Wonderstruck
A NEWSLETTER FROM THE TEAM AT WONDER YEAR
Volume 4 • September 2023
Book News
Our books are traveling from a Tennessee warehouse to online retailers and bookstores throughout the US. In fact, we’ve heard that some people already have them in hand from bookstores that offered early release of pre-ordered copies!
A few books took a detour to Annika’s house. It was pretty amazing to open those boxes and see our books for the first time! We’ve also enjoyed sharing advance copies with people who supported the book’s creation, including families we interviewed and leaders who endorsed it. The most fun of all? Watching our loved ones–including partners, kids, and parents–flip through the book’s pages.
We’re in the final push toward our launch date of September 5th. The days are filled with content writing, media campaigns, partner discussions, and podcasts. This month we’ll add in-person appearances at several bookstores, too! If you’re nearby, drop in and say hello.
Blog Roundup for August
We published five blog posts this month, from China to Kenya and from the tangible packing of boxes to the existential musings on artificial intelligence.
Our first post is a very personal story about Annika’s family’s return to their daughter’s orphanage in Maoming, China. Heritage travel is such an important piece of our personal puzzles. Read her essay here.
Next, we took a look at AI’s current and potential influence on worldschool education. With helpful resources and big-picture questions, this post will get you thinking.
Our Fernweh Family this month is the Z-Leach family. When the Marshall Fire destroyed their home, they took their camper for an extended journey in the U.S. Their perspective and stories will inspire.
Then we shared another destination inspiration: Kenya! Annika shares the worldschooling moments her family found in this gorgeous country this past summer. Read about all the ways Kenya makes a great worldschooling destination.
And finally, we shared tips for packing up life at home before heading out the door. For many would-be worldschooling families, the logistics of leaving can be a major stumbling block. In this post, we try to chip away at that block so you can turn your dream into a reality.
September Happenings Around the Globe
- Brooklyn Book Festival (Brooklyn, NY), September 24 – October 2: September is a popular month for book and movie festivals around the globe. This festival, whose mission is to be “hip, smart and diverse,” is a low-cost and/or free version with plenty of offerings for kids across all five boroughs. From in-person art projects to virtual readings, there’s something for everyone.
- Fall Equinox at Chichen Itza (Valladolid, Mexico), September 15: The Mayans knew fantastic amounts about the skies and built their structures to highlight the equinoxes and solstices. People travel from around the world to watch the light that ascends over the main pyramid. The temple was built for the serpent deity and the snake patterns that wash across the pyramid are myth made visible.
- The is the month for fashion week in Paris, Milan, New York and London. Not that these are kid-friendly events, but for a young fashion enthusiast, you can ham it up: maybe make your own runway or sew your own clothes. (My sister and I used to hand sew dresses for our Barbies.) You could create some fun-themed content for your social media. If you’re in one of these cities, the people watching just might be especially good.
- Harvest Moon, September 29 – China and Vietnam celebrate the Moon or Mid-Autumn Festival on the day of the harvest moon. It gives gratitude for the abundance of the summer harvest. Brightly lit lanterns are a big part of the festivals, and children in Vietnam wear celebration masks. Traditional mooncakes filled with sweet-bean or lotus-seed paste are shared and eaten. This is the second-most important holiday behind the New Year.
- No mention of September would be complete without the reality that this is back-to-school month for much of the global north. Did you know that the idea of summer vacation was not due to farming necessities (which would more accurately prompt breaks in the spring and fall) but rather the 19th century desire to beat the urban heat? Perhaps this cultural happening can inspire conversations around norms and calendars. Or, notice what it looks like wherever you are.
Nature’s Offerings
- The aurora australis, or southern lights, offer a similarly dazzling display of light as their northern counterparts. Visible from March through September in many places throughout the southern hemisphere, travelers with an eye toward the sky can check the Aurora Service website for southern lights forecasts.
- September serves up the first peeks at changing fall foliage as nights get longer and chlorophyll production slows. Up in the Catskills, the maples, oak, beech, and birch begin their glorious transformation to orange and red, while out West, the aspens treat travelers to splashes of gold high up in the Rocky Mountains.
- September is a busy month for bears as they go into hyperphagia, an extreme drive to consume food. Preparing for hibernation, bears eat up to 20 hours per day, gaining on average 3-4 pounds daily. That’s a lot of berries, nuts, and acorns! Female bears are also out scouting for good birthing dens.
- Depending on environmental factors like rainfall and temperature, the grape harvest in Tuscany – vendemmia – typically begins in September. Viticulturalists (winemakers) aim for balance in the fruit and test for sweetness by measuring sugar content, acidity, and pH levels, then they determine the best time to harvest.
- One of the natural wonders of the world and included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Great Barrier Reef is an extraordinarily gorgeous and diverse coral reef ecosystem with over 400 varieties of coral, 1500 species of fish, and 400 types of mollusc. September is a perfect time to visit, with average temperatures between 60-80 degrees F and very little rain, making the waters crystal clear for diving. Given these conditions, however, you will not be alone, so plan ahead!
Links We’re Loving…
- @accessible.adventures – Our August Fernweh Family, the Z-Leaches, mentioned this account, and we appreciate its insights on how families are navigating chronic illness while on the road. We hope this resource helps others, too.
- Sawyer – A water filter company with a deep commitment to helping others, Sawyer contributes 90% of its profits to supporting clean water programs and disaster relief missions around the world. We love their focus on water for all, and we appreciated collaborating with their team on a recent worldschooling blog.
- Colorado Teardrops is all about quality and durability, two features you want in a camper trailer built for epic adventure. Teardrops is also helping advance sustainable travel with their new electric camper models. We’re stoked to be collaborating with them on an upcoming post in support of community, sustainability and adventure.
- @theblondeabroad – While thousands have been enjoying her content for years, this influencer has a beautiful baby girl along for the journey now, too. We enjoy seeing that motherhood has not dampened her adventurous spirit!
- souloftravelpodcast.com – Christine Weinbrenner-Irick’s podcast “honors the passion and dedication of women making a positive impact in tourism.” The guests on the podcast areindustry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders who know travel is more than a vacation. The conversations will help you see that travel is a journey of self-awareness and inspire you to use your time on the road to make a positive change.
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
