Whether you have younger kids or older students, experiences are the things your kids will remember later in life. My family loves to go places. When the kids were little, our homeschool group organized field trips, conducted nature studies at local parks and nature centers, and visited art museums in our area. Within the larger group, we had smaller groups, some spending more time on field trips and some spending more time on nature studies. It was wonderful.
My kids are older now and their studies are more academic. We were finding that we missed the time when we could just drop everything and go. A few years back, I realized we didn’t have to sacrifice academics for the things we love to do. After all, field trips are some of the best places to learn history, geography, science, and the arts. We were missing out on some of the best educational opportunities and couldn’t justify sacrificing our academics. How does one solve this problem?
We decided to focus on what we love to do in our off time. Instead of doing a nature study day with all of our homeschool group friends, we go camping as a family. Instead of planning field trips during the school week, we fill up our breaks going to museums and tours and libraries in other towns when we’re on vacation. It’s been a worthy adjustment, and, since I don’t have to stress about missing a math lesson, I can enjoy the museum in all its glory.
If you have younger kids or older students, you can enjoy field trips. We encourage you to take advantage of all the amazing places that Oklahoma has to offer, many of which are free or cost very little. Find an existing field trip group or start your own. It takes a little planning and a good list of places, which we have for you right here.
Places to Visit:
