Tag: field trips

Fun North Carolina Animal Encounters for Homeschool Families
Fun · Homeschool Life

Fun North Carolina Animal Encounters for Homeschool Families

Deby Ciui (Chewy)Leave a comment

We are two weeks into homeschooling this year and have officially had our first field trip. I’ve lived here for so many years and somehow am only now hearing about so many cool things to visit and experience. This week we visited the Greensboro Science Center, a museum, aquarium, and zoo, all in one. Aside from the heat it was quite an enjoyable experience. Some of the zoo animals were understandable hiding/sleeping due to the temperatures but we still got to see otters playing, the adorable red pandas snuggling up together, and many many more. I have been to North Carolina Zoo several times but in terms of ease, I do believe I enjoyed this place even more. As much as we love the big NC Zoo we do tend to get overwhelmed and exhausted whenever we visit. The Greensboro Science Center let us take our time and enjoy ourselves at our own leisure. Of course, now that I know what to expect, I think I’ll wait to return during the spring/fall when it is much cooler.

Every year I am excited to plan out field trips with the girls. It is one thing I always loved when I was younger and wished that I could have more of but they seemed to no longer exist after elementary school. So, since I am the teacher now, I get to plan as many field trips I want. For now though, I’ll admit that majority of our field trips often involve animals of some kind whether they’re wild animals or domesticated. This year promises to be no different as I already have a list of places I’m looking forward to exploring with the girls.

  • The Carolina Tiger Rescue
    • This is somewhere I have visited on multiple occasions but have not taken the girls to yet. I am excited to see their faces when we are so close to the big cats. I personally always enjoyed the tiger rescue and learned something new each visit.
  • Carolina Raptor Center
    • I have lived in NC for almost 20 years and somehow only just discovered that this place existed! This is also on my list of field trips this year but will take some planning due to distance.
  • Aloha Safari Park
    • Another place I only recently discovered and am looking forward to visiting.

The list goes on, between local museums that we have visited before and the usual zoo/aquariums that we always love. I don’t know who looks forward to our field trips more, me or the kids.

Exploring Homeschool Field Trips: Our Dairy Farm Adventure
Homeschool

Exploring Homeschool Field Trips: Our Dairy Farm Adventure

Deby Ciui (Chewy)1 Comment

One of my goals for this year’s homeschooling, is to go on more field trips with the girls. I have so many good memories of field trips when I was younger and while I was in public school myself I want to make sure my girls have that same experience. Which is why when I saw a local dairy farm advertise homeschooling tour discounts, I jumped on the occasion. What better way to start off the year than petting baby cows and seeing how milk, chocolate milk, and ice cream are made?

Simply Natural Creamery is a local dairy farm in the eastern N.C area. They offer tours of their facilities which includes tour by wagon ride. We learned about their Jersey Cows and the whole process from birth to milking to processing and more. Admittedly the girls were more excited about their “Dairy Land” playground which we enjoyed after the tour. But I was pleasantly surprised on the drive home when they were reciting facts that they had learned during the tour. It was nice to see that they had actually been paying attention.

The importance of field trips is not only to get us all out of the house, homeschooling can get a little bit stir-crazy if you don’t get a change of scenery once in a while. Aside from the memories made on field trips they also helps foster creativity, give them some hands on experiences, and building more relationships. My goal is to go on a field trip at least every quarter this year. I have a list of possibilities for the next one, but for now the year has been off to a great start.