Wonderstruck

A NEWSLETTER FROM THE TEAM AT WONDER YEAR

Volume 3 • August 2023

guide to worldschooling

Book News

Our books are here! They arrived in the United States this month, settled into a warehouse in Jackson, TN, and are happily awaiting our launch on September 5th. We will have a small portion mailed to us soon, and can’t imagine what it will feel like to hold one in our hands.

When a potential UPS strike loomed, we were left guessing and creating a plan B for fulfillment to bookstores and launch events. Luckily for us (and many others), the strike didn’t happen.

On July 25th, we began a pre-order campaign and achieved Amazon #1 New Release status in two categories. Thanks to all of you who have supported our small, mighty, and mission-driven campaign.

Blog Roundup for July

We published four blog posts this month. The first was “Our Alaskan Neighbor,” by guest blogger and Angela’s husband, Mark Heisten. This personal piece about their campground neighbor and resident philosopher asks the questions that Alaska can stoke.

Then we published the answers to common questions about How to Work from the Road. This helpful planning blog will get you asking how to happily and feasibly make money while traveling. Read along to see how many different ways there are to do it.

Next, we wrote book reviews of four worldschooling memoirs. Our forthcoming book is more of a “how-to” and goes hand-in-hand with any of these memoirs. While there are many current travelers you can read about on Instagram, these books give depth of perspective.

Our last blog of the month was our fifth in the Fernweh Families series, in which we highlight current traveling families with an interview-style post. The Lebobe family have French and American roots and share stories and photos of life on the road with their three boys.

August Happenings Around the Globe

  • La Tomatina (Spain): La Tomatina is a unique and popular festival held in the town of Buñol, Spain, on the last Wednesday of August. Participants engage in a massive tomato fight, throwing tomatoes at each other for fun and enjoyment. An unsuccessful ban by the dictator, Franco, in the ‘50s led many to risk jail time to keep the tradition alive. Similar fun is held in China, India, and Reno, Nevada coinciding with their own tomato harvests.
  • Woodward Dream Cruise (Detroit Metro) August 19, 2023: The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world’s largest one-day automotive event, drawing over one million people and 40,000 classic cars each year from around the globe—as far away as Australia and Japan. Cruisers from across North America, including Canada and Mexico, caravan to Metro Detroit to participate in what has become, for many, an annual rite of summer.
  • Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland): The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival, held in Edinburgh, Scotland during the entire month of August. It features thousands of performances, including theater, comedy, music, dance, and various other forms of art from around the world.
  • Navajo Code Talkers Day, August 14 (Navajo Nation and Phoenix): Before COVID, celebrations happened in Window Rock and Phoenix. Now the public celebrations are muted or in flux. Wherever you are, consider a celebration of the important contributions the Navajo made to World War II. There are two wonderful children’s books by Joseph Bruchac written about the Code Talkers. For younger children, read Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code. For older readers, enjoy Code Talker: A Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two.
  • Pachamama Raymi (Andean Countries): Pachamama Raymi, also known as Andean New Year, is celebrated in August in countries like Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. It is a festival to honor and give thanks to Pachamama, the Earth Mother goddess, for a bountiful harvest and protection.

Nature’s Offerings

  • Black bears, brown bears (grizzlies), polar bears oh my are all busy in Alaska. Having eaten berries, plants, and roots all summer, in August they feast on salmon that is rich in protein and fat to help them prepare for hibernation. Fun fact: polar bears are classified as marine mammals.
  • Every year over 1.5 million wildebeest make a ginormous loop through Kenya and Tanzania as they follow seasonal rains. By August, their search for greener pastures leads them through a chaotic crossing of the Mara River, teeming with Africa’s largest freshwater predator, the Nile crocodile.
  • You may notice that songbirds sing less in August. No need to worry, it’s a normal change in behavior. These beautiful birds sing to establish their territory and attract mates, two behaviors that typically happen in June and July.
  • August in the islands is sweet! In Barbados, the last of the sugar cane harvest is celebrated with a colorful festival called Crop Over. But the history of the sugar industry in Barbados is not sweet. According to UNESCO, it’s a cultural landscape of “human settlement, slave labor and agricultural activities.” Learn more about the festival here and the history here.
  • The Perseid meteor shower happens every summer. This year peak viewing is from midnight August 11-13, and it should be awesome because a waning moon means dark skies. Wake up extra early for a pre-dawn viewing from anywhere in the world!

Links We’re Loving…

  • Black bears, brown bears (grizzlies), polar bears oh my are all busy in Alaska. Having eaten berries, plants, and roots all summer, in August they feast on salmon that is rich in protein and fat to help them prepare for hibernation. Fun fact: polar bears are classified as marine mammals.
  • Every year over 1.5 million wildebeest make a ginormous loop through Kenya and Tanzania as they follow seasonal rains. By August, their search for greener pastures leads them through a chaotic crossing of the Mara River, teeming with Africa’s largest freshwater predator, the Nile crocodile.
  • You may notice that songbirds sing less in August. No need to worry, it’s a normal change in behavior. These beautiful birds sing to establish their territory and attract mates, two behaviors that typically happen in June and July.
  • August in the islands is sweet! In Barbados, the last of the sugar cane harvest is celebrated with a colorful festival called Crop Over. But the history of the sugar industry in Barbados is not sweet. According to UNESCO, it’s a cultural landscape of “human settlement, slave labor and agricultural activities.” Learn more about the festival here and the history here.
  • The Perseid meteor shower happens every summer. This year peak viewing is from midnight August 11-13, and it should be awesome because a waning moon means dark skies. Wake up extra early for a pre-dawn viewing from anywhere in the world!

We hope you found these updates and tips helpful! We wish you all the best in your worldschooling adventures, whether you’re planning your trip, are currently on the road, or have already returned and want to stay connected to the family travel community.

As always, we’d love your feedback. If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, feel free to reach out to us at any of the emails below. Thank you!

Happy Trails,

Wonder Year Team

Annika: annika@wonderyear.com

Angela: angela@wonderyear.com

Julie: julie@wonderyear.com