What
do I do with the kids now???
Here you will find a
list of the simple, and maybe some not as simple, field trips you can do with
your children. Getting out and even just exploring nature can be a lot of fun
for children. There are some simple things you can have on hand to turn your
free hour into an instant outdoor adventure your children will remember.
I will list our most recent adventures here at the top of the
page. Scroll down to see past field trips.
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
Founder of Goodyear tires, Frank A. Seiberling, built himself and his family a Tudor Revival "house" in Akron Ohio.
We learned a little from some You Tube videos about the companies start and about the architecture of the home. The boys took mental notes of the things they wanted to keep an eye out for and off we went. Some of the favorite things were the giant indoor pool (20 feet deep), Animals heads on the walls, fancy stained glass, the "kids bath" (bidet), and all of the Christmas decor that they had up for the season.
They also enjoyed the outdoor pond and fountain, the service court with its wonderful echo and the green house sporting a waterfall in the tropical plant area.
Zoar Ohio
This was a lot of fun. "Zoar Village was founded in 1817 by a group of 200 German Separatists seeking escape from religious persecution in their homeland. These Separatists thrived as a unique Society for more than 80 years, making Zoar Village one of the most successful communal settlements in American history.
The kids had the chance to try tin punching, visited a black smith, ate freshly cooked pumpkin seeds, peeled and ate an apple, ran around the huge gardens and wander freely through a museum located in very large house. They also watched a video about the villages history and learned about the significance of the gardens designs. The center tree represented the tree of lifr and the smaller trees around it represented the 12 aposltes. After our adventure we went to te canal house restraunt and enjoyed a very yummy lunch. Milton had a fancy BLT and Quentin and I had fries with braised lamb and potato cakes. Top the day off with Q stepping in a pond of black sluge and Spike having a total butt blow out It couldn't have gone more perfectly. Sure glad there were no other people in the parking lot :)
Smithsonian
I will not lie, It was so tiring but was then again so worth it. We took all three boys with us and visited our capital for 5 days of museum and history craziness.
Quick list of the things we did.
Went to the Smithsonian and visited...
Aero Space Museum
Fords Theater
Archives
US History Museum
Capital
Library of Congress
Natural History Museum
Holocaust Museum (child's Section)
Botanical Gardens
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Memorial
WWI, WW!! and Korean War Memorials
We also visited Antietam
San Diego
OK, so our San Diego trip was very long (30 days) so I am just going to list the highlights of the trip and give you a few pictures to muse over.
I had a Grandfather pass away and what better reason to take three kids all by yourself on a month long trip? Right. Yes, I know, most people would say that I am crazy but I had no choice in the matter and for the cost I was not about to do it for only a couple of days. So here we go...
The boys got to see inside of the pilot's quarters. Milo even got a chance to help pick up trash on the plane and serve a traveler her drink. The flight went well.
After arriving in San Diego and sleeping one night we drove up to Page AZ to visit with friends and I coached a little drumline for a day and a little more. Then back down to San Diego a week later
We had Lunch at Sunset park with two of my uncles and an Aunt. The boys loved the park and I showed them around and shared with them the things I used to do at this park when I was a kid.
We tried to do a lot of thing out of doors since we just left the 30 degree weather in Ohio. We had a picnic just across the street from Belmont park in Mission Beach. Spike had his first ride on a swing and he loved it. The older boys fed the seagulls and then chased them away many time. They played on the interesting cement structures and did a lot of swinging.
We also made time to go see Aunt Madeline and baby Audrey. It was fun seeing Madeline as mommy and the boys loved playing with Aunt Madeline's Lego collection. Who wouldn't be happy with a bunch of Lego's.
While in San Diego we stayed with Grandma D for the whole time. The boys got to play Lincoln logs and watch movies with her. We also got to spend some time with her at Balboa Park. We looked at the architecture and took a time out to do a little painting. We visited the rock store and purchased some unique rocks for our collection.
We also enjoyed a pet themed puppet show. It included marionette, hand puppets and shadow puppets. The kids loved the puppy themed hand puppet show nad the rock and roll bunny marionette The shaddow play was also very fun and intriging. Grandma D purchased both boys their own simple marionettes.
Grandma D also took us to the curcus. Circus Vargus was in town. The boys loved the clon acts and the amazing things people could do like juggling, trapees, cage ball motor cycles and so much more.
On Sunday the boys were getting stir crazy so we visited the International houses at Balboa Park. With an act of God we found parking and walked around for 1.5 hours after enjoying the world second larged outdoor organ.
We also made it over to Aunt Madelines Dads in La Mesa to visit with Uncle James and his wife.
Now a trip to San Diego would not be complete without a stop by the temple grounds.
Mommy and Quincy got to go on a date while Milo spent some time with Grandma D. We went out for Ice Cream and made our own lego people at teh Lego store in Fasion Valley. Later that night Grandma took Milton on a ride over the Coronado bridge and Milo took a lot of pictures.
We also met up with our friends the Bardins and Bob took Milo kyaking in the Bay.
Milo was so excited to have this experiance. We also saw a jelly fish and sea cucumber .
Uncle Tio and Aunt Heather flew down from Utah for the funeral and so we spent the day with them at Old Town. We visited teh awesome new Mormon Batalion Center and had a chance to pan for gold. We also visited many other sites, painted outdoors and learned a lot of history about the area and the wels fargo stage coach. The two older boys took and wagon ride with Uncle Tio and we had a very yummy mexican food dinner. We traveled by Trolly so the boys could have the experiance of using public transportation.
We visited the Cabrio National Monument and learned about the first exporers who set foot on the West coast. The boys earned a Jr. Ranger badge and I got them Jy ranger hats to put all of their badges on.We also met up with Aunt Vanessa at Mission Beach and Spike had his first experiance with wet sand. At first he liked it but that changed pretty fast. The y boys got to see tons of sand crabs as they dug in the sand. The boys were quite tuckered out.
One of our last things we saw was the San Diego Mission. We learned about the monks who spread Christianity throughout California. We also had a chance to talk about Christ and the sacrifices that he made for us. Milo interprited a set of modern mosaics depicting the day of Christs crusafiction and Quincy and I discussed how the statue of Christ in Maries arms made him feel and how even though it is sad that it was part of Heavenly Fathers Plan.We also learned about different plants of the area and a few different
indian tribes that lived in the area. We managed to make it out to see my past Miamaid advisor from the La Mesa second ward Kathy Mellor who is a great Mentor in the TJEd world.We took the time to go back to the cemetery and to take pictures of where both of their Great Grandpas were burried on my side of the family. They are both in the Military cemetery at Rosecranse. The plane ride back went well and we were so glad to see Daddy on the other side. We had a lot of fun and learned Soooo much.
Columbus Ohio
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
Founder of Goodyear tires, Frank A. Seiberling, built himself and his family a Tudor Revival "house" in Akron Ohio. We learned a little from some You Tube videos about the companies start and about the architecture of the home. The boys took mental notes of the things they wanted to keep an eye out for and off we went. Some of the favorite things were the giant indoor pool (20 feet deep), Animals heads on the walls, fancy stained glass, the "kids bath" (bidet), and all of the Christmas decor that they had up for the season.
They also enjoyed the outdoor pond and fountain, the service court with its wonderful echo and the green house sporting a waterfall in the tropical plant area.
Zoar Ohio
This was a lot of fun. "Zoar Village was founded in 1817 by a group of 200 German Separatists seeking escape from religious persecution in their homeland. These Separatists thrived as a unique Society for more than 80 years, making Zoar Village one of the most successful communal settlements in American history.
Today, Zoar Village is made up of approximately 75 families living in homes built from 1817 to the present. Visit us to tour the museums, see early American architecture and enjoy the quaint village scenery. Start planning your visit today!"
The kids had the chance to try tin punching, visited a black smith, ate freshly cooked pumpkin seeds, peeled and ate an apple, ran around the huge gardens and wander freely through a museum located in very large house. They also watched a video about the villages history and learned about the significance of the gardens designs. The center tree represented the tree of lifr and the smaller trees around it represented the 12 aposltes. After our adventure we went to te canal house restraunt and enjoyed a very yummy lunch. Milton had a fancy BLT and Quentin and I had fries with braised lamb and potato cakes. Top the day off with Q stepping in a pond of black sluge and Spike having a total butt blow out It couldn't have gone more perfectly. Sure glad there were no other people in the parking lot :)Smithsonian
I will not lie, It was so tiring but was then again so worth it. We took all three boys with us and visited our capital for 5 days of museum and history craziness.
Quick list of the things we did.
Went to the Smithsonian and visited...
Aero Space Museum
Fords Theater
Archives
US History Museum
Capital
Library of Congress
Natural History Museum
Holocaust Museum (child's Section)
Botanical Gardens
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Memorial
WWI, WW!! and Korean War Memorials
We also visited Antietam
San Diego
OK, so our San Diego trip was very long (30 days) so I am just going to list the highlights of the trip and give you a few pictures to muse over.
I had a Grandfather pass away and what better reason to take three kids all by yourself on a month long trip? Right. Yes, I know, most people would say that I am crazy but I had no choice in the matter and for the cost I was not about to do it for only a couple of days. So here we go...The boys got to see inside of the pilot's quarters. Milo even got a chance to help pick up trash on the plane and serve a traveler her drink. The flight went well.
After arriving in San Diego and sleeping one night we drove up to Page AZ to visit with friends and I coached a little drumline for a day and a little more. Then back down to San Diego a week later
We had Lunch at Sunset park with two of my uncles and an Aunt. The boys loved the park and I showed them around and shared with them the things I used to do at this park when I was a kid. We tried to do a lot of thing out of doors since we just left the 30 degree weather in Ohio. We had a picnic just across the street from Belmont park in Mission Beach. Spike had his first ride on a swing and he loved it. The older boys fed the seagulls and then chased them away many time. They played on the interesting cement structures and did a lot of swinging.
We also made time to go see Aunt Madeline and baby Audrey. It was fun seeing Madeline as mommy and the boys loved playing with Aunt Madeline's Lego collection. Who wouldn't be happy with a bunch of Lego's.
While in San Diego we stayed with Grandma D for the whole time. The boys got to play Lincoln logs and watch movies with her. We also got to spend some time with her at Balboa Park. We looked at the architecture and took a time out to do a little painting. We visited the rock store and purchased some unique rocks for our collection. 
We also enjoyed a pet themed puppet show. It included marionette, hand puppets and shadow puppets. The kids loved the puppy themed hand puppet show nad the rock and roll bunny marionette The shaddow play was also very fun and intriging. Grandma D purchased both boys their own simple marionettes.
Grandma D also took us to the curcus. Circus Vargus was in town. The boys loved the clon acts and the amazing things people could do like juggling, trapees, cage ball motor cycles and so much more.
On Sunday the boys were getting stir crazy so we visited the International houses at Balboa Park. With an act of God we found parking and walked around for 1.5 hours after enjoying the world second larged outdoor organ. 
We also made it over to Aunt Madelines Dads in La Mesa to visit with Uncle James and his wife. Now a trip to San Diego would not be complete without a stop by the temple grounds.
Mommy and Quincy got to go on a date while Milo spent some time with Grandma D. We went out for Ice Cream and made our own lego people at teh Lego store in Fasion Valley. Later that night Grandma took Milton on a ride over the Coronado bridge and Milo took a lot of pictures. We also met up with our friends the Bardins and Bob took Milo kyaking in the Bay.
Milo was so excited to have this experiance. We also saw a jelly fish and sea cucumber .
Uncle Tio and Aunt Heather flew down from Utah for the funeral and so we spent the day with them at Old Town. We visited teh awesome new Mormon Batalion Center and had a chance to pan for gold. We also visited many other sites, painted outdoors and learned a lot of history about the area and the wels fargo stage coach. The two older boys took and wagon ride with Uncle Tio and we had a very yummy mexican food dinner. We traveled by Trolly so the boys could have the experiance of using public transportation.
We visited the Cabrio National Monument and learned about the first exporers who set foot on the West coast. The boys earned a Jr. Ranger badge and I got them Jy ranger hats to put all of their badges on.We also met up with Aunt Vanessa at Mission Beach and Spike had his first experiance with wet sand. At first he liked it but that changed pretty fast. The y boys got to see tons of sand crabs as they dug in the sand. The boys were quite tuckered out.
indian tribes that lived in the area. We managed to make it out to see my past Miamaid advisor from the La Mesa second ward Kathy Mellor who is a great Mentor in the TJEd world.We took the time to go back to the cemetery and to take pictures of where both of their Great Grandpas were burried on my side of the family. They are both in the Military cemetery at Rosecranse. The plane ride back went well and we were so glad to see Daddy on the other side. We had a lot of fun and learned Soooo much.Columbus Ohio
So again, lucky us, followed john to the capital of Ohio...Columbus. John had to present at a conference so why not tag along and go see some sites in February. The three places we planned on visiting were The Ohio History Center, COSI and The State House.I was happy with all three choices. We stayed the night in the Marriott Residence Inn on Gay Street right in Down Town. Little did we know it was once a huge bank in the 1920's. To enter the breakfast area you walked right through the original vault door and you could find safety deposit boxes all over the place.
Day 1
After dropping John off we went to the history center. Everything was about and donated by residence of Ohio. It covered everything from the big hairy mammoths the great depression, settlers, art, animals, industry, racism and soooo much more. The have over 50 sites in ohio included in their membership. So I got the membership. I guess I know what we will be doing this summer. We enjoyed the civil war items that belonged to soldiers of Ohio, a two headed calf, the fun play areas themed after the time of the earlier settlers. There was a wooking mill wheel and the displays were very attractive. There was a large area with tables on the second floor for eating so they are already for you to bring in your packed lunch. Did you know that White Castle was the very first Burger chain? 
Day 2
Day 3
To the State house we go. First we learned that the Capital City of Columbus was named after Christopher Columbus. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. We managed to last through two hours of tour (to separate ones) and both were with other cub scouts. This was exciting to Milton. Milton was also loving it because he knew a lot of information about the presidents and such and was able to answer a lot of questions. To the right are the pillars of Pidgon Allie where Lincoln gave a speech. The building was built in the same way as the temples in Greece. Not a single stitch of metal in its construction. When it was done being built it was the largest building in the US. The stares to the left were walked by all 7 presidents who came from Ohio have walked. And to the right are the boys in that same area. This is the side of the building where Lincoln found out that he had won the election. Bellow is the dome of the capital building beholding the state crest. Yes, that is a flat Stanley visiting us from Texas.
We learned so much more but can not begin to share all of it. I homeschool you know.Art Museum
OK, we went to the coolest FREE Art museum ever. We were not sure what we were going to see but we have been interested in Art a lot these last few weeks. We visited another contemporary art museum a couple of weeks ago and it was nice but did not have anything from any of the old masters. Today we headed out of town with Daddy and we were dropped off at what I will call the best free art museum. It was huge...with a huge glass covered area that felt like you were outdoors, minus the cold, huge buildings, huge paintings and, well, lets just say it was huge. Not the Louvre but perfect for the price. We were able to view paintings by Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. Quincy likes Picassos Harem. When I asked him what he liked about the picture he pointed out a girl holding her long hair. So he tried to draw her. Not my first choice but thank goodness the painting was not that detailed. Milton was bent on drawing a picture of war. He saw one picture that was a bit on the graphic side so I really didn't want him to sit and stare at it for a long time. So we headed off to the rooms full of knights armor and settles on a display of a knight's armor sitting on his horse covered also in armor. Milo and Quentin took the time to draw the man on the horse. We also got a picture next to a Picasso painting. Picasso and Georges Braque co-created the idea of Cubism which was the first abstract art style. We did not even get a chance to see the whole place. They even have a really cool feature if you have an IPad. You can save info to your IPAD for studying the art in the museum. It involves one of the largest touch screens I have ever seen. The kids loved it. If I only had an IPAD. Who wants to get me one. They had a pricey cafe but the food was good. But it cost me $28 for 3 drinks and 3 sandwiches so I will probably try to pack lunches next time. We will so be doing back.
Fall Leaves or Grasshoppers
Today we went to a National Forest to observe the fall leave. We were probably a week late to see it in its full splendor but we will know for next year. We checked out the visitor center and picked up our Jr. Ranger stuff so we could come back on another day and work on it. We ended up getting there a little later then I wanted and did not have time to do it today. We went back to the car while I fed Spike and I read them a book about why leaves change colors. We went on a short hike and Milo was in full get up. Binoculars, net, bug holder and nature journal all hanging from his body. As we went up the path looking at the river, tree and plants we took a path and headed toward some trees. Things started to just all over the place. Grasshoppers, and they were everywhere. Milo whipped out his trusty net (that he has never ever caught a single thing in before) and went to work. He first tried the violent approach. Now I probably should have just let him swing away but I opened my mouth and told him he should be more gentle or he was just going to kill them. Then it happened. He caught his very first bug that can escape. He has captured rolly pollies before but I don't think they count. He had it in his net and then it climbed up and jumped off. He captured the same one and then I quickly opened his bug holder and helped him put it in. I think I was as excited as he was. What a beautiful big grasshopper. A little more walk, a stick for Quincy, a few pics and a walk back to the car (stopping for some bug food) and our adventure was done. It was short but nice to spend it with my boys. National Forests are the best places for exploration. If you even have a few near you it would be worth picking up the year pass.
5,4,3,2,1...BLAST OFF!
Moving
to Ohio
John and Milo are traveling from Arizona to Ohio with all of our stuff. They are having a blast see and learning about new things. Their first stop was an Gator farm in Colorado. Why Colorado has a gator farm I will never know. Milo even got a chance to hold an alligator as you can see to the left. Then they want to Dodge city to experience the western city to include a museum and a gun shoot out. They started on their way but then ran across an underground salt mine so they stopped there. Milo decided to spend his money here for a hardhat with a light on it. The next day they visited Mark Twain's house in Hannibal MO. They also walked along the Mississippi River and was a steam boat on the river. I cant wait to join them next week. We plan on taking a trip to Kirtland Oh.
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