5 Days of Eclectic Homeschool Day 3

Another important part of our eclectic homeschool is field trips.  Not only are they fun, they are educational and make learning real.  Field trips make what you read and study come alive.  There is nothing like experiencing whatever it is that interests you first hand.

Here in PA, we are so very blessed to live in an area so very rich in history, science and culture.  We have walked in the very footsteps of Franklin, Washington and Jefferson.  We have visited colonial manors.

We learned about the Spanish-American war on a 19th century battleship and about WWII on a submarine.

We have studied geology while underground in a cave

and about animals at the zoos and aquarium in the area.  We have run up the Art Museum steps like "Rocky" (we did study art on the inside of the museum!) and experienced almost everything science at the Franklin Institute.  We have toured our ballpark, visited local farms and orchards and climbed into the log cabins at Valley Forge.

And this is all right here.  Much of it was free or low cost, so it can be accomplished on a budget.  I would also suggest shopping around for zoos or science centers that offer reciprocal membership benefits.

As for out of PA, we have walked back in time in Colonial Williamsburg, helped defend the fort in Jamestown, climbed aboard a NASA rocket in Hampton, visited many the Smithsonian museums and monuments in DC (incredible learning experiences!),

studied the ecology of the watershed in Delaware and participated in maple sugaring in New Jersey, just to name a few.

We hope to do even more in the future.  I want my children to climb aboard the ships in Boston from where the tea was thrown and march the path of Pickett's Charge.  We would like to travel some of the journey of Lewis and Clark and gaze into the Grand Canyon.  Someday.  :-)

We always ask our children to write (one even makes power point presentations) about their experiences- what they learned, what they liked most and what they would like to see more of in the future.  Our kids like to take their own photos on our field trips, as well.  It is always fun to put albums together with mementos, stickers or other materials.  This, too, becomes quite the learning experience; giving our children a diverse and interest-led education is what our eclectic homeschool is all about.

For Day 1, 'What is an Eclectic Homeschool' click here.
For Day 2, 'Lapbooking in an Eclectic Homeschool' click here