One of the most enjoyable aspects of homeschooling is learning through living. Instead of sitting in a classroom and reading about things, my kids are on a permanent field trip.
Monday night we went to a living history dinner. A restaurant in our area serves period food, shows you how it was prepared, and has important historical figures and musicians wandering around to chat with you. We enjoyed dinner with Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
Jefferson was extremely engaging and talked for a good amount of time with the kids. My husband asked him what he thought young people could do to be involved in politics and take action, and this was his answer (excuse the poor audio quality, we were in a restaurant):
(Please watch the related videos and check out more from Thomas Jefferson – he was really excellent.)
I was surprised at the crowd in the restaurant. It was almost exclusively older adults. A friend of mine (another homeschooling Mom) went on another evening and observed the same demographic. Does this mean that younger people, and even middle-aged people, are less interested in history? I’m puzzled why parents aren’t flocking to take their kids to this sort of event. I suppose most parents have to address sports and homework on a Monday evening.
I think homeschooling parents are much more active than other parents in seeking out these unique activities. We can’t rely on a school for field trips and assemblies – we need to create these opportunities. And we do! My kids, and their friends, are exposed to so much and are able to fully immerse themselves in activities that interest them.
In a couple weeks, we’ll be taking a “Wok ‘n Walk” tour of Chinatown in Philadelphia. Chef Joseph Poon offers three-hour walking tours that include a fortune cookie factory, a temple, a vegetable chopping demo, a full-course Chinese meal, and more. These are the amazing types of things we get to do all the time. And during the week – when there are no crowds!
I love my life.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
I am going to ask the obvious first, where is this restaurant?
Also I think we have a wonderful network of homeschoolers here. Once one person finds something we pass along the info and we go (or not depending but the choice is there) We do seek out fun stuff and the fun stuff is so prevalent we need to say no sometimes to something that seems so great b/c well there was another great thing on that day that we are already doing.
I often hear, as you do I’m sure. where do you find all this great stuff for your kids to do.
I also know some kids who are in school think “educational” means boring so they wouldn’t look on these opportunities as fun. Our kids are lucky that they have no line between fun, learning and playing.
thanks for the great post!
Twitter: HeadlessMom
February 3, 2010 at 2:54 pm
That sounds like great fun, and something I would surely take my kids to. Not much colonial history opportunities around here. Although we are going to one of the California Missions next week. It is for an assignment but not required to visit. (Book and internet research is all that is required as not all of the missions are close. We got lucky.
That is so excellent. Stories like this one are the reason I have every intention of homeschooling!
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Valerie, it’s in Peddler’s Village in PA:
http://peddlersvillage.com/dining/colonial%20kitchen%20dinner.htm
My children are now grown and on their own. But, I homeschooled them through to graduation. I loved those years and miss them terribly. Children grow up quickly, so I’m very thankful to have had so much time with them through those years.
By the way, I peppered our schooling with activities just like this…as often as I could.
Blessings,
Liz
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I’m glad I found your blog. I agree that most homeschooling parents, regardless of style (personally, we are unschoolers) are more active in facilitating their children’s learning. It’s easy for parents to send the kids off to school and leave it up to the teachers.
Glad to have found you! We are new to homeschooling this year, so it’s fun to see what other homeschoolers are all about and what they are doing. Thanks! Jodi
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February 6, 2010 at 2:26 am
Although my children are not homeschooled we take our children to lots of cultral events here in Perth Australia and don’t rely on the schools to do it. In a few weeks I am taking my son to an open air event in botanical gardens to see the WA Symphony Orchestra play with an Australian Child Presenter teaching the kids about the different instruments.
Just because a child goes to regular school doesn’t mean they have to miss out on other things happening around them – it depends on the kind of parents the children have as to what they expose their children to.
That’s great! I had always really been set against homeschooling. Growing up I never saw it done well…I mean, the parents just left the kids to their own devices and they learned very little. Now I’ve moved somewhere else though, and come across some really need homeschooling communities. I’m seriously considering homeschooling my son when he’s old enough.
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This is a fantastic blog and I so love what you’re saying about homeschooling. I have four kids in school and I only wish I could do what you do. I’ll be back to visit you again for sure. Dropped in from SITS….
In from SITS. Happy Saturday SITS Sharefest. There, now can I just say how totally awesome that is. A period restaurant. The closest thing that I personally know of is the Medieval Times restaurant in Orlando. That’s a couple of hours from here and I think we are going to try to plan a trip there this summer.
There might be something like that in St. Augustine, but I’m not sure. Thanks for this interesting post. I’ll be keeping my eyes out from places like this now.
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I go back and forth about wanting to homeschool my kids. They are both really little right now, and I really enjoy the time I get away when Miss H is at preschool. You make it sound like so much fun for everyone. Do you have any books you suggest I read to help me make this decision? (Even thought it isn’t one I have to make anytime soon?)
Stopping by from SITS and am now following you! I want to hear more about this homeschooling adventure
Twitter: BLOGitse
February 6, 2010 at 8:37 am
I’m happy for you – you love your life!
I love my life too!
Have a great weekend,
sunny greetings from Cairo!
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Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!
I spend my days with my demented mom, I bet she’d like to go on field trips like the ones you take your home schooled kids to.
Thanks for the great post, you have given me a few more ideas of what I can do with mom during the day.
Sue
Care giver for 80 yr old mom with Lewy Bodies Dementia
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In from SITS – what a great event! I would love to be able to do some of those things w/ Prayse as she gets older. We’re a bit scaled back in Nebraska… but my guess is it would be weekend trips.
Twitter: perpstu
February 6, 2010 at 8:56 am
How fun! I don’t homeschool, but my son goes to a very small private Christian school. With only 12 kids in the class, they are able to do some pretty neat things and take field trips to places that regular sized classes wouldn’t be able to go. I love chaperoning and getting to be part of the fun!
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February 6, 2010 at 8:58 am
What a fun teacher you are! I used to go down to the exchange services office (4-H) and gather up different project books–leaf identification, wild herbs, etc and then pack a picnic and off we’d go to spend long afternoons hunting and foraging in the fields and woods, collecting and identifying samples.
My kids, (now grown with kids of their own) still remember those days fondly.
Oh.my.goodness!
This is amazing! I would LOVE something like this here! My kids are a tad young, but what an awesome experience! My husband’s family are history buffs, they would probably want to work there!
We now live in a state with real history in it, and the kids get so excited to know that Abe Lincoln was born here! Definitely a HUGE plus to homeschooling is going to museums, zoos and the like during the week with NO CROWDS! I feel so blessed!
Saying hi from SITS. I love to see what other home school moms are doing! :)
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What lucky children and mum?! :)
It sounds amazing as an option, but I am sure I would be well equipped to even attempt home-schooling! So my hat-off to you!
I also thinking about home-schooling, allthoug we have planty of time to think about it, my son is only 14 month old. There is no better way then learning through living,very true. I’ll follow you.
Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!
Anat
How interesting! I’d love to go to something like that – I’m always looking for new and intersting experiences that aren’t hokey.
Stopping by from SITS!
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Priase be to homeschool moms. You do what I cannot. I do not beat myself up but merely applaud. Bravo!
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What a great place!
I just came across your blog from SITS and I love it!
I would love to home school my son when the time comes but I fear I don’t have “what it takes” but we’ll see when the time comes. It’s nice to see some one doing great things with their children :)
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I love the learning via “field trip” idea and really it doesn’t have to be limited to those homeschooled. Thanks for sharing – I am going to think about doing more things like this with my kids.
Have fun in China(town)! Oh -and Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest! :-)
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This is a great post! I wish there were things like that here in Belize for me to take my son to, once he’s old enough of course.
Visiting from SITS.
Cheers :-)
-CoconutPalmDesigns
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February 6, 2010 at 8:32 pm
We spent an evening with The Rushmore Presidents last fall here in Baltimore.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln were all in attendance. They answered questions as themselves, then as their “real” selves.
They all only portray that one president as a full time job. The evening was amazing and their knowledge and insight into those powerful men was wonderful for not only me, but my teen sons.
And they really looked and sounded just like the president’s do in all historical pics and documentation.
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How cool is this!!
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Hi Shannon,
It’s always the right time to learn something new! The experience you’re sharing with your family is usually reserved for purposeful sight-seeing vacation trips. I love how you spliced it into family dinner time. You found something mutually entertaining, educational and informative that your whole family enjoyed. Pus, it was live! Your kids could ask a question and have it answered on the spot. Really good stuff.
Learning opportunities are everywhere we look and everywhere we don’t look. Stopping to smell the roses is such simple advice. That’s what makes it so effective.
Thanks for sharing this experience with us – SITStah!
Cheryl
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Hi Shannon, I like this kids activities. I think that even If you don’t have that special restaurant, searching for a restaurant that locate near historical place (Like we have here in Jerusalem) can teach the kids a lot.
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Kudos to you! Homeschooling offers such rich opportunities for your children. I know it’s a *lot* of work, but there are so many of us who are proud of you!
Twitter: Just1Week
March 26, 2010 at 4:53 pm
I think this line sums up my problem with homeschooling parents:
“I think homeschooling parents are much more active than other parents in seeking out these unique activities.”
As someone who has done neurocognitive research with children in public schools, private schools, and homeschools – I can report (not judge) that parents within all three groups vary greatly. There are active parents and inactive parents in all groups – # of other children, money, other priorities, and many different definitions of what constitutes a “unique activity” are just some of the variables in play.
I love that you not only judge homeschooling parents as MORE active in seeking out activities – but MUCH MORE active. I prefaced this comment by saying that this is what bugs me about homeschooling parents – I should take my own advice and not overly generalize based on my opinion instead of fact. Thus I am judging you (not all homeschooling parents) as not just MORE self-righteous, but MUCH MORE self-righteous than other parents I know.
You couldn’t just write a post about a cool experience you had with your children? That wasn’t enough? You had to add a paragraph in about how this is an example of why you are better? Because there weren’t other families there when you or your friend went (2 nights out of how many nights this restaurant has been open) you decide that public school families are not interested in going? To use your tagline – so the type of parent you want your child to become – one that judges? Or is self-righteous?
I’m so sick of parenting blogs that put down other parents – the subtle digs are all over the place. Parenting, marriage, life can all be challenging – we should be supporting each other, not judging, especially on topics we know very little about (and certainly not spewing incorrect facts).
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Twitter: shannonentin
March 26, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Hi Erin, and thanks for your comment. I’m sorry that you felt I was being self-righteous. It has been my experience that homeschool parents ARE more active in seeking out unique educational opportunities because they have to be. They don’t have a school system to set these types of things up for them. Perhaps I could have worded my statement differently. I think homeschooling IS the best option for children, although I realize that not everyone is able or interested in doing it. I think parents that get so defensive about the statements of other parents might not be that secure in their parenting in the first place.
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