Field Trips Archives

The Best Cheap Atlanta Homeschool Field Trips

March 7, 2016 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

One of the things I love best about living in the Atlanta, Georgia area is that there are a lot of family-friendly, educational places to visit with our kids. The Georgia Aquarium, the High Museum of Art, the World of Coca-Cola, Six Flags, and the Atlanta Botanical Garden are all here – and that’s just to name a few!

Here’s the problem, though: We have four children and we are living on a pretty tight budget. All of the attractions I listed above are at least $18 per ticket and, with six people in our family, that adds up quickly. We’ve been to most of the attractions here, but we usually have to wait until a special occasion before we can afford it.

But – it turns out that there are plenty of great cheap Atlanta homeschool field trips here too! And we’ve collected the best ones to share with you!

The Best Cheap Atlanta Homeschool Field Trips

Michael C. Carlos Museum: The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University features a collection of ancient historical artifacts that is awesome for kids. There are works on display from ancient Africa, Greece, Rome, and the Americas. Tickets are only $8 for adults and $6 for kids. Plus, kids under age 6 are free!

Cochran Mills Nature Center: Cochran Mills Nature Center is a museum and nature trail featuring local wildlife. Kids can get a close look at native Georgia animals, including alligators, lizards, snakes (shudder), owls, and bats. My kids had a blast walking the nature trail, exploring a nearby waterfall, and having a picnic at the park down the road. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for kids.

Fernbank Science Center: The Fernbank Science Center (not to be confused with the Fernbank Museum of History) is a planetarium with monthly astronomy shows and programs for kids and adults. The thing that’s tricky is that the shows are only available on Thursday and Friday evenings, as well as Saturday afternoons, so you’ll have to deal with crowds. But it’s definitely budget-friendly! Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for kids.

Hammonds House Museum: Home to modern African-American art, the Hammonds House Museum is a wonderful field trip for art lovers. The museum rotates exhibitions a few times each year, but since it’s a small facility, you can wander around and look at the exhibits as long as you like. It’s almost never crowded, except for during special events. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for kids.

Zoo Atlanta: This one isn’t as cheap as the others. In fact, a one-day ticket can run you about $20 per person. But, here’s why Zoo Atlanta makes the list: The family memberships are about $100, which means you can buy one and visit the zoo as many times as you want in a year! Plus, the parking is free and *here’s the kicker* – you can bring your own food inside. Yay for not spending $30 on a large pizza!

Get more of our homeschooling tips from my Pinterest board Homeschooling with Look! We’re Learning!

This post is part of The Best Homeschool Field Trips linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click over to read our fellow bloggers’ favorite field trip picks!

Learn some of the other ways we save money and manage to keep homeschooling in the ebook “How to Afford Homeschooling”!

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo

October 20, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

What child doesn’t love visiting the zoo? Naturally, zoos are popular for homeschooling field trips, but you can also make them into genuine opportunities to learn. Read on to find out 5 fun ways to learn at the zoo!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s also time for the Laugh and Learn linky! Check out our favorite posts from last week and read even more great homeschooling and parenting posts today!

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo

We love the zoo in our family. In fact, we were just there last week for a homeschool class. My boys learned about black and white animals (lemurs, pandas, etc.) and my oldest daughter learned about the strongest animals on Earth. Trivia: Did you know that, when you measure according to the ability to pull its own weight, the Rhinoceros Beetle is stronger than a lion? Neat!

Homeschooling classes are just one way to learn at the zoo. Today I’m sharing five more over at Thinking Outside the Sandbox!

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo – Thinking Outside the Sandbox

Onward to the linky!

Welcome to our 55th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

Each and every week, all of the hosts pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

We are also sharing the top posts on Pinterest: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!
Reminder: Please share this linkup! You can help us build a great homeschool and parenting group.
[bctt tweet=”Share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post with #LaughLearnLinkup. #ihsnet #ibabloggers”]

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures, and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Lindsey

Lindsey is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of homeschoolers and parents abroad. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she’s on a mission to find love and joy in “the simple life” and invites you to join her! Visit Lindsey at Nitty Gritty Homeschooling. Find Lindsey at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

We would also love if you could use this badge on any post you shared with us. Or a text link would also be greatly appreciated. More shares and links helps us build a better and bigger linkup for all us to benefit from.

The Winners for the Week of October 20th:

Tina’s pick for this week…

Note from Tina:
I am going to save this for our boys. Outer space is always cool!
[bctt tweet=”Outer space is always a cool homeschool study unit! By @momteaches2 #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Selena’s pick for this week…

[bctt tweet=”Finding balance while homeschooling by @classichomesch #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Note from Sarah:
I’m really not crazy about math, and two of my kids hate it. But when you add Legos…even I want to do math.. Thanks for this great little game.
[bctt tweet=”Have fun with Lego Math Race by @alldayeverydaym #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Haley’s pick for this week…

Note from Haley:
My kids would love these!
[bctt tweet=”Teddy Bear Kindergarten Worksheets by @learning_2walk #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

Note from Lindsey:
These works of art are amazing!
[bctt tweet=”Fall Into Art by @AmyOes #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

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Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.

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An InLinkz Link-up

5 Atlanta Staycation Ideas for Families

May 19, 2014 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

In the past, we’ve always tried to go on a summer vacation with our kids.

This year, though, we’re making the best of our home city with a few fun Atlanta staycation ideas for families!

More and more families are saving money by taking “staycations” rather than vacations.

If you’re unfamiliar with a “staycation”, it’s just when you use your vacation time to explore your own city instead of a different one.

You save money because you don’t need to drive to a new area, stay in a hotel, or eat out every night. Great idea, right?

Five Fun Atlanta Staycation Ideas for Families

But here’s the thing about staycations: They can become expensive really quickly if you try to visit the most popular attractions in your area.

This particularly true if you have several children (as we do). So this year, we decided to take not just a staycation, but an affordable one.

Read on to get our list of five places to go on a staycation in Atlanta. Plus, get a free printable Staycation Bingo challenge to complete with your family!

Looking for more ways to plan family trips? Take a look at our list of 10 helpful tips for traveling with kids!

Plan a fun family summer with these five Atlanta staycation ideas for families!

5 Fun Atlanta Staycation Ideas for Families

1. Zoo Atlanta

Zoo Atlanta is about half an hour from our house and we love visiting it with the kids.

Our public library system has an arrangement that allows a family of four to visit the zoo once a year for free.

Since we have four kids, we only had to pay for two tickets. Not bad at all!

One of the reasons we love the zoo so much is that it’s a non-stimulating attraction.

When we see the animals, we’re excited but we’re not overly stimulated. It’s a much more relaxing time for our family than visiting an amusement park.

2. Atlanta Area State Parks

As the weather warmed up, we decided to use another of our Atlanta staycation ideas and visit some nearby state parks that we’d never visited before.

Tallulah Gorge was incredible. We drove for a couple of hours and it was totally worth it.

The kids had snow cones, we went on a hike, and we learned about the North Georgia mountains.

Another one of our favorites is High Falls State Park. It’s only about 30 minutes outside of the city of Atlanta.

But you can hike right next to the waterfalls! We couldn’t stop staring at how pretty they were.

Plus, we got to ride the paddleboat along the water.

3. Callaway Gardens

Technically speaking, Callaway Gardens is not in Atlanta. It’s about 90 minutes west.

But if you like the outdoors and flowers, in particular, this is one of the local Atlanta staycation ideas you simply have to try.

A word: If you go to Callaway Gardens, spring is absolutely the best time of year to plan a trip.

Visiting Callaway Gardens on an Atlanta Staycation

Everything is in bloom and the entire park looks like a paradise.

See what I mean? It’s absolutely gorgeous.

4. Go bowling.

I have to admit: I didn’t bowl often as a child. I think I might have gone two or three times.

But we took the kids bowling one summer and they had an absolute blast.

With the Kids Bowl Free program, kids can bowl up to two games free per day over the summer at participating alleys.

And it’s a cool way to beat the summer heat in an air-conditioned space.

During the day, bowling alleys tend to be pretty quiet. So you may not even have to worry about wait times.

Finish off the afternoon with a slushy and that’s basically a perfect summer day.

5. Southeastern Railway Museum

A few summers ago, we got to visit the Southeastern Railway Museum – just outside of Atlanta.

I didn’t think that the kids would find it interesting. But they did!

Visiting the Southeastern Railway Museum

We toured vintage locomotives (which are much bigger than they seem on screen).

Visiting the Southeastern Railway Museum on a Staycation

We checked out vintage tour buses. Then we got to see a video about how train engines came to America back in the 19th century.

Southeastern Railway Museum Field Trip with Kids

And we finished with a ride aboard a vintage steamer!

It was affordable and surprisingly interesting for all of us.

Printable Family Staycation Bingo Challenge

So if you’re in the North Georgia area, those are five fun Atlanta staycation ideas you can try as a family this summer.

But, no matter where you live, you can still plan a simple and fun summer staycation with this printable Staycation Bingo challenge!

There are 32 ideas here – 16 for adults or couples and 16 for families with kids!

Some of the ideas include indoor fun such as making slime, trying a scavenger hunt, and reading books.

But there are plenty of outdoor ideas too! Like going camping, taking an art class, or having a picnic in the park.

Hang the kids’ challenge on your fridge and let the kids check off each idea as you try it!

To get your copy of this Family Staycation Bingo Challenge free, click the image or the link below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – this Sunday!

>>> Printable Family Staycation Bingo <<<

What are you all doing for your family vacation this year? Are you considering a staycation? Have you done one before?

If you live in Atlanta, do you have any more fun Atlanta staycation ideas to suggest? Share your plans and experiences in the comments!

This post is part of the “Summer Staycation” hop from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to see how our fellow bloggers are spending their summers at home!

Visiting the Atlanta History Center

November 19, 2013 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Good morning! We got a chance to visit the Atlanta History Center a few weeks back and we’re sharing pictures from our trip with you all today!

Every year, there are special Atlanta History Center homeschool days where homeschooling families can enter for a discounted rate. To begin the year, though, the museum held a Homeschool Open House day when admission was absolutely free! This was the first year that we were able to attend and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit!

Since the museum is in Georgia, a lot of the historical exhibits relate directly to Georgia history and the development of the city of Atlanta. This display shows the typical dress of a Cherokee Indian during the 1830s. I had no idea that many Cherokees had assimilated colonial styles of dress in those days.

An actual millstone from an 1800s flour mill. That thing was enormous.

There were a lot of carriage and automotive companies in and around Atlanta in the 19th and 20th centuries. Here’s a life-sized reconstruction of a carriage from the John M. Smith Carriage Company.

One of the coolest things in the center, to me, was the Dixon-King Shotgun House. It’s an actual 1800s house that has been relocated and reassembled within the history center. They kept the original furniture and restored the interior.

A look at the house’s bedroom.

Typical Georgian high society fashion from the 1800s. I think I’d wear that floral dress today.

The biggest issue when you visit a museum with kids is keeping their hands off the exhibits. I really appreciated that the Atlanta History Center has specific items that are clearly marked for kids to touch. It gives them a chance to interact with the exhibits and it allows them to touch something, so that they won’t be tempted to grab everything they see.

An actual fire engine from the 1800s.

An entire exhibit at the center focused on the modern development of the city of Atlanta. There were pictures and models of several city landmarks. This is a picture of the High Museum of Art at night.

Replicas of native Indian handiwork from the 1800s. Northern Georgia was home to both the Cherokee and the Creek Indian tribes – both of which were forcibly removed along the Trail of Tears.

Outside the center, there are a couple of historical houses that have been restored. They keep sheep at one of them, just the way that farmers would have done in the 1800s.

We got the chance to examine this loom inside the Smith Family Farm house. (My inner crafter gave a little shout for joy at seeing an actual loom in person.)

After spending several hours at the center, we still didn’t see everything that was on display. We’ll definitely have to make another visit soon!

Visiting the APEX Museum

November 7, 2013 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Good morning everyone! A couple of weeks ago, we shared our 10-day series on African history and featured a few pictures from our trip to the APEX Museum in our post about colonization. So…we’re sharing the rest of our pics from that field trip today!

The APEX (African Panoramic Experience) Museum is located on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, GA. The museum is dedicated to preserving African-American history, especially in the South. Naturally, you can’t begin a look at the history of African-Americans without beginning with African slavery and colonization.

We got a look at the tribal settlements of Africa prior to colonization. As we shared in our African history series, the major kingdoms of Africa were scattered across the continent.

As you can see, all of that changed dramatically after the Scramble for Africa.

A primary part of colonization was the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. We got to see a mock-up of how slaves were transported along the Middle Passage. They were carried just like cargo and often shared space with other trade exports such as molasses and gold.

After a new shipment of slaves arrived in America, there would be an announcement posted in the community so that traders and buyers could come and bid on them. Some of these slave auctions actually took place on board the ships.

Slaves were often bound at the neck and the feet to prevent escape during the auctions. Single young males, in particular, were bound because they were more likely to run away than families.

One of the fascinating things we learned during our trip was that many slaves devised ingenious ways of escaping from bondage. This is a replica of the wooden crate that Henry “Box” Brown used to mail himself to freedom. After he made it from the South to the free North, he actually wrote a book about his adventure.

Along with featuring the history of African slavery, the APEX Museum also highlights many of the accomplishments of African-Americans in the South during the early 20th century. Auburn Avenue during the 1920s and 30s was a center of black high society in Atlanta. One of the prominent black-owned businesses at the time was Yates and Milton drugstore. Inside the museum, we got to see a mock-up of the drugstore parlor, where customers could sit and read a copy of “Hue”, which later became “Jet” magazine.

Along one of the museum hallways, there are several posters depicting notable African-Americans who played roles in the overturning of Jim Crow legislation and the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. A lot of important civil rights marches and events took place in Atlanta, which is why so many of the city streets carry the names of people like John Wesley Dobbs, Andrew Young, and Ralph David Abernathy.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the APEX Museum! Instead of leaving with a sense of discouragement, we left thinking about the incredible resilience of people who are able to take a horrible situation and turn it into the foundation of a better life.

A Field Trip to Callaway Gardens!

May 22, 2013 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Hi everyone! Today we’re sharing pictures of our recent field trip to Callaway Gardens! On May 10, 2013, the gardens offered free admission to everyone in honor of National Public Gardens Day and we decided to pack up the Hundred Acre Wood crew to drive out to Pine Mountain, GA.

One of the things we loved the most was the free BINGO game that they hand out at the visitors’ center. The kids get to walk through the gardens looking for items on their bingo sheets and then marking them off. We ended up seeing almost everything on our list!

The gardens holds a live “Birds of Prey” show every day. During the show, they allow some of the birds to fly loose over the audience’s head, which was a huge hit with the kids. This is a Harris’s Hawk resting on the keeper’s glove.

This lovely bird is a Red-tailed Hawk. It was simply stunning.

After attending the bird show, we walked over to the Butterfly Center. It was an unforgettable experience. Inside the center, there are live butterflies and moths flying around everywhere!

This one landed right on my shoulder and Christopher Robin snapped a pic before it flew away.

We grabbed a snapshot of the kids in front of the center’s waterfall.

Piglet relaxes with Christopher Robin before leaving the center. She wasn’t too sure about the flying insects, as you can see.

Right before we left, we walked through the Azalea Bowl down to the Sibley Horticultural Center. We were so glad we did.

The kids got a kick out of the topiary.

Then we walked through an enclosed garden and it was truly breathtaking. We passed under a waterfall and down to this garden where we took a brief break on the benches before walking back.

On the way back to the car, Piglet perked up a bit. I guess she knew we were heading home!

We had a wonderful time at Callaway Gardens. Everyone was helpful and attentive and we got a chance to enjoy looking at the wonders of God’s creation and marveling at the “works of his hands”. (Psalm 19:1) We’ll definitely be back!

Have you visited a botanical garden with your family? How did you enjoy it? Let us know in the comments.

Keep on learning!

Visiting the High Museum of Art

May 13, 2013 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

Good morning and happy Monday to you all! We’re beginning the week by sharing a recent field trip we went on as a family. Christopher Robin and I got a chance to visit the High Museum of Art in Atlanta last year before we had Piglet, but the kids had never been. So we decided to take them on their first trip to an art museum.

Pooh and Roo were excited to see the house cutout display. They insisted that it was Steve’s house from Blue’s Clues and they thought they could go inside, which was adorable. (It’s actually a work by Roy Lichtenstein.)

Roo pretends to trace the movement along the train tracks on this painting that was inspired by the Underground Railroad. (Don’t worry. He’s not actually touching it. We didn’t want their first art museum trip to be their last!)

When we visited, the High was just concluding a traveling exhibit called Frida and Diego, which showcased works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. At the museum’s Greene Family Learning Gallery, they displayed a few copies of her still lifes and set up an art circle for kids to work in.

Naturally, our three got to work drawing their own still lifes. (After we explained to them that the plastic fruit in the center was not for play.)

Tigger shows off her strawberry art.

We’re not exactly sure what Pooh was drawing here, but it’s still art!

Inside the Learning Gallery was a picture of this work by Tony Cragg called “New Figuration”. He used pieces of garbage and plastic to create it. This was easily one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while.

Next to the picture, the museum installed an interactive magnetic wall so the kids could make art out of everyday objects such as alphabet letters, coat hangers, plastic dishware, and containers. They probably would have stayed at that wall all afternoon.

Even Piglet got in on the fun and held a plastic letter!

Of course, she then tried to put it in her mouth, but oh well.

All in all, we had a great time at the museum! The kids got their first real exposure to master artworks and we got a chance to stir up our artistic interest as a family. I’m calling this field trip a success.

Have you and your family enjoyed a visit to an art museum? How did you help your kids keep their interest in art after returning home? Let us know in the comments!

Keep on learning!

The Best Cheap Atlanta Homeschool Field Trips

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo

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Welcome to our 55th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Each and every week, all of the hosts pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Grab a Button / Badge:

The Winners for the Week of October 20th:

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Tina’s pick for this week…

Selena’s pick for this week…

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Haley’s pick for this week…

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

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Now give us your best posts!

5 Fun Atlanta Staycation Ideas for Families

Printable Family Staycation Bingo Challenge