About one of our team of evaluators...
Cheryl's Dad had a crazy plan. He wanted to build a cement boat and take the entire family, including a newborn, on a voyage around the world. They would leave their home on the eastern coast of Australia, sail to India, around Africa, and over to the United States where they spend a few months visiting relatives before returning through the Panama Canal to their home. But the crew, a lousy engine, foul weather, and other perils of the sea jeopardize the voyage.
Will they survive a cyclone at sea? Or an oncoming oil tanker? Will Pierre-Paul, the bully of the crew, destroy everything on board? How will Cheryl go to school? Will they have enough food and water? Can they avoid pirates? Will they make it back to Australia? Experience the adventure as they explore a deserted island, escape a harbor at midnight, resort to eating peanut butter and onion sandwiches, and much more.
Around the World in a Cement Boat is a true story of adventure on the high seas told by one who lived the adventure.
Will they survive a cyclone at sea? Or an oncoming oil tanker? Will Pierre-Paul, the bully of the crew, destroy everything on board? How will Cheryl go to school? Will they have enough food and water? Can they avoid pirates? Will they make it back to Australia? Experience the adventure as they explore a deserted island, escape a harbor at midnight, resort to eating peanut butter and onion sandwiches, and much more.
Around the World in a Cement Boat is a true story of adventure on the high seas told by one who lived the adventure.
Cheryl Trzasko began her homeschooling journey in the early 1970s off the coast of Australia while sailing in a ferro-cement yacht her father, a chiropractor, built himself. With no schools available at sea, her mother hired a teacher to travel with the family but the teacher was in vacation mode and never tried to teach second-grade Cheryl. Carolyn, Cheryl's mother, only a high school graduate at that point in her life, reluctantly took on the job. Except for math. Cheryl's dad, Wally, agreed to teach math because he'd refused to purchase a math textbook since he felt the New Math of that time was a terrible system for teaching math. So, he made up his own math lessons instead.
His unusual math lessons were boring, erratic,and involved lots of memorization with a side of brilliance as Cheryl witnessed him daily use an old-fashioned sextant and slide rule along with a book of trigonometric tables to calculate their position on the globe. Her mother's hands-off style allowed Cheryl to do her lessons on Mondays and leave lots of time for play. Cheryl went on to earn numerous high school academic awards in a large public high school and a degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago. She's convinced that her time homeschooling was foundational to her success and left her convinced that homeschooling provides the best education for those families who are willing and able to put in the time and effort. Designed for ages 8 to 12, the book includes discussion questions, activities, and a glossary. From children to adults have enjoyed this tale of real-life adventure. |