Monday, March 24, 2014

Field Trips (aka Breaks from Reality)

Although we have not attempted any lengthy family trips as we did during the last school year, we have gone on several local field trips and taken short breaks which have made this year really fun.  I mean think about it... who doesn't want as many "breaks from reality" as possible?

Our first field trip of the year was to Medieval Times in Orlando.  The older two had recently studied the Middle Ages so it fit in perfectly with our curriculum.  There was plenty of entertainment, average tasting food, and a creepy yet educational museum featuring medieval artifacts.





Our next adventure took us out of state to Buffalo, NY.  The kids were desperately missing snow so we decided to find the coldest jetBlue city we could (not really, but that's about how it turned out).  In the morning we saw Niagara Falls.



In the late afternoon/evening we went sledding at Kissing Bridge, NY. 



The next field trip brought us to the Cocoa Post Office.  It wasn't the most exciting of places to visit, but anything you do for the first time is usually pretty interesting. We saw behind the scenes where the mail is sorted by route. Unfortunately it wasn't our local Post Office so we did not see any mail for us.




Our next adventure was more of a break than a field trip.  For the first time ever, our family went tent camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. We went with another family who kindly loaned us their tent. Not only did the kids have such a great time hanging out, but us adults also got to relax and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation.  Spoiler Alert:  We had such a great time with our friends that we have already planned our next trip together.  Look out for another camping blog in a few months.





Next trip took us to a place I always wanted to go to as a child:  Marineland.  Located just south of Saint Augustine, Marineland used to be a dolphin show theater complete with stadium and animal entertainment. As a kid I remember looking at the brochures and begging my parents to go. After hurricane Charley in 2006, the facility closed with no harm to the dolphins but much damage to the stadium and surrounding buildings.  It is now reopened as an education center focusing on dolphin conservation and education.  The kids got to touch and feed the dolphins, learn about their anatomy and habits, and finally go on a "Behind the Seas" tour featuring a history of the place along with several aquariums.  Here are some of the pictures we took.

 



 




 
 
So that wraps up January - March.  This week is technically our Spring Break, but with all the great trips we've taken lately we thought we'd just spend some time at home and work on some much needed projects around the house. For me as a homeschooling mom of three, it sounds like another great 'break from reality'.  :)