for field trips and pay for them? Today we are going to a wildlife park since it's free day. They have weekly programs each week for $4 per son. So if just I and the kids go it's $20 and one will Dh will be able to go and it's $25. The place is about 4 minutes away. It's all about the states local animals and since it involves animals it will keep my preschoolers attention since they have to come with us. The program is geared for first grade and up. They welcome homeschoolers to the programs. I am actually going to ask them about it today if someone is there to ask about my preschoolers. I also have 2 other field trips at the states capitol city which is about a hour a way. It's $2 a person and $1 for my oldest but the days we are going is free. They also have some interested group presentations that I wouldn't mind asking if anyone wants to join us. Again it s about the state we are currently living in. I could do it on my own but I like hearing fromthe people that can actually answer my DD's questions and not me. I am like will ummm and then spend a great time looking for someone to tell us about it. Well off to get ready for our family field trip. I will post some pictures of it sometime this week. Right now I am trying to get pictures of Ft. Williams that's in Cape Elizabeth in Maine. It's really really pretty. My kids didn't care so much for the forts because one they couldnt go into but loves the beach. It's the first time since living in Maine we been to the water. That was about a 30-45 minute drive and free
I spend a lot of time on the road because all of dd's extracurricular activities are at least 20 minutes away. I'm trying to figure out a way to get up to the MD aquarium and that's 3-4 hours away. So does that answer your question? lol
We don't do a ton of field trips, and most of them are just the things we would do anyway for family entertainment. We might go to a museum or animal park, or we might go to a mall or an amusement park. Today we are going to a huge flea market/craft fair that is also a huge antique farm machine show. We don't schedule stuff really because we live basically payday to payday, and aren't always sure we will have the extra money for stuff.. esp gas. We also only have one vehicle right now, so it just makes sense to stay home during the week.. the kids don't like when I have to take daddy to work at 4 am.
Im not sure on how far I would/will travel for a field trip I think if it was worth it id drive a few hours..I dont mind road trips lol. we have a nature center close to us that has yearly memberships for like 10.00 a person, 1 time visits are 5.00 so even if we go 3x then Ive used my card beyond the daily charge.
For field trips I am willing to travel upwards of an hour for special things, like the pumpkin festival and corn maze, or if the event is free. From my house I am way at the northend of the city, almost all attractions of on the other side of the city so I have to drive 30 minutes minimum anyway. I have leisure access cards which get us in for free at the nature centre, zoo, fort ed park(pioneer type village) and a few other places, so really I rarly pay for feildtrips unless it is to things like the science center, berry picking, or pumpkin festival, I think the most I have paid I *think* is $25 for the whole family to go to something like that plus gas. That said their is ther places I want to take my kids in the province that I simply can't yet due to costs/travel and they are anywhere from 3-8 hours away from me, so to check out something really great I am willing to travel a fair distance, I would just then make it a whole day thing and get a hotel etc.
well if the field trip is something I am doing with the girls and gears to our work I will travel and then it depends if the place is good.. traveling don't bother me, it's life..
We also get by with one vehichle. My spouse rides a bike to work, unless it is raining alot. We occasionally have to get the kids in the car at an early hour also. Fortunately I can still get them out of bed and into the car without waking them, or only slightly, then back into the house later. As far as field trips go, we just wing it and do stuff here and there. We will soon be going to NC and they will get alot in that week. We hit museums, sights, the zoo, and similar things on a pretty regular basis, but don't plan too far ahead due to erratic work schedules.
Well... I live in Wyoming and EVERYTHING is very far and few in between. I live in a town where the population is apx. 2000 people and the closest Walmart is 86 miles away. It is like that for everything here unless you live in a select few cities. So, how far would I travel for a field trip would probably be no more than 150 miles one way (that is how far I have to travel to get to the good museums, shopping, etc.) But if we want to go to the zoo we have to travel to Denver, Colorado which is 5 hours away from my house or apx. 5 hours to Salt Lake, Utah. So, with having to account for gas food and any fees at the places where we would go, a field trip would cost us about $100 or so, give or take. Don't get me wrong I am willing to spend this to give my children all of the opportunities to expand their education, but we have to make a minimum amount of trips like no more than 2 a month. But it makes the trips a lot more fun!
I'm guessing Deena holds the record for this one! For us it really just depends on what it is. What's the difference between a field trip and a vacation?
It depends on what it is. For extracurricular stuff I travel 20 minutes (swimming & homeschool PE) I want to go to the Aquarium in Baltimore - but it's over 1 hour away so I want it to be a family trip. A lot of stuff goes on in DC plus they have museum - and my mother has kindly offered to take the kids (I hate the museums because in PS that was our field trip every year from 1st-6th grade).... but I might take them 1 or 2 times and we'll take the metro as I am so not driving into DC. We don't have a lot of time off right now and I am looking forward to having a break later in the winter - then maybe we'll do some stuff.
I love to travel and love seeing new stuff. we live just over an hour from the nearest small city with museums and such. other interesting things can be several hours away, so I have to plan carefully and choose the ones I really think are worth it. In the winter I travel nearly 3 hrs each way about once a week for us to ski/snowboard. (I'd love to have a second home near some slopes!) I would love to travel internationally with the family- dh and I have been talking about it for some time, maybe in a year or so.
Hey, Kim- the aquarium is doing a Fridays After 5 thing now. I think it's 8.00pp. The science center is 5.00 pp after 5 on Fridays. All of Jeannie's classes are 45 minutes away. For field trips.. well, we recently drove 4 hours to Ocean City, MD. As far as fees, well, if I want her to do something, I'll pay.
We have field trips planned with the homeschool group for 2x a month. Since there's nothing much here in town we drive 2 hours round trip. We are going to a play "Alice in Wonderland" on the 18th. Our homeschool group has families from many small towns around us so some of them drive even further than we do.
MOST of our learning trips are about a half hour away. A couple are an hour. But in November we have a civil war reenactment we are going to that's at least a couple of hours away. I really have no "limit" per say. It depends on the activity. There's (used to be?) a setting free of sea turtles that I'd LOVE to take the kids to. We're N of ATL and this is in south FL, so like 10 hours or so?
I LOVE WYOMING! I am nuts but when we drive through it to South Dakota I love it! You are not exagerating when you say everythign is far away! But hey you have everything around your state for week end feild trips! HAH! I have plans to go to the state capital, but I want to know how one finds out about tours and such BEFORE going? My inlaws took the kids to Olympia a few years back in Wa, while we all camped. ! Anyway How do you get tours at places like that, and would I call the Museums and Science centers to see if they have a homeschool thing? We have some AWESOME science centers and since we are doing Bilology this year I should get them there! we also hve free or bogo tickets to Space center and some exploritorium in the area that I need to check on... TO answer the question, I would go as far as an hour away I guess .... unless we were studying the beach then id make it two!
:lol: Oh yeah, I wasn't even thinking of that! But we DID fly over 2000 miles, then drive 3 hours, to go to the Ben Franklin Museum for the King Tut exhibit! (But it was also to meet Tracy, Jackie and Crystal, all from Homeschool Spot, and to visit my in-laws and my sister )
I love to travel and we have the benefit of having Fridays off, so our whole family goes on day trips. Two weeks ago we drove to Lancaster and Hershey, PA for the day (3 hour drive one-way). This Friday we are going to Philly for the King Tut exhibit. Philly, Baltimore, D.C., and Norfolk/VA Beach/etc. are each about 3 hours away. We also have family in the South and Midwest, so we go to museums and state parks and things all over. I found a great way to do it cheaply by getting a family membership at the Delaware Museum of Natural History for $45 and we can get in free at a bunch of other museums (like The Franklin Institute & the Maryland Science Center). You don't have to live in DE to get the membership. We have probably saved hundreds over the last couple years. This year I also got an annual membership to Port Discovery which opens up a lot of Children's museums. That membership is more expensive, but if we visit more than two other museums we will save money. We really do scrimp and save to travel and my dh and I have always done that. I think I am part gypsy. But, I remember things when I can see it in person and my kids (6ds & 3dd) do too.
Sometimes we got to turn our vacations into field trips. Go visit local landmarks, museums, etc. while you are on vacation.
