C ... is for Caverns

 

Recently our family visited Squire Boone Caverns.  This homeschool mama is a sucker for abandoning school book work in trade for a good field trip...and this was certainly a good field trip!

Temperatures are starting to cool down in our area giving us a glimpse of my favorite season to come.  Fall!

We descended 72 steps down into the cavern following the lead of our tour guide.  Interestingly enough, he was a homeschool dad!  He and his wife homeschooled their son all the way through high school starting in 1990.

The beautiful stalagmites looked like folds of fabric.

We passed two waterfalls.  So pretty!

 Also, we observed the grave of Squire Boone, Jr. (founder of the cavern and brother to Daniel Boone).

 

We were told that bats were rarely seen flying through the cave, but after spending a full minute in complete darkness our guide told us there was one bat that could always be seen in the caverns.  He shined his flashlight towards the ceiling above our heads...

Yeah, it was pretty cool.  We were impressed at least!

 

After visiting the hand dipped candle shop, we all headed back to the car.  There sure are a lot of kids in that picture, aren't there?

Oh wait, one more!  He's trying to keep up. :)

 

Once again, I'm linking up to Blogging through the Alphabet at Ben and Me.  Check out all the "C"ool posts!

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Needing a Staycation? Think Field Trip!

The word vacation conjures up memories of rolling waves, hot sand on my feet, and the smell of sunscreen lotion.  As a child, I can remember building sandcastles, boat rides to spot dolphins at sunset, and visiting theme parks.  These were wonderful summer memories and I hope to recreate them all with my own children one day ... just not this summer.

No, this summer the budget is a tad bit tighter.  Even the idea of a 'staycation' sounds a little expensive to me.  After all, where do people usually go on a staycation?  Local amusement parks, water parks, theaters...all super family fun, but still pricey.

So is there an inexpensive alternative that still includes summer family fun and keeps the car mileage low?  I think so!  Instead of thinking like you're planning a vacation, think like you're planning a field trip!

Field trip opportunities are plentiful any where that you live and the best part is that many education centers are free or extremely cheap!  Check out Homeschool Buyers Co-op for field trip ideas in your state.  If you have young ones who aren't yet buying the "Learning is fun" idea (they're totally wrong by the way), just don't call it a "field trip".  They'll have fun and learn without even realizing it.  Just say something like this...

"Today for our staycation, we're going to the planetarium!"

"Today for our family fun day, we're going to the art museum!"

"Today for our awesome summer adventure, we're going to the library!"  ...okay, you might not fool them with that one.

 Last Friday, we joined up with two other homeschooling families to enjoy our first field trip of the school year.  We explored the fossil beds at the Falls of the Ohio.

  

E5 was most excited about the fossils, intensely searching to find each fossil listed on our brochure...

Besides fossils, our girls also found seashells...

And L2 also spotted a very long train crossing the Ohio River.

He watched...

and watched...

and watched...

The day was slightly grey and overcast, which was actually a wonderful relief from the humid weather we have been having.  It was really the perfect day to explore the beds.

Even J1 enjoyed the trip...

As we were planning for our field trip, we also realized that it would be Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A!  That was super awesome because we knew we would need lunch after our trip.  So a little bit of construction paper and quite a few white trash bags later...

Free food for all!  Talk about an inexpensive staycation...the entire day only cost us $2 (parking at the Falls).

Check out other Staycation ideas at the TOS Crew blog.

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Weekly Wrap Up - Week 1

Week 1

Wow!  Week 1 of the 2012-13 Integritas Academy School year has been a whirlwind of activity!  If this week is any indication of how the rest of the year is going to be then we are in for one wild ride.

As usual, we have once again started our school year in July because the blazing hot temperatures have run all my little ones indoors. Our early start gives us something to do and will allow for lots of breaks throughout the year when the temperature outside is milder and more pleasant.  As seen above, H6 is working on her Christian Light Publication 2nd grade curriculum.  L4 is excited to have completed the first page of her Alphabet Lap-Note (free from HomeSchoolShare).  And G11 is working on writing paragraphs with our Create Better Writers program that I am reviewing with the TOS Homeschool Crew.

Our most exciting adventure this year is that we have teamed up with two other homeschool families to do school together two days a week.  Our focus on these days is on history and science.  Our kids couldn't be more thrilled to get to visit with their friends so often and we moms are enjoying the combined efforts and accountability in teaching....okay, we like the fellowship too!

My school room finally got a much needed update this week when I worked to add a few colorful touches.  I'll be posting details and instructions for these projects next week!

Our kiddos completed their Summer Reading program from the local public library and were rewarded with these cool baseball hats and tons of free tickets to local events.

Then we finished our week with our first field trip of the school year!  We met our friends at the Falls of the Ohio to explore the awesome fossil beds there.

A field trip isn't complete without lunch...and in this case lunch was free!  Why's that?  Because it just so happened to be Cow Appreciation Day.  To celebrate, we all dressed as cows and received free meals complimentary of Chick-Fil-A!

Linking up this week to the Weekly Wrap Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and to Big Family Friday Link Up at Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling. Pin It Now!

Fun in the Sun - Top 10 Summer Field Trips

We, here at Integritas Academy, are set up on a year round school.  We take a summer break, but it is a little shorter than most...only about 6 weeks.  This allows us a more flexible schedule throughout the year and longer holiday breaks.  That being said, I have to admit...my favorite kind of summer learnin' is the kind that takes place out of the classroom.

It's so much easier to get our crew out the door and to a field trip when I'm not worried about the daily schedule.  And who really worries about a schedule in the summer anyway?!

So, without further ado, I present to you our Top 10 Summer Field Trips...

10. Willy Wonka Chocolate Tour

A few summers ago we participated in a field trip to a local fondue restaurant.  You can read more about it here, but basically this restaurant hosted Willy Wonka themed field trips, teaching the kids about the history of chocolate and letting them do taste tests.  I don't think I really need to tell you why this one was a fav...I mean seriously, it was yummy!!

9. Aquarium

Summer is the perfect time to head to an aquarium.  The closest one to us is a little over an hour away, but a summer was made for day trips!  I don't need to convince you of the educational value here.  Your kids are going to learn without even realizing it an aquarium.

8. Zoos and Wildlife Centers

Now, I have to admit, I am not one of those year-long-family-zoo-pass kind of mamas.  One zoo trip a year is really kind of enough for me.  Toddlers are really the best to take to the zoo.  I love watching their faces light up when they are seeing those big, strange animals for the first time.  However, if you have a wildlife center in your area than you have a real treasure.  The one near us is free, has a great education center, and is rarely crowded.

7. Confectionery Tour

I'm aware of two different candy shoppes within driving distance of us that offer tours that teach about the candy making process.  And then of course you get samples as well!  Another great idea for summer is to tour an ice cream shoppe that makes their own ice cream.  We have a Graeters shop that does this near us.

6. Boating and Fishing

Now, we have not always been the best at this but seriously, summer should not be complete without a boating and fishing trip.  And why not add this cool, free Fish and Fishing Unit Lapbook from Homeschoolshare to your Summer fun studies?

5. Children's Museums

Take a break from the heat and head inside a children's museum or science center.  Try this site to find one near you.

4. Walking Tour of your City

Last year we had the awesome opportunity to participate in a walking tour of our city.  We joined with some other homeschool families who were setting up this field trip, so I'm not really sure who you contact to get this done.  But it would so be worth the investment of your time to find out how to do this.  We were blessed with an awesome guide who shared all sorts of history and explanations of the architecture of the buildings, etc.

3. Living History Museum

We never miss a summer without heading to Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana to enjoy their living history museum.  It's a long drive for us, but no one in the family complains.

2. State Fair

Oh yes, the State Fair is always a favorite of the summer.  Last year, our daughter entered several sewing projects into competition.  It was great to see her work and she earned several ribbons.  Plus, we got discounted tickets!  Woo-hoo!

1. Hiking

It's free. It's awesome exercise.  All ages love it. We could hike every single weekend of the summer without complaints.  Need I say more?

Not convinced walking in the woods is educational?  Well, than you should definitely check out the nature study resources at http://www.shiningdawnbooks.com/ .

So what are you waiting for?  Grab some sunscreen and head out the door!

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Our First '10-'11 Field Trip

Thankfully, we all survived the first week of the homeschool year, and made it to the second. This was especially good since the second week turned out so much better.

One of the highlights of the week was are very first official fieldtrip of the school year. I have to apologize up front for the excessive amount of photos. This is actually a slimmed down version from what I actually took. I'll keep my comments to a minimum to compensate.

We took a trip to our county GOP for a civics class. By the way, I didn't dress my boys in the same type of shirt on purpose...actually I didn't even notice it until just now.


G9 got us started by leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mrs. Kim King is running for state representative and led the presentation to our group, which included about 30 K-5 homeschool students.

To demonstrate how a bill is passed, first a governor was chosen from the audience.

The kids were divided in half. One side represented the Senate and the other represented the House of Representatives.


My E6 had a lot to say.


Once a proposed bill passed through the House and the Senate, it was signed into law by the governor. As a side note..I thought it rather funny that the two laws that were proposed by the presenters were "To serve only pizza everyday in school cafeterias" and "The only subject in schools should be recess all day". Apparently, this has gone over well with the public school children when they had done this presentation before. However, the home school students were adamant in their opposition to both of these "bills"! They were all bringing up all sorts of insightful comments as to why they shouldn't "pass" them. Some of my favorites were...

"What if someone is allergic to pizza?" and

"If students only have recess, they won't have enough education. Then they won't be successful in life." (This student was probably in 2nd grade.)

For the sake of the presentation the parents had to coerce them into voting "yes". They VERY reluctantly agreed.


Our state flag.

My A8 was chosen to wear a Derby hat as the lesson continued on to discuss Kentucky traditions.





E6 was chosen to be a jockey.


The jockeys with their trainers paraded around to the tune of "My Old Kentucky Home" mimicking the Derby pre-event.


Ladies in Derby hats and gentlemen in ties clapped for their favorite horses.


G9 (in the tie) looked just like his Daddy. :o)


Here's the whole group! Fun day!

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