wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) We literally live an hour and a half from ANYTHING. (and 4 hours from a decent "big city"- even there the population is only 60,000) So, my question is what kind of field trips do you go on? I am trying to decide what to do this year (because it will be a long drive anywhere we decide to go) What would you suggest would be the biggest bang for the buck (and drive?) If this makes a difference, my kids are doing the middle ages, my 3rd grader is doing Apologia botany this year and my 7th grader is doing Apologia General Science (basically earth science) There is a green house that we are planning on going to (an hour and a half away :glare:) but what else would you recommend? I am looking for elementary (kindergarten and 3rd) and a 7th grader. Edited August 5, 2010 by wy_kid_wrangler04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I go to anything free.:D Last year we went on a couple formal field trips- Monterey Bay Aquarium's HOmeschool Days was awesome. And in the spring we went to a Civil War Camp Days Living History type of thing. My kids know nothing about the Civil War (they're only just in 2nd grade right now), but it was good. Also, when we vacation we try to get in some "field trips". For example, we rent a cabin in the mountains every fall, so we do nature walks, talk about the local flora and fauna. This year, since we will be studying Earth Science we'll be visiting some local caves. When we vacation at the coast we usually visit this little University run aquarium and a couple years ago we went on a docent lead tour through the coastal redwoods and hunted for banana slugs. Shoot, you can make anything a field trip as long as you throw something educational in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skueppers Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 It seems to me the key is to take advantage of what's special about the place where you live, and not worry too much about what you might be missing. You can always make a big trip sometime to a major city with lots of museums and things. Where I live, what's special is all the great free museums, the historical sites, and the federal government facilities. So that's where we go on our field trips! What's special about where you live? What opportunities do you have that you wouldn't have if you lived elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 If I were you, I'd look at the park service for historical places to visit. Things on the historical register and such. Here is some of what we have done or will do this year - High Tea serverd at a local "castle" that is on the historical register and has a small museum. Pioneer Days at a local ranch. Visits to two "Ghost Towns" that were abandoned after the silver crash. A visit to a cool geological area where you can actually see the plates - they have shifted enough to make a nice deep hole. Apple picking at an orchard. Pumpkin picking at the same orchard A visit to see the Tut exhibit at the art museum Visits to the zoo We have a couple of visits planned to the natural history museum - we planned these to coorespond with trips to the airport to pick up or drop off relatives since its 70 miles away. A visit to a candy factory that makes peppermint sticks. A visit to the US Mint. We might also try for a visit to the power company - we use coal. A train ride into the next biggest town with a fancy lunch and a show at the theatre (probably Nutcracker unless some thing better comes to town). For the middle ages - you can also look to see if you can find an Orthodox church nearby - the one in our town has beautiful architecture and Byzantine style icons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin's Song Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I would love to have wide open spaces for some serious nature study. Seriously, if I were in your position, I think I would make that my focus. There are many of us who live in the city who would love that kind of easy access. Since it can be difficult, we settle for field trips :tongue_smilie:. Regular hours exploring the outdoors will nourish the body and mind. Museums and such are fun (we love historical sites and reenactments), but don't feel like you are missing out. Use what you have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 We go to anything that is free or deeply discounted. It's about getting out of the house, doing something different, and being with others for us. It doesn't necessarily have to match what we are currently studying. For example, a Alligator Farm is normally $18.00 a person...we would never go at that rate. With a HS group, it was MUCh cheaper, I think $4.00, or maybe $5 per person. We went two different times with HS groups, at that rate. It was great fun, but didn't necessarily pertain to our studies. If it were a long drive for me....I would probably plan a once a month "big trip" where we go into the city for the day...if finances allow such things. Places/Events with "homeschool days", which usually offered discounts and special activities are always a big hit for us too. As it is, we just moved from a pretty large city, and went on 2-3 field trips a month. Sometimes little simple one, sometimes more exciting ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightly Salted Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 last year we went to the local post office - free tour by the postmaster - and the zoo in the 'big city' 45 minutes away this year so far we've been blueberry picking at a local blueberry farm ... field trips don't have to be fancy to be fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2boys030507 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 My dh and I were just talking about this last night. At this point, we have decided that only 2-3 field trips per year will be counted as school. That is all kids get in public school and we do really need to focus on school. That being said from late spring through fall we go on hikes through our county and state parks, focusing on nature study. My boys are young 2nd, K, and PreK. We do live in a large metro area, so we also do museums and other trips with our homeschool group or on homeschool days. Many times these are not pertaining to what we are studing but if they line up I work much harder to make it happen. There have been times where I have made the trip to the grocery store a field trip. Each boy gets a list of what they need to get or they get a certain amount of money to spend on their lunch. This has been a simple way for me to teach them about stores, people who work there, how much things cost, and basic living skills. I think if you are excited and change things up most younger kids will be excited too. If we lived a distance from things I would think we would make 1 or 2 trips per year for field trips and would still try to match them up with other reasons for driving the distance. I would try to engage with the professionals that are in your area :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 It seems to me the key is to take advantage of what's special about the place where you live, and not worry too much about what you might be missing. You can always make a big trip sometime to a major city with lots of museums and things. Where I live, what's special is all the great free museums, the historical sites, and the federal government facilities. So that's where we go on our field trips! What's special about where you live? What opportunities do you have that you wouldn't have if you lived elsewhere? You know, I think I often forget about what is special about where we live. I'm always on the hunt for something different. But this is great advice! :) We live by the beach, and we actually GO to the beach once every 3-4 years (if that). I think a field trip to the beach is in order this year! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticamethyst Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Are you close to Rapid City? I'm sure you could do something with Mt. Rushmore, you could camp in The Black Hill, visit a gold mine and a jewler; you can watch them work and ask all sorts. There is also the Air Force base so there will be a flight museum somewhere close. There use to be a really cool reptile muesum just outside of Rapid that was fun. In WY could you go to an archelogical dig? I love the ghost town suggested in another comment. Geocaching would be something you could do all over the state depending on which way you wanted to drive. All I am coming up with at the moment. Good Luck:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted August 5, 2010 Author Share Posted August 5, 2010 Are you close to Rapid City? I'm sure you could do something with Mt. Rushmore, you could camp in The Black Hill, visit a gold mine and a jewler; you can watch them work and ask all sorts. There is also the Air Force base so there will be a flight museum somewhere close. There use to be a really cool reptile muesum just outside of Rapid that was fun. In WY could you go to an archelogical dig? I love the ghost town suggested in another comment. Geocaching would be something you could do all over the state depending on which way you wanted to drive. All I am coming up with at the moment. Good Luck:001_smile: That is actually one of the hour and a half cities I was talking about!! We live just over the border in Wyoming. We do live close to Mt. Rushmore!! We do have a few caves close to here we can go to as well! A gold mine/jewler is a good idea! I know if Rapid City there is a place where you can see them make jewlery from Black Hills gold as well!! Thanks keep the ideas coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticamethyst Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 It's a little bit grown up in the evening but Deadwood, SD would be a day trip. Seeing how an old SD town looked and acted, however it is a gambling place so keep that in mind with what you MIGHT see. If you are really up for a drive and want something fun and total tourist, Wall Drugs and the Pioneer Car Museum. There is a mining college in Rapid I believe there could be some really cool things to get in on with them too. That is about all I can remember from my very short time living in Rapid. Have fun on your adventures!!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 We live in NE, but we're on the other side. We're planning on taking a trip over to Scottsbluff...I knit and spin wool, and there's a yarn factory I really want to go to! :D We're also hoping to visit SD. We haven't ever taken a family vacation and I'm hoping this doesn't fall through. We also live in a rural area. We have a few locations that are with 1.5 hours. I combine it with a grocery trip so it's not so bad on gas. I also make sure to take my DH (or another adult) with me. :lol: We usually plan a few field trips throughout the year. Some we've done: Pumpkin patch--there are several within a couple hours of us bowling alley Planetarium/museum 2 pioneer museums Fort Kearney various botanical gardens and parks we've also visited a few farms ;) We used to live in St. Louis and there was a ton of things to do! There isn't as much here, but we've learned a lot about pioneers since we are on the Oregon trail. Awhile back it dawned on me that as long as they have a few good field trip memories, I'm happy. We don't need to constantly go on field trips for them to have a good education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Well, that will depend on where you live and what cities you are close to. Are you close to any national or state parks? Could you visit the water company, sewage treatment plant, etc. in your town (if you have a town)? Is there a rock quarry nearby that would let you visit? Will the folks at the greenhouse do a mini-botony course with you, showing them plants from the different Divisions (divisions are like phyla for plants)? When we're going longer distances for a field trip, I try to make sure it's worth it by doing as much as possible while we're there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Wyoming should have some good observatories where you can go and see the stars. Needles Highway out from Custer State Park has tremendous geological formations and some of the oldest rocks in the U.S. are in that area, too. When I was there last, many years ago now, there were geological markers on the sides of the road in places. The Badlands is a good area to juxtapose against the more mountainous regions. Devil's Tower is a tremendous earth science lesson. I think there are a number of museums in Rapid City, aren't there? I seem to recall that we visited a small but very nice one that displayed a lot of Native American artifacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 We are field trip junkies, going on 30-40 a year. :D I have a very active child that learns best 'on the go.' I discovered early on that he learns so much by reading a book, going on a related field trip, then reading a follow-up book. Even though I count that many days for field trips, we still have plenty of time at home for the basics like math, grammar, Latin and Greek. My husband and I have been discussing our educational views lately and I ran across an article on-line that really summed up our beliefs. A quote that really hit home for us: From an evolutionary perspective, school is an abnormal environment. Nothing like it ever existed in the long course of evolution during which we acquired our human nature. School is a place where children are expected to spend most of their time sitting quietly in chairs, listening to a teacher talk about things that don't particularly interest them, reading what they are told to read, writing what they are told to write, and feeding memorized information back on tests. ...during the entire course of human history until very recently, children were in charge of their own education. They learned by following their own inner, instinctive guides, which led them to ask countless questions (their own questions, not someone else's), to converse with others as equal partners, to explore their world actively, and to practice the skills crucial to their culture through self-directed play in age-mixed groups.We feel this is just as true for homeschooling as it is for private and public schools. (Highlighted part relates to our belief in numerous field trips.) We do live in a large city and we plan vacations around educational opportunities. Some of our favorite field trips: Zoos, nature centers, botanical gardens and aquariums Science/nature museums Pony Express National Museum (St. Joseph) Art museums Demonstration at glass blower NASA Cave tours Oil rig Factory tours Historical sites/museums DH and I decided early on that we would rather support local theater than Hollywood, so we go to a lot of theater productions which do tend to be cheaper than a movie. We always read the original book (like "The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle") or study the time period (like when DS won tickets to see "Annie") before we see the play. I do count this as a school field trip, as we always end up in a lengthy discussion about the book vs. the play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Public Gardens Zoos and wildlife centers Museums Parks and playgrounds Historical Buildings and places Lakes and pools Tours- factory tours, supermarket tours, library tours, behind the scenes tours at fast food places, 911 center tours, fire house tours, an airport tour, a pretzel factory tour, whatever tours we can set up. Caves Coal mines Pumpkin Patches aquarium walking trails/nature trails berry picking farms bowling alley/homeschool bowling league miniature golf fairs and festivals amusement parks Animal shelter parades maple sugaring Indoor gym/playplaces ...we love field trips and outings. We do as many as we can! We also organized a "Community Helper" program for our homeschool group, where each month we meet a different "community helper/worker" and learn more about what they do- it could be tours, demonstrations, hands on activities, Q&A sessions, talks, slideshows- it depends on the person. But in this way, we met with an Architect (met us at a community building and showed the kids his computer program and blueprints and had them build with blocks/legos), a Banker (gave a tour of the bank), a Charity (we got to help out), a Dietician at a local hospital, an EMT/Paramedic (did a first aid slideshow, showed the kids the equipment, ambulances, etc), a pet groomer (demonstrated on her own dog), and a historian so far. We also sometimes do things at each other's houses... someone will come up with a fun activity or creative thing or class that they or their spouse are good at/knowledgeable about, and invite others to participate. So we've done things like archery, puppeteering, fossils/gems/goldpanning, poetry workshops, science experiments, and more in this way, at each other's houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 (edited) We live in a great spot for field trips. We have done the following and more that I'll surely forget: State Capital Farmers Market Children's Museum State History Museum State Patrol training facility Police station Firestation Veterans' Museum Air Force Museum Army Museum Chinatown Klondike Gold Rush Museum Pacific Science Center Boeing Museum of Flight Air shows Highland Games State, city, and county parks St. Helens Mt. Rainier Northern Cascades Olympia National Rain Forest Tide pools Ocean beaches Naval Underwater Museum USS Turner Joy (museum ship) Shellfish factory Zoo/aquarium Wildlife Park Sledding/snowshoeing Bowling Rollerskating Local farms Edited August 6, 2010 by m0mmaBuck posted prematurely thanks to stupid netbook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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