Wonderstruck

A NEWSLETTER FROM THE TEAM AT WONDER YEAR

Volume 12 • May 2024

Welcome to everyone who recently joined our mailing list at the Travel & Adventure and GHC Shows!

We hope you enjoy the travel content offered here.

Please also follow us on Instagram @wonderyeartravel for more resources!

guide to worldschooling

Wonder Year News

This month, we won a silver award in the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. We were honored to attend the awards dinner in Denver on April 26th and meet so many wonderful authors and publishers. We are proud to be part of the community!

Another highlight of the month was meeting parents and presenting at the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. Thanks to all who joined and supported us at the show.

Blog Roundup for April

This month we posted two new blogs. The first is about all the ways you can incorporate music into your worldschooling plans. From instrument study to music appreciation, there’s something in here for everyone.

The second post (one of our all-time Wonder Year favorites) is a Community Connector on Lainie Liberti. “Lainie Liberti has left an indelible mark on the worldschooling landscape. Often working in tandem with her son, Miró, Lainie has created a blog, a podcast, classes, retreats and summits, teen mentorship programs, and several social media communities. We were lucky to catch up with Lainie for an extended chat from her home in Guanajuato, Mexico.” We hope you learn a bit more about the roots of the modern worldschooling movement through this interveiw.

Drop us a line to let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover in the future.

May Happenings Around the Globe

  • Buddha Jayanti honors the life of Lord Buddha – his birth, enlightenment, and mahaparinirvana, (his death.) A time of love and compassion in Nepal, it is the most important Buddhist celebration. People from around the world make a pilgrimage to Lumbini to pay their respects to Lord Buddha in his birthplace, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buddha Jayanti is celebrated on Vesak Day, the Full Moon in May, which this year occurs on May 23.
  • Let’s Go! The Azgo Festival takes place on May 24 and 25 this year in Maputo, Mozambique. Azgo is Maputo slang for “Let’s Go.” The festival is a celebration of culture through music, fine art, and cinema. According to the Music Africa website, there are educational activities, and Azgo supports the local community by creating business opportunities and donating a portion of event proceeds to help children.
  • Bonjour! On May 16, 2024, the famous Belleview Food Market in Paris is going 100% vegetarian! The market has invited restaurateurs to bring vegetarian street food selections that are both gourmet and comforting. So, if you are lucky enough to be in Paris in May (before the crowds arrive for the Olympics), take a stroll along the Le Market and enjoy the Go Green culinary event.
  • May Day is a seasonal medieval European festival celebrated on May 1. With roots in agriculture, May Day was originally a time to celebrate the sown fields starting to sprout, and it marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The lovely May Pole dance, where ribbons are wrapped around a tall wooden pole, is said to honor Flora, the goddess of fruit, flowers, nature, and spring. May Day is also recognized as International Workers’ Day. Enjoy this day of solidarity and flowers. And remember, if you wash your face with morning dew on May 1, you’ll have a bouquet of good luck.
  • Mothers Day is celebrated around the world in May. In the US, it is always on the second Sunday, and this year that’s May 12. To all the moms everywhere: Happy Mother’s Day! We hope you are showered with love and appreciation and can do all the things you love most – plant a garden, talk a walk, enjoy a meal with friends and family, and kick back while someone else does the dishes! We wish you peace, connection, community, and lots and lots of tulips!

Nature’s Offerings

  • Mayfies (Order: Ephemeroptera) are active in May (but don’t be fooled by their name, they’re also active during the warmer months.) They live throughout North America and across the world. The nymphs grow in clean rivers and streams. Cool fact: mayfly larvae can serve as an indicator of the health of rivers—if the mayflies are doing well, we can assume the water is clean and healthy. Mayflies spend most of their lives in the water and when they emerge, the adults live for only about a day. Their hatches can be so large that they are visible on radar maps and covered as part of the weather report on the local news. Or your windshield might simply be covered!
  • May brings extreme weather across many parts of the US. It is peak tornado month due to the jetstream mixing with warmer air and ample moisture. Tornado alley, the area from Texas to Nebraska, typically has the greatest number of tornadoes. As a reminder, a tornado watch is when the conditions are favorable while a tornado warning means a tornado has actually been reported. The National Weather Service posts these Tornado Safety Rules, the upshot of which is stay low, get into a strong building, stay away from windows and doors, and protect your head.
  • May is the peak time for sightings of orcas (Orcinus orca), or “killer whales,” in California. Orcas are apex predators, at the top of the food chain with no predators of their own. They are fierce with other marine mammals and have also capsized boats, but they are not known for harming humans. Fortunately, we are not on their menu! As part of a campaign to improve conservation and education, in 2016 SeaWorld announced they would no longer breed orcas in their parks. For a little dose of orca worldschooling, check out this amazing video, produced by KQED and Ocean Futures Society, that looks at orcas’ sophisticated hunting style.
  • The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks in May each year and is visible in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. This sparkly spectacle is dust and debris coming off of Halley’s Comet. Known for their speed, Eta Aquarid meteors travel at about 148,000 mph into Earth’s atmosphere. With clear weather, May 4 could make for optimal viewing as the moon will be a narrow crescent and Saturn and Mars will be visible on either side. Get away from city lights, take your sleeping bag or camp chair, kick back, and face east. After about 30 minutes, your eyes should adjust and you’ll begin to see meteors. Happy sky trails!
  • May 24-27 is the annual Creek Festival in Boulder, Colorado, a lovely celebration of nature, local music, art, and food. Held over four days with 30 bands, three stages, 200 artisans, 30+ restaurants, and a dedicated kids’ area, there’s plenty to do for the whole family. Don’t miss the dynamic duo Jeff and Paige, who are famous for their colorful stage presence and their nature and science themed music. You’ll be skipping and dancing to catchy songs while learning the science behind photosynthesis, giardia, herbivores, rainbows, and more!

Links We’re Loving…

  • On the Transform with Travel Podcast, host Kelly Tolliday talks with guests who share stories of personal transformation and life lessons gained while exploring the world. A mom to two young kids, she believes that “travel is the ultimate accelerator for personal growth and can be the root catalyst for the pivots and plot twists we make in our lives.”
  • @foreignfareapparel provides stylish yet functional travel clothing adaptable to many occasions. Founders and creatives Thy and Mitchell aim to “capture the romance of travel” and help customers explore the world in style.
  • Timothea Workman offers journaling workshops, handmade journals, and journaling kits for the road. Her website also shares travel inspiration, photography tips, and information on the Solight Project. These solar “puff” lights have a profound impact on women in the developing world whose safety is impacted by not having light.
  • The Worldschool Coach – Need help getting started with worldschooling? Jak is a worldschooling parent and educator with over a decade of teaching experience. He’s also a tutor and course instructor now offering a six-week program to help you design your worldschooling journey, navigate the hurdles, and enrich your experience using his guidance and strategies.
  • National Park Service – Unsurprisingly, this Instagram account is filled with awe-inspiring images from majestic national parks. Less expected are the witticisms dropped in between the gorgeous photos and informative captions. With a tagline of “don’t pet the fluffy cows,” this is a fun account to follow.

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