I was wondering what everyone does for short day-field trips? Since this is our first year going it on our own, I am searching for ideas. We are approx. 2 hrs from each major city, so trips to museums, zoos and such will be included but I am looking for smaller things close by. So far we have done a farm heritage day, will be doing a couple orchard fall days (where they will watch cider pressing, things of that sort). We do the library every week. Our nearest city of fair size only has one other botantical garden. We have already been to the lake and went to a couple lighthouses. We have done nature walks and pressed leaves, we will do more of those also. Just wondered if anyone has any other ideas or places they use? Do you ever go to certain stores or such and ask if the kids can see the details? I am kind of stumped and want to make things more hands on. Thanks
We've gone to the fire station for a tour. Need to go again, because they just built a new one recently, and these youngers haven't "done the tour". We've considered asking the post office for a "behind the scenes tour", too, but just haven't gotten around to it. The "nice" post-mistress retired... Library is very close by. That's about it, because we live in a very small town. However, within twenty minutes or so there are several museums -- one is a "national park" (it's a building really); a couple are dedicated to local music/musicians; one is an old mansion (the owner still lives upstairs) with a fantastic (worth literally millions!) fine arts collection of paintings and statuary and they do a wonderful Christmas tree display every December and art contests/shows by local artists; one is an old General Merchandise store (not a reproduction), with genuine merchandise left from the Twenties, Thirties, and Forties, the kind of store where the clerk had to get things down from the shelves behind the counter for you, a bin of raw coffeebeans, a huge roll of white paper and string to tie up your bundles for you, and a post office in one corner; in the rooms in the back of the store, there's a telephone museum, with old wooden phone booths and telephone operator's cord-board station and displays of every kind of telephone there has ever been, and a little movie about the history of when telephones first came to our state.
We generally don't do them unless they're connected with school. There are a few things we do. Central Ohio has Ballet Met, and we usually attend one of the school performances each year; this year it will be Midsummer Night's Dream. We will be going to HEROS camp next month, and we ALWAYS spend a day apple picking and then getting ice cream when we're done! I'm teaching science to a group of boys at my house on Fridays, and we're doing astronomy right now. The Neil Armstrong Museum is about an hour and a half away, so we will probably go up there one day.
Thank you, I appreciate the ideas. I didn't know if I was missing anything obvious (that happens LOL). That store sounds incredible Lindina, what a treasure!
One of the most valuable HSing resources that I nearly missed (and many other parents do) is our local park board. They have numerous events and activities at various locations. Check them out if you haven't already. Also our local art's council offers art days every couple of months. I live in a tiny city, but a city none-the-less, so I am only suggesting that you check to see if you even have these councils. I know small towns are often unable to provide such resources.
Well...I live in the Philly suburbs, so I have way too much at my disposal for field trips! It's making US History very exciting this year! Things we've done - toured a grocery store, a craft store, a firehouse, a historical homestead (there would have to be at least one of each near you, right???). We honestly don't do museums and zoos and what not too often. I can't physically handle those long days without hubby, I have to keep our field trips to half days when I'm alone. Maybe you could work out a few long day trips...I recommend getting your states and local chamber of commerce brochures. I subscribed to PA's visitor guides last year and we've found out about things that are literally minutes from our house that I would have NEVER known was there.
