On the Road with FS4T: The Alaska Edition

Ok FS4T fam! We are officially BACK in the lower 48! If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, let me catch you up to speed. In late April, our team hopped on a plane and flew to the great state of Alaska. If you have never been to Alaska, you better put it on your bucket list right now. Go ahead, we’ll wait :)

Alaska has been commonly nicknamed many things: The Last Frontier, The Great Land, or Land of the Midnight Sun. After spending two full weeks surrounded by its captivating views, we can confirm that the state is a sight to behold, and something like that is deserving of majestic or even whimsical nicknames!

But what brings us to Alaska (and far, far away from our home base in dry, hot, Phoenix, Arizona)? Good question. Being a small business whose audience is primarily (though not exclusively) homeschooling and online schooling families, we have made it a goal to find the places where homeschooling resources are needed the most, pack our bags, and GO to those places. We really believe that what we have to offer can be a huge asset to families who need more options in their curriculum almanac. And we want to put our product right in their hands, without making them scour the internet for trustworthy, family-friendly educational resources. For that reason, we often find ourselves on planes, in trains, and gassing up our automobiles for a trip to YOUR hometown curriculum fair.

We have found that homeschooling is very popular in Alaska, so much so that 1 in 6 students learns from home! This is oftentimes more practical than public school, given that many people live in remote places, off-grid, or far from the nearest organized school systems. Every year in April, IDEA Homeschool puts on four curriculum fairs, which countless families and vendors attend.

So there we were, in Wasilla, our first stop of four. Immediately, we were mesmerized by the sweeping snow-capped mountain ranges that made this growing city feel ever so small. This was truly a foreign sight to an Arizona native! We were so happy with the turnout at this first fair. This was our first time in Wasilla, and we cannot express how excited we were to meet so many new people! Not to mention the SNOW in April! Safe to say, that was a shock to our system and the perfect opportunity for a spontaneous and overly competitive snowball fight.

We were greeted at our next stop by pouring rain. But that didn’t stop the families of Soldotna! We felt so appreciated as we saw family after family come trudging into the building, shaking off their raincoats and smiling all the while. What’s a little rain?! While spending time in Soldotna, we learned that among the diverse wildlife that inhabits the area is one species in particular, hard to spot in the lower 48 but revered greatly by the American people. That’s the Bald Eagle! We were given a tip by one of the locals that Bald Eagles are commonly spotted at the city dump, of all places! So we were off to the city dump, and wow, were we amazed. Bald Eagles EVERYWHERE!

Next, we hopped on a plane for the interior of Alaska and the friendly city of Fairbanks. Here, we met families with all sorts of unique jobs and lifestyles—we’re talking off-grid living and even ice truckers! They shared the fascinating intricacies of their day-to-day lives, and we shared about our family-grown small business and how we could be an asset to them in the education of their kids in remote places.

Finally, we flew on a small plane to beautiful Juneau, our final destination. Coming from a big city with seven different freeways within a ten-minute radius, it was a shock to learn that Juneau is only accessible by boat or plane. To avoid any chance of seasickness before our final curriculum fair, we courageously took to the skies. Juneau is the land of whales! We learned quickly that whales are extremely common in this area, and many people spend their free time studying and photographing them. How cool!

After what felt like months of travel (two weeks), we finally touched down back in Phoenix, greeted by a dry, warm breeze, and we started to defrost. As we reflect on our time, we are so grateful for all the new families we met, fellow vendors whom we now call our friends, and the chance to share with the world what we have created.

At FS4T, our mission is to give students reasons to LOVE learning. We want to foster opportunities for them to learn new creative skills, develop existing ones, and build confidence in their creativity. As a small family business, we know that we have to get creative ourselves, which sometimes means venturing to new states, or even all the way up to Alaska, to give students the resources they need to be artistic, inspired, and critical thinkers.

So keep an eye out for us because we are always on the move, and we would love to meet you! Next stop: Florida!!