Virg Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 We are new to Utah in the last few weeks. Does anyone have any field trip ideas, homeschooling groups, advice at all for me? We came from the PacNW so this area is incredibly different from what we are used to and I have never moved before. We left everyone we know and we are all lonely. We finally located a small church that is close to our original denomination but the kids are used to tons of church activities and I do not think they will get that here. It was their main social outlet before we moved. Also does anyone know if there really are snakes here like the boys keep reading about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 PM'd you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Where are you in Utah? If you are near southern SLC, near Herriman or Draper I have some great friends that are LDS but will welcome you and not try to convert you (no offense to the LDS onboard!) We lived there for 14 months and didn't see any snakes. We LOVED Utah! It is so beautiful and the people were so friendly. I really felt at home, unfortunately, Dh didn't, so we're back in NM. There's a place south of SLC, Thanksgiving Point, that has tons of stuff for kids. Hogle Zoo is really neat. There's a pioneer village, but I can't remember the name of it...Heritage something. You can always go hiking in the mountains, skiing in the winter, there are a lot of lakes. There is a yahoo group for Utah homeschoolers. I don't have it book marked anymore. Plug into a homeschool group, even if they are mostly LDS. I was afraid to move to Utah; I had heard such horror stories about non-LDS kids being bullied. I've never met nicer people than my LDS friends! We visit them every summer on vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 What part of UT? Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Also does anyone know if there really are snakes here like the boys keep reading about? I know that there were a bunch of big green garter snakes at the house we owned in Utah as of last summer. Are those the kind they are looking forward to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I forgot to answer the snakes question. I haven't seen any snakes in Utah and have only seen lizards in southern Utah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 No, we had garter snakes in OR they heard there were rattlesnakes and poisonous various other things and were excited. (I wasn't btw.) We are in South Salt Lake County. :) Thank you for the responses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Utah is one of my favorite states. GORGEOUS!!!! LOVE the National Parks there: Bryce, Arches, Dinosaur. They're not necessarily "field trip" material, but would make for a fun adventure. Considering what I've seen of Utah, yes, I'd say it's a safe bet that there are large, dangerous snakes there, but probably not in the urban areas.;) Have fun and enjoy your new adventure. We almost moved to Utah, but wound up in Colorado instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 That's funny Jamee because we were supposed to be transferred to Colorado and ended up in Utah instead :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I live in Utah (Davis County) and I'm LDS, but I promise I won't try and convert you either. :lol: I have to run my son to karate, but I'll post more fun things to do around here later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 :grouphug: When I was 18, I moved from Oregon to Utah to go to college. In August. My sister warned me to pack pictures of green things to hang up in my room. The first good rainstorm we had, I went walking barefoot with a girl from Washington. I think we met every PNWer in our part of campus. :lol: That said, Utah usually has awesome spring weather, and I was sad to leave when we moved 10 years later. Some parts of South Salt Lake (I'm thinking Herriman) might have rattlesnakes, but if you are living in a subdivision on the valley floor, my bet is you will never see one. The only time I ever saw a rattlesnake was when I went looking for one in the canyons, on the road (usually dead) in southern Utah, and one time camping on an island in Lake Powell. A couple of field trip ideas: Tracy (sp?) Aviary at Liberty Park Red Butte Gardens up by the U of U Timpanogos Caves I'd also do whatever I had to do to get a library card to the SLC library. The main library is wonderful. In the summer, bite the bullet and drive down to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Festival. They even have on-site childcare for kids too little to sit through a play. And you should definitely spend some time in the national parks while you are there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Welcome! We moved to Utah last summer (we live in north utah county) and absolutely love it here. We are also non-LDS and it is totally a non-issue. The kids have made many friends and love living in a neighborhood with kids to play with. I can't really help for field trips because we are still pretty new to the area and the places I know have been mentionned already :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Cornelia Snook Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Welcome to the area! I'm in SLC and I've found lots to do with the kids for field trips. Here are a few links to "things to do". The Gale Museum is in South Jordan and is free. Wheeler Farm is also free. Hogle Zoo. This is the Place Heritage Park. My kids LOVED this one. We unplugged from everything for a week last summer (we called it our pioneer week) and this place was our favorite destination. The Living Planet Aquarium is great! Temple Square is beautiful and there are always free concerts going on there. Here is a good site with links to lots of other places. I agree that you need to hook up with some of the groups in the area. Here is the general Utah yahoogroup link, and one for the Sandy area. I know there is a meeting on the third Wednesday of every month at the Murray Barnes & Noble bookstore, but I've never been able to attend (DH has a meeting that night, too!). The Utah Home Education Association is having their annual convention on June 4. Here is a link about that. It's a good way to find other homeschoolers as well. Utah is a GREAT place for homeschooling! You'll need to file an affidavit with your local school district every year, and that's about it. There are so many things to do, and so many other homeschoolers to support you. And then there are all the fun outdoor opportunities. In fact, I believe someone organizes weekly or monthly hikes for homeschoolers in the mountains. I wouldn't worry about being proselytized. I am LDS and religion has never come up at any of the HS events/fieldtrips/parties/classes we've attended. And, while living in Utah for the past thirteen years, I've never laid eyes on a snake! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 That's funny Jamee because we were supposed to be transferred to Colorado and ended up in Utah instead :) LOL! Utah was where we wanted to go, but a job in CO found us instead. I'm sure you'll love it out there. You're so close to so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I (along with my kids) volunteer (dressed up and acting like real pioneers) at This Is the Place Heritage Park, so I highly recommend it as a fun place to take your kiddos. As far as snakes go....we do have rattlers at Heritage Park (others, too, but they're not dangerous), but you don't usually see rattlers in your neighborhood. At Heritage Park we are well trained on how to handle them (snake tongs, anyone?), so no worries for your kiddos. Also, stay out of fields or anywhere with lots of tall grass. And our pumpkin patch and corn fields at the park. They love those. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) Welcome to Utah! I'm down in Utah County, but we get up to south Salt Lake fairly often. Most of our favorite "field trip" options have already been mentioned, but I thought I'd add the Clark Planetarium to the list. BYU has some interesting museums down in Utah County too. Of those I'd particularly recommend two--first, the Monte L. Bean Museum, which has a ton of taxidermied animals, which you can look at much more closely than live animals at a zoo (my kids expecially like the liger), and also the BYU art museum, where we recently saw an amazing exhibit of Carl Bloch altarpieces broght over from cathedrals in Europe. Truly breathtaking. Edited May 28, 2011 by MamaSheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I'm a native Utahn, Utah County. If you happen to live in a newer subdivision, which has recently displaced nature, you are more likely to see critters. I've only ever seen three rattlesnakes (outside a zoo, etc.) and all were in the canyons. (Two in Provo Canyon.) All were doing their best to mind their own business, despite boys with sticks poking at them. We did see garter snakes fairly often in my childhood, when there were more orchards and less subdivisions. I did startle a snake that had taken up residence under my brother's porch in St. George just last week when I was down for his daughter's graduation. They called animal control because its markings looked like a rattler, but it was just a desert version of a garter snake. ---- In addition to all the great places to visit, summertime along the Wasatch Front (Ogden to Payson) is full of festivals. This Friday and Saturday, for example, Thanksgiving Point is hosting the Scottish Festival. Payson has a smaller, but free, Scottish festival on July 8th and 9th. The Provo area has some educational events taking place for the 4th of July (Freedom Festival). Our favorite is Colonial Days. We've taken a look at Milestones of Freedom, which is about Ellis Island, but our kids were a little too young last time we tried. The Utah Arts Festival is coming up in Salt Lake later this month. The Greek Festival is in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I've been to Utah several times, so I'm not sure, but isn't there a big Mine near SLC? I thought that was where it was. That's about all I know, as far as places to see. The mountains are beautiful! Oh, down south, there's a great place....Moab. They have a lot of bike and hiking trails. I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for, but it would probably make for a great family weekend trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Welcome to Utah! I'm down in Utah County, but we get up to south Salt Lake fairly often. Most of our favorite "field trip" options have already been mentioned, but I thought I'd add the Clark Planetarium to the list. BYU has some interesting museums down in Utah County too. Of those I'd particularly recommend two--first, the Monte L. Bean Museum, which has a ton of taxidermied animals, which you can look at much more closely than live animals at a zoo (my kids expecially like the liger), and also the BYU art museum, where we recently saw an amazing exhibit of Carl Bloch altarpieces broght over from cathedrals in Europe. Truly breathtaking. The Bean Museum has live reptile shows in the evenings, too! Also, BYU hosts a ton of live productions at great prices (ballets, plays, music, ballroom, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Oh, I should add a couple of museums not mentioned above: The Hill Airforce Museum, which, in addition to lots of cool planes, has an exhibit on women in WWII, and a children's room with a number of hands on activities. Watch for both along the left wall in the 2nd? (maybe 3rd?) of the three connected hangers. My son loves the Odgen Union Station train museum so much that we bought an annual pass even though we live in Utah county! We buy a UTA group pass, and ride Trax, then FrontRunner. It's a short walk from the FrontRunner to the museum. We just visited Golden Spike (a National Park) for Memorial Day. The kids did the Junior Ranger program, and even my "train expert" learned a lot. I also completely second the Shakespeare Festival recommendation. Well worth the trip down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 (edited) The big mine is Kennecott (or sometimes called Bingham Copper Mine). Haven't been since I was 12, but I was impressed then. Edited June 6, 2011 by Maus added an alternate name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 The big mine is Kennecott (or sometimes called Bingham Copper Mine). Haven't been since I was 12, but I was impressed then. It can be seen from outer space! Very Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 If you're into more extended field trips there's Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Dinosaur National Monument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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