If you’ve been following along on our social media lately, you know our family is in the middle of a pretty big transition. We’re not just moving houses… we’re moving states. In an RV. While homeschooling. And if I’m being honest, I’m equal parts excited and wondering if we’ve completely lost our minds.
That means there are a lot of moving pieces right now, including figuring out what homeschooling will look like in a new state.
I’ve found myself asking questions like:
What do we actually need for school?
How much curriculum can realistically fit in an RV?
And am I about to completely change the way we homeschool… again?
I quickly realized that moving states while homeschooling comes with a lot of questions—what are the laws, do we need to change curriculum, and how do we find new homeschool communities?
So I wanted to share what I’ve been learning so far as we prepare for this transition.
Moving States While Homeschooling: Georgia vs. Florida Laws
One of the first things I did was head over to HSLDA.org to compare homeschool laws between the two states. Thankfully, the laws in Florida are fairly similar to Georgia’s, which honestly gave me a lot of peace of mind—because this move already comes with enough unknowns.
Florida still gives parents a lot of freedom when it comes to teaching. I can teach my boys what I want and how I want, which is something I’ve always loved about homeschooling.
Like Georgia, Florida also requires keeping a portfolio of student work to track progress throughout the year. The main difference I noticed is testing requirements. In Georgia, we only had to do standardized testing every three years, but in Florida it looks like the kids will need to complete end-of-year testing every year.
It’s an adjustment, but not a huge one—at least not compared to everything else we’re juggling right now.
The Legal Steps We’ll Need to Take
Right now, the biggest step is simply getting there.
Once we arrive and figure out where we’ll be staying, I’ll need to notify the state which county we’ll be homeschooling from.
Since we’re already close to the end of this school year, the main step for next year will be filing a Declaration of Intent, which is very similar to what I’ve already been doing in Georgia.
There are still a few things I’m figuring out as I go, but overall it feels manageable… at least for now.
Preparing Our Curriculum for RV Life
One thing this move has forced me to do is really evaluate our curriculum. When you go from a five-bedroom house to an RV, you quickly realize you can’t bring everything.
So I’ve been going through our school supplies and asking myself: What do we actually use? What do we truly need?
It reminds me a bit of when we went through the aftermath of the hurricane and were left with only the basics. I have a tendency to overcomplicate things sometimes—adding more, buying more, trying to make everything “perfect.”
This move is forcing me to step back and ask what actually matters.
Here’s what will definitely be coming with us:
- Math-U-See
- All About Spelling (though I’ll be downsizing the materials)
- The Everything You Need to Know to Ace book series
- Miacademy.com for online learning
And of course, we’ll still be learning through games. Our homeschool has always included a lot of hands-on learning, and I don’t plan on changing that.
Some of the games making the trip include:
- Trekking Through History
- Who Knows History Better
- Who Knows Science Better
- The World Game
- Race Across the USA
- Fishing for Words
- Wandering Towers
- Magical Athlete
- That’s Not a Hat
And probably a few more if I can squeeze them in.
If you want a full list of some of our favorite homeschool board and card games, you can check out my earlier post: How to Make Learning Fun – The Best Board Games for Homeschooling.
Finding Homeschool Communities in Florida
Moving means leaving behind the homeschool communities we’ve grown to love, which honestly might be one of the hardest parts—not just for the kids, but for me too.
But I’ve already started researching ways to connect with other homeschool families in Florida.
Some of the places I’m looking include:
- Local Facebook homeschool groups
- The Homeschool Hive LLC website to find co-ops in the area
- Visiting the Homeschool Hive store in person and learning from them
- Local libraries, parks, and hobby/card shops
- Field trip opportunities around the area
It will definitely take some planning, but that process has already begun.
Field Trips Will Look a Little Different
One of the things we’re most excited about with this move is the opportunity for more outdoor learning.
Our first big focus will honestly be the beach—slow mornings, salty air, and probably a lot of “this counts as science, right?” kind of days.
Along with the inevitable, “Mom, why aren’t you getting in the water?” I’m hoping I can get out of my own head and actually enjoy immersing myself in aquatic habitats.
Inner shudder.
My husband is planning to grow his YouTube channel, Mobley Outdoors, and I’ll be helping with that as much as I can—alongside homeschooling, writing, and publishing books.
After we settle in, I plan to start building a list of places we want to explore. I have a feeling most of our field trips will be outdoor activities, partly because I don’t love the idea of leaving our senior dog alone in the RV for long periods of time.
So beaches, walking trails, parks, and nature areas will likely become a big part of our homeschool days.
New Opportunities We Didn’t Have Before
I think this move will open up a lot of new experiences for our family.
Where we lived in Georgia, outdoor activities sometimes felt limited. Maybe I just didn’t know about everything available, but it never quite felt like there was as much to explore. Sure, we had a minor league baseball team nearby, and once a year the entire city would revolve around The Masters Tournament. During that week, you either planned your schedule very carefully or avoided going anywhere near the area.
Moving closer to Tampa opens up a lot more possibilities for us.
Not only will we have the beach nearby, but there are also places like Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to explore. There are professional sports teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning (hockey), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (football), and the Tampa Bay Rays (baseball).
The idea of regularly visiting the beach, exploring walking trails, checking out parks, and occasionally enjoying some city life feels really exciting… and a little overwhelming, if I’m being honest.
Helping the Kids Through the Transition
The boys know we’re moving. At first, they were a little hesitant, which is completely understandable—moving away from friends is never easy.
But after taking a trip to the Tampa area, something shifted. What started as hesitation slowly turned into excitement, especially when they realized how close we’d be to the beach.
Academically, they’ve been focusing mostly on Miacademy while I sort and pack the rest of our homeschool materials.
Socially, leaving friends behind has been the hardest part. They’ve built some great friendships through Fort STEAM and Cardboard Castle Games, and watching those friendships grow every week has been really special.
The good news is that we live in a digital age. They’ve exchanged Minecraft usernames with their friends, so they can still play together online and stay connected.
It’s not the same as seeing each other in person, but it definitely helps.
Challenges We’re Expecting
Living in an RV means less personal space, and that will probably be one of our biggest adjustments.
With five people living in a much smaller space, I know there will be times when everyone needs a moment alone.
So I’m already thinking about ways to schedule little breaks or quiet time, especially for my oldest who sometimes needs a few minutes to himself.
It’s going to be a learning process for all of us. And I know there will be moments where it feels like a lot—but that’s part of the journey too.
What I Keep Reminding Myself
If there’s one thing I keep reminding myself during all of this, it’s this:
Don’t stress the small stuff.
If academics start to feel overwhelming during all of this, I’m focusing on the basics like math and spelling.
But I’m also reminding myself that moving itself is a learning experience.
The kids are watching the planning, the packing, the logistics, and the problem-solving that goes into such a big life change. Those are real-life skills, and they’re just as valuable as anything in a workbook.
I’ve shared more ideas about finding learning in daily life, which can help turn everyday moments into meaningful lessons.
Moving isn’t easy for anyone. But if there’s one thing I’m holding onto right now, it’s that this season—messy, uncertain, and a little chaotic—is also where some of the most meaningful growth is going to happen for all of us.
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