Homeschooling mum teaches kids while travelling

Gillie enjoys teaching her children while travelling across Europe

An adventurous homeschooling mum has been swapping her house with strangers so she can teach across Europe.

Gillie Cox, from Bristol, said she "feels privileged" to take her five children around Europe, where they can learn in museums and art galleries.

The family use a Home Exchange app, which sees them swapping their house with strangers.

“We are able to go on holiday when suits us, and obviously it is cheaper to go outside school holidays," the former nurse said.

The family ensure the trips are educational by visiting museums

Last summer, her five children - Gracie, 14, Josiah, 12, Caleb, 11, Joel, nine, and Noah, six - travelled between Germany and France.

Gillie, who started home-schooling in June 2016 and lives with her husband Matt, 47, a graphic designer, said: “We had friends who had home educated their children and so it was always a possibility for us.

“Our eldest daughter went to school for almost two years and then we took her out, the four boys have never been to school.

“It came from a place of Christian conviction, wanting to raise our children from a biblical worldview and also wanting to give them a lot of free time and play-based learning."

They hope to travel to North America next

The family were not frequent travellers before finding Home Exchange, but Gillie was inspired to start travelling more after studying French artist Henri Matisse.

She said: “I had this idea that I would like us to do a European tour and I found that down in the south of France there is this beautiful chapel that Matisse helped to design. It is stunning, (and) has this beautiful stained glass and kind of Matisse style.

“I had it in my mind that we could travel for six weeks but my husband didn’t think it would work.”

Home-schooling their children meant the kids could be educated anywhere in the world, freeing the family up to travel more regularly.

The family hope to take their travels further afield, setting their sights on places like North Carolina.