Trailmix And Textbooks

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Trailmix And Textbooks

✏️ Roadschooling Mama
🚐 Learning on the move with 2 curious girls
📚 Nature, history & real-world lessons
🌲 Hiking trails > textbooks

01/13/2026

In case you missed it…
We had such a great time at the pin trading event at Pin HQ, and shared a video featuring me and Ellie from the day 🥰
Pin trading is such a fun way to learn about history, value, authenticity, and even negotiation — and the girls absolutely love it.

🎥 Watch the video here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTbxKadDQur/?igsh=dGVpeTc5OHNrOWxq

Huge thanks to for such a fun and educational experience!

01/12/2026

✨Today we had such a fun time at PinHQ in Winter Garden, Florida! The girls got to meet some of the amazing faces behind , who were so kind and welcoming. 💖
We joined a pin trading event where collectors of all ages could trade, and it was such a hands-on learning experience! From scrappers to pins worth hundreds of dollars, the girls learned how to evaluate the value of pins, decide what’s worth trading, and negotiate respectfully. They added new pins to their collections and learned that it’s okay if someone says no to a trade—all part of real-world skills like patience, decision-making, and understanding value. 🏷️🤝
Such a fun and educational day—perfect for homeschooling and family bonding! 🌟

01/07/2026

Today we drove the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive and counted 80 American alligators — including one who was close enough to really show how massive and perfectly adapted they are.
American alligators are a keystone species in Florida wetlands. Their nesting and digging behavior creates small pools called “gator holes” that hold water during dry seasons and provide critical habitat for fish, frogs, insects, and birds. Even when you only see one animal, you’re often looking at the center of a much bigger ecosystem.
We also saw osprey, great blue and tricolored herons, anhingas, double-crested cormorants, black-bellied whistling ducks, gallinules, coots, and more — all sharing the same wetland space in different ways. It was a beautiful reminder that healthy ecosystems depend on many species doing very different jobs.
Wild places like this are classrooms without walls — and we’re grateful we get to learn in them together.

12/26/2025

Today at Animal Kingdom, we turned a Disney day into a full homeschool day.
🎨 Art class happened while watching Festival of the Lion King — studying movement, color, costume design, music, and storytelling through performance. Then we headed to Rafiki’s Planet Watch for a guided drawing class where we learned to draw Benjamin Clawhauser from Zootopia, practicing observation, proportion, line, and shading.
🧪 Science class was just as easy thanks to the Wilderness Explorers program. Along the way, we earned badges in botany, zoology, ecology, and environmental science — learning about plant life, animal adaptations, habitats, conservation, and how ecosystems work together.
Instead of reading about these things in a book, we got to see them, experience them, and ask questions in real time.
This is what homeschooling looks like for us — flexible, immersive, and built around curiosity. Sometimes your classroom is a desk… and sometimes it’s a theme park filled with animals, artists, and storytellers. 🌿🎨🦁

12/24/2025

Christmas looks a little different for us this year 🎄🌴
We’re in Florida, away from our family and our usual traditions, with fewer decorations than normal and no full-size oven for my big baking plans… but we’ve gained something else instead — new friends, new memories, and a whole new way to celebrate.
It’s not what we’re used to, but it’s still special in its own way. Feeling grateful for the people we’ve met, the experiences we’re having, and the reminder that the holidays aren’t about the setup — they’re about who you’re with.
Merry Christmas from our sunny, slightly unconventional holiday ❤️

12/17/2025

🚝📚 Homeschool History in Motion: The Disney Monorail
The Disney Monorail System is more than theme park transportation — it’s a real-world example of mid-20th-century innovation and urban planning.
• 1959 – Walt Disney introduced the first daily-operating monorail at Disneyland after studying European transit systems.
• 1971 – Walt Disney World opened with the first continuously operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere.
• Designed to reduce traffic, move large crowds efficiently, and model futuristic city planning, the monorail reflected Walt Disney’s ideas for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT).
• Today, it travels between Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and select resorts, moving hundreds of thousands of guests each day using electric power.
A perfect example of how transportation, engineering, and history come together — and proof that learning doesn’t stop when you leave the classroom. ✨

12/08/2025

Today, we’re in line for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT, and Hannah is knocking out some schoolwork with Gusteau’s glowing right behind her. Waiting in long lines suddenly feels a lot more productive when you can turn them into mini study sessions.
This is the beauty of roadschooling — no classrooms, no strict schedules, no bells telling us when learning starts or stops. Whether we’re exploring museums, walking through historical sites, or standing in a Disney queue, education comes with us everywhere we go.
And honestly… there’s something magical about doing math or reading while surrounded by Pixar music and the smell of French pastries. 🐭✨
Learning is wherever we make it — even in the middle of a theme park.
RatatouilleAdventure DisneyHomeschool LearnEverywhere HomeschoolJourney DisneyDays ParentingWin WorldSchooling

12/06/2025

🫶🐋 Manatee Season at the Tampa Electric Company Viewing Center 🐋🫶
Today we visited the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center, one of Florida’s most unique wildlife sanctuaries — and honestly, one of the most eye-opening places to learn about how fragile (and amazing!) manatees really are.
🌡️ Why Do Manatees Come Here?
Manatees can’t survive for long in water below 68°F, and when Florida has cold snaps, these gentle giants seek out warmer water sources.
That’s why hundreds of them gather near this power station — the plant’s clean, warm discharge water creates a safe refuge when the ocean and rivers drop in temperature. The center itself is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary, so the animals are fully protected while resting and warming up.
⚓ Manatee Safety & Boating Laws
Sadly, one of the biggest threats to manatees is boat collisions. To protect them, Florida has strict rules in place:
🛟 Slow-Speed Zones: Many rivers and coastal areas become “Manatee Zones” during winter, requiring boats to move slowly so manatees have time to surface safely.
🪪 State & Federal Protection:
Manatees are protected under the:
Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act
Endangered Species Act
Marine Mammal Protection Act
These laws make it illegal to harass, chase, feed, or touch them — even if they swim right up to you!
👀 Spotting Manatees Safely
The viewing center lets you see them from above, giving them the space they need to rest, heal, and stay warm. Some of the manatees we saw even had scars from old boat strikes — a sobering reminder of why these protections matter so much.
🧠 Fun Manatee Facts
Manatees eat up to 10% of their body weight in seagrass every day.
They can hold their breath for 15–20 minutes while resting.
Even though they're huge, they’re incredibly gentle and have no natural predators.
🌿 Why This Place Matters
The warm water, the protected sanctuary zone, and the educational programs here all work together to help manatees survive Florida’s winter. It’s conservation in action — and a chance to get inspired to protect them in the wild.
ManateeSeason ConservationInAction ProtectWildlife E

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