I remember when I was an elementary student and our class got to go on field trips. All of the students in our class looked forward to each of the few field trips we were allowed to have each year. The trips took us out of the classroom and into factories, ice cream manufacturers and more. Now as a homeschooling mom, I have the liberty of taking my own children on field trips. We have enjoyed a variety of trips including a candy factory, a horse farm, the Dayton Air Museum, Montpelier, Willliamsburg, Jamestown, Niagara Falls, Monticello, apple picking and the Ohio Historical Society.

Here are five of our favorites:

1. Williamsburg, Virginia – My husband and I have always enjoyed US history, but sometimes this can be a challenging subject for our children. It is hard to get them to be interested in the past when they are more interested in right now! We had contemplated visiting Colonial Williamsburg as a family and then we discovered they have homeschool days. The per person cost is very reasonable and really enticed us to give this field trip a try. We were pleasantly surprised by the “Welcome Homeschoolers” signs posted and the large number of other homeschooling families attending the event. There were special activities just for us, including a tour and craft project in the art museum. Our entire family had a wonderful time touring the Governor’s house, eating in a tavern and watching the revolutionary era re-enactments. This is a must do field trip!

   http://www.history.org/History/teaching/groupTours/SchoolandYouth/homeschools.cfm

2. Apple Picking - In Ohio we enjoy a wonderful period in the fall when we can visit a local orchard and go apple picking. Your state may have a similar seasonal fruit that you can pick. Do a little research, find a local farm that allows picking and gather your family for this wonderful educational adventure. You may want to ask if there is a tour or attendant to educate you on the process. Fun for all ages! We always go to Lynds Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Ohio.

   http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/main/

3. Monticello – Outside of Charlottesville, Virginia is the home of President Thomas Jefferson. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful drive through the lovely hills of Virginia to find Monticello and were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the welcome center and were offered a homeschool discount on our tickets! The tour was amazing and intriguing. We had to tackle the tough subject of slavery in America, which was handled very well by our tour guide. This was an important and educational field trip.

   http://www.monticello.org/visit/group_tours.html

4. Candy Factory – We are lucky to have the Anthony Thomas Candy Factory here in Columbus, Ohio. Who doesn’t want to tour a candy factory? Our homeschool group got together and attended one of the tours. Our kids had so much fun watching them make candy while we parents reminisced about the famous I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel try to work at a candy factory. Of course we all enjoyed the free sample at the end of the tour! If Ohio is not in your neighborhood, look up a local candy factory and set up a tour! Anthony Thomas offers FREE tours every Tuesday and Thursday.

   http://www.anthony-thomas.com/tour.html

5. NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas – My husband and I have always been fascinated by space and space travel. Little did we know our kids were also big fans! We were driving to Houston and my husband said under his breath, “I would really like to visit NASA while we are here, but I am sure the kids won’t want to go”. So, I said out loud, “Hey kids, who wants to go to NASA?”, and they all cheered “ME!!!”. It is a great place to visit for the whole family. There is a large variety of things to do so that everyone is “edutained”! There are movies, tours, a trapeze, a climbing apparatus and more! If you get a chance to visit Houston, plan a trip to NASA.

   http://www.spacecenter.org/

I attended a homeschool convention in Cincinnati, OH. I met some very interesting people there. You always hear intriguing comments, thoughts and observations at a homeschool convention. We are learning everyday in all the things that we do. And at a homeschool convention you will be sure to learn a lot about homeschooling, yourself, different styles, various belief systems and ideas. Here are a few things that really stuck with me:

I spoke with a woman who said that back in 1979 she considered homeschooling her only child because she did not think he was receiving a good education at school. She did some research, looked around, tried to locate any information she could on homeschooling. She found about five contacts, and she contacted them all. She said that she received five mimeographed sheets of paper explaining how she could homeschool all by herself. Frustrated and disappointed, she decided that there just was not enough resources available to homeschool her own child. And here she stood talking with me today, at a homeschool convention in 2010 with 150 vendors, thousands of homeschoolers milling around, countless workshops by veteran homeschoolers offering support, and a ton of resources for anyone contemplating homeschooling. What a difference a couple of decades makes!

A young man of about 15 was telling me that his parents were at the convention looking for a different curriculum. He said that he had used many different curriculums over the years and is was frustrating for him. The young man explained that each year when he had to start a new curriculum it was difficult for him to adjust and learn the new system. I asked if it would have been better to have started with one curriculum and just stuck with it for Kindergarten through graduation, he said yes that would have been much easier. Amazing that in this day and age we have hundreds of choices in educating our children at home – that is a great thing!

We are very lucky to be at this point in history where we can choose how to educate our own children, and we have the resources to accomplish this choice! Homeschooling today is a much easier choice than it was, we have support groups, curriculums, veterans, and resources to support our decision and make it possible. Today if a person wonders if they can homeschool, the answer is decidedly yes!