Hi! I’m Trekker Dave!

Today marks the start of a new chapter for Skill Trek. Earlier today, Andrew and Sarah Elizabeth announced the passing of the torch to a new owner. As the new owner of SkillTrek, I’d like to introduce myself to the Skill Trek Family and share a few thoughts about the future of the program.

My name is David Larsen. My wife and I live with our five children in sunny Ventura County, California. I’m a homeschooled kid turned homeschool dad. I spent my early years (1980s) cuddled up to mom on the couch with my two siblings reading and doing school. A big part of our education was field trips; one school year we managed to log 52 field trips… behind-the-scenes local businesses, countless nature walks, and factory tours. Those were the good old days when manufacturing facilities would let a mom and three kids wander around the factory floor so long as you asked nicely and promised to be careful.

Fast forward quite a bit to today… our daily activities revolve around the at- home education of our four school-aged children. As many homeschool families would probably attest, not every moment is picturesque, but we love it. We’re especially thankful for our little 10-month old girl (even if her cuteness often distracts from schoolwork).

In addition to filling their minds with knowledge, encouraging good character and laboring to develop practical academic know-how, we also work on practical life skills… cooking, cleaning, basic home maintenance, finance, electronics, programming. And it’s not just the kids who are learning. Last spring (2020), my 10 year old son and I learned (mostly from scratch) enough framing, drywall, electrical, painting, etc. to build a small office space in a corner of our garage.

When I learned about the opportunity to get involved with Skill Trek, there was an immediate connection. A homeschool-oriented business? Check! Life skills development curriculum? Double check! Everyone who knows Andrew and Sarah Elizabeth will not be surprised to hear how graciously they welcomed me behind the scenes to learn how Skill Trek is helping families around the globe. The business officially changed hands a few days ago, and I’m raring to go!

You might wonder what will change now that I’m at the helm. Fair question. I plan to disrupt nothing while being open to improving everything.

• First, this means adding new skill topics as well as improving existing ones. Don’t worry. None of the videos or PDFs are going away, and your access won’t be interrupted.

• Second, I want to provide more ways to incorporate skill development into your routine. I know how easy it is for good intentions to not work their way into your schedule. I totally get that. I’ve heard some very helpful feedback and suggestions from a recent customer survey along these lines. Stay tuned for more.

• Lastly, I hope to promote self-paced, homeschool-friendly life skills development. Cultivation of these skills for the next generation is something we can celebrate right along with traditional academic and sports achievements. I want to give the homeschooling community better instruments to acknowledge this important area of development. And I’m thankful that I won’t be starting from scratch. I’ll be building upon the great work of the two founding Trekkers, and I truly believe all of the early adopters of Skill Trek are part of a movement that will grow in the coming years.

So thank you to all who are joining Skill Trek for the journey ahead. Fill your water bottle. Double-knot the laces on those hiking boots. We’ve got quite an adventure ahead of us.

Sincerely,
Trekker David

P.S. You can always email me directly at dave@skill- trek.com with comments, questions or requests.