Field Trips

What do I do with the kids now???

Here you will find a list of the simple, and maybe some not as simple,  field trips you can do with your children. Getting out and even just exploring nature can be a lot of fun for children. There are some simple things you can have on hand to turn your free hour into an instant outdoor adventure your children will remember.



 I will list our most recent adventures here at the top of the page. Scroll down to see past field trips.


Moving to Ohio

John and milton are tlaveling from Arizona to Ohio with all of our stuff. They are having a blast see and learning about new things. Their first stop was an Gator farm in Colorado. Why colorado has a gator farm I will never know. Milton even got a chance to hold an alagator as you can see to the left. Then they want to Dodge city to experiance the western city to include a museum and a gun shoot out.  They sarted on their way but then ran across an underground salt mine so they stoped there. Milton decided to spend his money here for a hardhat with a light on it. The next day they visited Mark Tains house in Hannable MO. They also walked along the Mississippi River and was a steam boat on the river. I cant wait to join them next week. We plan on taking a trip to Kirtland Oh.


Lake Powell Museum
I took my boys last Friday to the Lake Powell Museum to see a new art display. The artist did both oil and water colors. There was even a 7 foot wide coiled up sandstone rattle snake. We looked at the art and with my 3 year old we identified colors and he pointed out things he found to be cool like a water fall. With Milton we looked at what made a water color different from an oil painting. We plan on going out this week and watercoloring outdoors so we can take our art back and compare how ours turned out and what ways we can improve our painting skills.

ROCKS!
Last Friday we went looking for rocks. Due to my current pregnancy. I am not able to do a whole lot. We drove to a hike trail head and the boys looked for rocks.  It was very windy out and cold but we braved it and got out little bag of rocks. We plan on putting them in an egg carton and try to identify them. I am trying to find a geologist or paleontologist who can then help us make sure that we identified them correctly.





NATURE JOURNAL
A very popular woman by the name of Charlotte Mason developed an educational system that many TJEder's like to borrow ideas from. One very popular one is Field Journals.

Materials Needed to Start a Nature Journal

1. A sketchbook with sturdy pages. If you plan on being near water much a waterproof one may be a good idea or teach your kids to store their journal in a ziplock plastic bag. My family tends to use odd shaped art journals since they are easier to slip into a backpack or purse than the larger more traditional shaped journals. Sometimes we don't have our journals with us and just use whatever paper is handy and then glue it into our journals once we are home.
2. Sketching pencils, good quality eraser, sharpener that holds the shavings.
3. Good quality colored materials of your choice. Charlotte Mason recommends using watercolor out in the field but I find that to be a hassle. My8 yo prefers to use erasable colored pencils, my 12 yo prefers to use watercolor pencils to which she adds the water component after she gets home, and I want to try using those new chalk pastels that are shaped like crayons. In this area I believe you should use whatever you are already comfortable with and already have handy. I would avoid markers or anything that will soak through to the other side of the paper. Also, whatever material you use needs to be able to show details so I would not recommend crayons either.
4. Camera. We didn't use a camera in the beginning but are finding that we really prefer having one with us. That way my 8 yo can take a picture of whatever critter catches her fancy and she doesn't have to worry about it flying/running away. I like to have it so that I can take a picture of unknown plants and animals and then go home and identify them based on the photo and the notes I took in my journal. I've been able to identify twice as many plants compared to when I didn't carry a camera with me. A camera that zooms-in works best. I tend to take two pictures; one zoomed in on details and one from a distance showing the habitat the plant is in. One thing I like about digital cameras is that you can take a photo in the field, come home and identify said plant or animal, add that info to your journal entry, and then delete the photo from the camera.
Click here for more info on Nature Journals. So many good ideas and resources I did not want you miss any of them