. It takes a lot of coordination, a lot of patience, a lot of strength, and a whole lot of love to travel with your family in tow! Proper preparation and the right attitude can make your trip a joyful experience for everyone. Here are 4 must-have items we hope will make your journey a little smoother so you can focus on keeping all your ducks in a row.
A Waterproof Toiletry Bag
Not having one of these has ruined many a mother’s day! Imagine arriving in your hotel after a long day - or days - of travel with the family and opening your suitcase full of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and personal items to find that everything inside is saturated with shampoo or worse still with some sort of body oil.
Finding a way to immediately wash all of your clothes in a new place can be time consuming and especially stressful when you’re wondering whether or not you’ll need to get rid of some or all of your gear. Plus who wants to start a new adventure by doing laundry?
Believe us, we understand that if anybody can handle a gooey mess it’s a mom - but why go there when you don’t have to? Some sloppy disasters are avoidable. Using a waterproof toiletry bag like Global Groove Life’s Sac-de-bain will keep any unexpected explosions or leaks contained and protect your belongings from being stained or ruined.
Entertainment for All
Sometimes the thrill of exploring a new place isn’t quite so … well, thrilling for everyone in the family. If the little ones aren’t interested in seeing another museum or site they may love to go play in the park or have a family dance party at the beach. Playing some music they’re familiar with can create a sense of comfort in an unfamiliar place.
GGL has just the solution - the Boozik iPad Portable Bamboo Amplifier! It’s so easy to carry with you and takes little to no time to set up... it’s cordless and battery-free. This sustainable speaker is made out of bamboo. It sounds great and is lightweight - the perfect combo for travel!
If the family is ready to take a break on a rainy day or if one of the young ones (or one of the adults) is feeling homesick or down use the Boozik bamboo amplifier to watch a favorite movie all together to lift everyone’s spirits.
A Bag Identifier
If you happened to buy black suitcases - which is totally silly but still somehow seems like a good idea sometimes - then you’ll need a way to quickly identify which ones belong to you at the airport, bus or train station. GGL has several unique options of bright key rings to help you!
A favorite is this Pom Pom Keychain - it’s cute, it’s colorful, it’s fluffy! Most importantly, it’s hard to miss! Even if you don’t have a generic looking bag, our pom poms and tassels make it super fast and easy for you to quickly locate your luggage in baggage check even if there are a lot of distractions. Easily identifiable bags don't get stolen as often either. Win - win!
A Carry-All Bag
Let’s face it - you’re going to be carrying more with you as a travel mom than you would if you were going solo or traveling with other adults. Even if your kids carry their own clothes, water, and ways to entertain themselves there are still important documents, snacks, and those essential items that you’ve learned never to leave home without.
That means you’re going to need a bag that’s large enough to tote all those goods around with you. And you’re going to want a bag that helps you stay organized and looking stylish. GGL’s Retreat Bag can hold it all!
The retreat bag is the perfect combination of style and function. It features an internal zipped pocket for extra orderliness and two external zip pockets for easy access to items you need on a regular basis. The Retreat Bag has an easy-wipe lining (just in case) inside the stunning Flower of Life patterned exterior.
Traveling with your family is an amazing way to share growth experiences, explore the world, and learn about each member of the family together. We salute all of the modern moms (and dads, too!) who are making this happen and sharing these precious gifts with your loved ones!
We hope this article made your trip planning just a little bit more fun and easy. What is your number 1 travel must-have? Share in the comments!
Amara Evans is a vibrational healer, collective consciousness-raiser, writer, and devotee of the Goddess. She loves to connect with her global community through writing about important topics like the environment, spirituality, and fair trade.
One week in Chiang Mai: Exploring culture
Culture…. Here in Chiang Mai, it can mean a myriad of things. The variety is one of the things I love most about this city. You have the Thai culture of course, but then you also have the local Burmese population that brought our dear friend Adun to Global Groove, the hill tribes that produce so many of Global Groove's projects, the expats - like founders Greg and Gina themselves, and the backpackers like me. All of these people are living in and around Chiang Mai, but living completely different lifestyles.
During my whirlwind adventure traveling Southeast Asia, I've found it particularly interesting to watch myself mold into one of the cultures I've discovered. While I was in Indonesia for example, I spent most of my time with the locals and started to take on some of their practices like singing randomly in front of people, and enjoying a spicy meal in the morning. When I was in Myanmar, I didn't get the chance to settle down anywhere, so I identified with the backpackers, and finally took to heart the meaning of the phrase "always packing." Now that I've been in Chiang Mai for two weeks, I'm still a backpacker, but I'm starting to feel like I'm living the expat lifestyle.
Expat lifestyle
So what does the expat lifestyle mean exactly?
With the Global Groove team at least, it means being open to new experiences. This also means being constantly on the go, because not only is there so much to do and see in Chiang Mai, but there are so many people to meet!
When I think about the adventure and excitement that comprise our daily lives here, I can't imagine running a business any other way. It's the unpredictability of living in Thailand that keeps us on our toes, the inspiring stories and kindness of the locals we work with that keep us passionate about the products we're selling, and the excitement of discovering something new nearly every day that keeps our wanderlust satisfied.
Of course, Gina's been living in Chiang Mai for ten years now, so maybe my new discoveries come more often than hers, but it's incredible how often I still see that twinkle in her eyes. There's always something magical about living in a foreign country - no matter how long you've been there.
Everything is an adventure
To give you an idea of just how dynamic the expat life in Thailand can be, a simple errand to buy material for our Zafu Meditation Cushions is always an exciting trip to the market, which is hot and crowded, but full of colorful fabrics, jewelry, and most importantly…delicious street food. I didn’t see it as work, so much as a cultural experience. Gina's been to the market a thousand times, but by now, not only does she know where to find the best iced mocha in the market (and the best in Chiang Mai, she claims), but she's gotten to know the fabric shop keepers. She knows that the lady at the zipper shop will try to overcharge you, but it's all in good fun, because Gina has the system down.
Gina buying fabric at the market
The market
Best iced mocha in Chiang Mai
The community
What makes expat culture so special in Chiang Mai, is that there are plenty of other expats around who understand this crazy lifestyle. There is a huge community of foreigners - all of whom thrive off of the culture shock that living in Thailand brings. These people are not brought together by their nationalities, but by the mere fact that they are not locals. That's why you'll often find nationals from around the world all hanging out in the same house.
One thing I absolutely love about expat culture, is how easy it is to meet one another. Gina and I attended a barbeque the other night (yes… a barbeque in November) where she only knew two people. But that was completely normal. Most other people there had been invited by one person who knew another person who knew the owner of the house. We were all strangers at the beginning but we walked away with new contacts. I had even been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner by someone I'd met only five minutes earlier. People are just friendly.
Not only do members of this community "get" why their fellow expats have all decided to uproot their lives to move to a foreign country, but they have a similar global mindset. If there's anything I've noticed about the other expats living in Chiang Mai, it's that they care. They're well informed about international news, they are mindful of their social and environmental impact, and they support fellow expats' socially conscious work, whether that mean's supporting a non-profit, or running a fair trade business like Global Groove Life.
CityLife Festival - a fundraiser for a local nonprofit
The expat culture is just one of a number here in Chiang Mai, but it's thriving. It's the kind of community that fosters inspiration, motivation, social responsibility, and creativity - all of which I think are key in making Global Groove Life the well-rounded business that it is. I feel lucky to be joining in on the fun this month!