When homes and the world serve as classrooms
The Mattsons have criss-crossed the globe with their geography, math, music, foreign language and reading lessons in tow. They have traveled as far north as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and they spend at least one month each year in mother Angela's native Germany, breathing life into the couple's dual-language approach to instruction.
...homeschooling doesn't just open doors to learning through interstate or intercontinental travel. A trip across town or a segment on the evening news can often serve as opportunities to apply formal lessons. And because homeschool parents are so involved with the formal academics, they're well equipped to make connections to the outside world.
"When the news is on, they want to know, 'Where is Iraq?'" Paul Mattson said. "You take out the globe, talk about politics, talk about oil, talk about the Tigris and Euphrates, the history of Mesopotamia. All that comes from 'Where is Iraq?'"
