Family 'unschool' their children in tiny caravan after selling family home
A family of five who wanted more freedom after lockdown have revealed how they now 'unschool' their kids after selling their family home and moving into a tiny, one-roomed caravan.
Spending months in lockdown made Kerry Leppier and her husband Ben, both 39 and from Bristol, want to make a radical change to their lifestyles.
The couple decided it was time for their family to quit the rat race in a bid to find more freedom and adventure.
So they left their jobs, sold their three-bedroom house, and moved into a 7m by 2m caravan with their three daughters, Florence, nine, Eden, six, and Willow, three.
Now, the family travel the UK and embrace ‘unschooling’, which is essentially the rejection of a traditional curriculum.
And the parents say that since completely overhauling their lives, they’re so much happier.
Watch: Mum ditches daily grind to 'roadschool' her children in a classroom camper van.
The family sold their house in the Forrest of Dean, Gloucestershire back in May, swapping their three-bed semi-detached home with a huge garden for life in a one bedroom caravan.
"After lockdown had ended earlier this year we were really on the hunt for more adventure and freedom after having so many rules to stick to," Kerry Leppier explains.
"So we thought what better way to do that than to sell the house, buy a caravan for us to live in, and travel around the UK.
"And that's exactly what we did."
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Ms Leppier says she was already educating the girls at home using the method of unschooling, which the family continue while they are on the road.
"And Ben is a self-employed online relationship coach and I help him run the business," she continues.
"So it worked out great for us, we can work and unschool the kids from wherever we are."
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The mum-of-three explains that unschooling is different from home schooling because it involves more child led learning, following their interests rather than a curriculum and replicating a classroom.
"We have been doing this since the start of this year and the children are very happy," she continues.
"It means they have zero stress in their life and we can watch them thrive in things they are just naturally good at."
After moving into the caravan the family travelled around the country from Scotland down to Cornwall, but having been drawn to Devon they are currently living in their caravan in Barnstable.
Ms Leppier believes that moving into the caravan has brought them closer together as a family and that bickering between her daughters has reduced because they have less things to argue about.
But the best thing about living in the caravan, she says, is the sense of adventure and freedom the change of lifestyle has brought them.
"We are always outdoors and sitting around fires. It's very cosy and we feel more connected as a family," she explains.
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However it's not always plain sailing, and Ms Leppiers says at times a family of five living in a caravan can be challenging.
"Especially for Ben and I, as it is hard to find time as a couple," she adds.
"At one end of the caravan is the kids' end where there is a single bed and bunk beds which folds in to a sofa and dining table.
"We have a tiny cubicle bathroom with a shower and toilet. However we tend to use the showers on the camp sites.
"Then you walk through to our small kitchen area and then on to the living room which folds out into mine and Ben's double bed."
But despite some challenges to their new lifestyle, the family have no plans to return to the rat race.
"It might not be for everyone but it is perfect for us," Kate Leppier adds.
"The girls love it even more than we could have ever expected and so do we."
Additional reporting Caters.
