Monday, April 7, 2014

Hands On Learning Through Fieldtripping Fun Plus 2 Giveaways

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Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Welcome to day 1 of my 4 day fieldtripping fun blog series. I hope you enjoy this blog hop series and find some helpful information along the way! Be sure to stop by everyday this week for more fieldtrip ideas and resources!

Here is what I have lined up for the remaining days (I will update these with direct links to the posts throughout the week):


Truth be told we are only home about 3-4 days out of the week. The other half of the week we are out on adventures exploring our great state of Georgia! As soon as we get a second car we will start venturing out to the surrounding southeast states too.

I am a firm believer in hands on and experiential learning. Shortly after we began our homeschool journey I discovered that our children learned and retained more information when they were actually learning from experience. So we use EVERYTHING and ANYTHING as a learning experience and the children are encouraged to explore their interests and passions! Both children learn by utilizing all of their senses and each of the learning modalities, not just one or two. We are not bound to one particular curriculum or textbook. And we don't follow standard or common core guidelines.

“The world has so much to teach us if we’re brave enough to explore the unknown and leap into it with open arms.” ~ Satori

For our family fieldtrips are great for experiential learning. Examining artwork from the Louvre up close, walking the same path that Civil War soldiers did and watching a spider spin it's web between two tree branches is exciting, educational and memorable!!! Through our fieldtrip adventures the children have developed strong critical thinking skills and have a greater appreciation for art, history, science and more! We have even been known to take more than 1 fieldtrip in a day (our current record is 3 in one day).

“This world is your best teacher. There is a lesson in everything. There is a lesson in each experience. Learn it and become wise. Every failure is a stepping stone to success. Every difficulty or disappointment is a trial of your faith. Every unpleasant incident or temptation is a test of your inner strength. Therefore nil desperandum. March forward hero!” ~ Swami Sivananda

I hope that this weeks blog series provides you with the encouragement you need to go on an adventure! Break the schedule and don't worry about your curriculum lesson (I promise it will be there waiting for you when you return). The joy of homeschooling is the flexibility. As homeschoolers we can provide our children with hands on, enriching, real world lessons that they won't get in a book, at home or sitting in a classroom.

Here are a few other posts I wrote about fieldtrips that you should check out: 10 Places To Take Nature Walks In GA, Exploring Nature, 10 Frugal Fieldtrips, FREE And Low cost Fieldtrip Ideas (Nationwide), 10 FREE Fieldtrips In GA, Fabulous Fun Filled Fieldtrips, Go Gecocahing - A Fun, Educational, Family ActivityThe Wide, Wide World and GA Unit Study.

Free Fieldtrip Journal Pages:
I am in the process of creating various fieldtrip journal pages for my children. I find that journal pages help enhance our fieldtrips and make them more memorable too.

My newest one is a generic museum fieldtrip journal page. This journal page can be used at a variety of museums including history, art and science. More will be added soon and all of my freebies are added to this page to make them easier to find -> FREE notebooking/journal pages.


Be sure to also check out this art museum journal page. We use this when we visit the art museums. There are several fun activities including a scavenger hunt, signature copywork, art examination and more. I also have created this artist biography journal page. I made this one to help the children keep track of facts on each artist we are learning about. This is great to use while at the museum or at home.


Fieldtrip Giveaways:
Two great companies have offered to provide giveaways during my fieldtrip blog series.

Giveaway #1 - Giveaway has ended
The first giveaway is for a signed copy of Family on the Loose.

Pack your bags, hop a plane, and take a trip! Family travel is a great way to expand your cultural horizons and help cultivate our next generation of global citizens. Wondering how to turn a journey with your kids into an enriching and rewarding adventure?  This book offers hundreds of easy-to-use ideas for:
  • Drumming up excitement for the journey ahead
  • Teaching your kids to pack themselves
  • Having fun at the airport and on the plane
  • Easing jetlag and schedule changes
  •  Involving everyone in setting itineraries and expectations
  • Making museums and tourist stops engaging for everyone
  • Enriching your travel experience through journaling
  • Keeping the joy of the journey alive long after your return
  • Discovering cultural education in your own back yard
This book is intended for well-seasoned travelers and newbies alike who enjoy being with their children, want to enrich their education, and are excited to discover, as a family, the vast and unique experiences this world has to offer.


Giveaway #2 - Giveaway has ended
The second giveaway is for a copy of the Yellow Stone and Grand Canyon guide books from Master Books. 

This guide book uniquely celebrates the biblical history revealed within the landscapes of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.  Hundreds of full color photos fill the 188 pages, where you will discover travel tips, maps, details on the vast forests, grasslands, geysers, trails, flowers, hiking trails, wildlife and more. Whether you are planning a visit to the parks or wanting to study the majesty of God’s amazing creation, this book will give you an incredible perspective.

Exploring the Grand Canyon is a one-of-a-kind adventure. It is a World Heritage Site and one of the most amazing features on the face of the planet. The size and majesty of the Canyon is overwhelming, regardless of how many times you have viewed it, how many trails you have hiked, or how many river miles you have traveled. It is also a mystery!

Your Guide to the Grand Canyon  -     By: Tom Vail, Mike Oard
 Your Guide to Yellowstone National Park  -     By: Dennis Bokovoy, John Hergenrather, Michael Oard




15 comments:

leahrc said...

Kathy, this is great. I love field trips but am not very good at coming up with them. What a great topic!

Erica Bankston Stokes said...

I've never visited the Grand Canyon...but it's on our list. Favorite field trip ever was caverns in Hot Springs, Arkansas. That was amazing and my now 17 year old still talks about how great it was! Can't wait to take our little ones!

Kristi said...

Our favorite field trip has by far been going to see Shakespeare in the Park in Nashville. We saw A Midsummer Night's Dream, twice!! It was awesome.

Gena Mayo said...

I haven't visited Grand Canyon or Yellowstone but really want to!

Jennifer Lawson Keime said...

Our favorite field trips are always our Children's Museum of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Zoo.

CristyS said...

Botanical Gardens in Cleveland!

Christa Kane Hannasch said...

What a fantastic page with unlimited ideas! Our favorite field trip so far this year has been taking a long hike down Line Creek nature trail and exploring.

MomHeather said...

Our favorite field trip was exploring a bird refuge.

MomHeather said...

I have been to the Grand Canyon, but my children have not. I love Yellowstone, but my littlest have not been there and we are talking about when we can take them.

Shecki Grtlyblesd said...

We've been pretty housebound this year, with a new toddler with special needs. The only field trip I can think of is the Old Schoolhouse tour we took in Sacramento.

Autumn Jones said...

Our favorite field trip has been going to see my parents 5 hours away. They live on a large ranch and we got to see some of what ranch life is like. :)

Autumn Jones said...

I have never visited the Grand Canyon OR Yellowstone. Maybe someday!

Alicia Charmbury said...

Beach field trips with homeschool friends.

Alicia Charmbury said...

No, but would love to!

Meg @ Adventures with Jude said...

My favorite homeschool field trip was when we went to Mount Vernon at Christmas, but one of the kids' school trips to Gettysburg wins over all the others.

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