Choctaw Frontier Days ~ Field Trip & How to Make a Whirligig

Hello Friends, My daughters and I recently attended a very fun and educational event called Choctaw Frontier Days. It was a ton of fun and we're already looking forward to attending next year.

Choctaw Frontier Days celebrates the Oklahoma Land Run of April 22, 1889. 

There were planned activities at this educational festival, specifically tailored to school children, They included historical presentations, re-enactors, cowboy and cavalry encampments, a jailhouse, mock gun fights, old-fashioned games and more. I'm glad that we had the opportunity to attend. 

The girls had a chance to see the Marlow Gunfighters

The Marlow Gunfighters are an Old West historical entertainment group based out of Marlow, Oklahoma. They have performed throughout Oklahoma at town festivals and events.

You can learn more about them on their FACEBOOK page

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The girls also got to meet Kent Shelton as Buffalo Bill Cody.

We all really enjoyed Kent's presentation and he shared a lot of fun facts about the life of Buffalo Bill and about the pony express. Kent preforms at a lot of events and festivals around Oklahoma. You can learn more about these events by visiting his FACEBOOK page. 

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The girls got to make their own button and string whirligigs. They thought it was such a neat pioneer toy. They have still been playing with them. 

Want to learn how to make a button and string whirligig?

Click here to download and print our 

How To Make a Whirligig Instructions

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The last thing we did before we left was take a little carriage ride. It was a fun experience for the girls. 

After the carriage ride, it was time to make the long drive back home.  It was fun and we will be back.

 If you are ever in the area at the time of  Choctaw Frontier Days,  I highly suggest attending. 

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PBS Kids ~ OETA ~ Explore the Outdoors ~ Field Trip

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Do you live in Oklahoma? 

If so, there is an event that happens yearly that I think you should know about. It's a wonderful learning event and it's FREE!

It's the PBS Kids ~ OETA ~ Explore the Outdoors Event.

You can join OETA at Oklahoma’s beautiful State Parks

for a day of FREE family fun and outdoor activities! From investigations of wind, trees and habitats 

to nature hikes and recycling activities, families can learn up-close about nature and the environment!

This Year, OETA Has Expanded Explore The Outdoors To FOUR State Parks: 

CLICK HERE to see if there is a State Park close to you and to see dates.

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My daughters loved the event. They always love getting out in nature and exploring. Through the event they were able to learn, build, paint, and explore. One of their favorite parts was being able to meet and do an experiment with Jessi Crino, the host of What's the Deal?  

What's the Deal? is a web show about finding out how things work.

After completing their experiment they each received a cool What's The Deal? t-shirt. Of course they had to put those on immediately. 

The girls also had the opportunity to meet and listen to Al Bostick. Al is a an artist and amazing story teller. His career spans some 30 years in the Oklahoma region. It was a pleasure to be able to listen to him entertain us. 

The girls also enjoyed building structures out of clay and toothpicks as well as also painting a picture of what they were observing in nature. 

The girls also got to see Curious George. They thought that was pretty fun. 

There was also a tables set up that gave the girls opportunities to learn about minerals, oil exploration, and animals. Each table presented a ton of educational facts in a fun and easy to understand way.

At the end of the event they each received certificates of completion. These state they they had each completed 4 hours of additional studies in STEM, Physical Education and Social Studies at Explore the Outdoors 2015 

As you can probably tell, we had a blast. We hope that you get the opportunity to attend as well. 

Want to learn more about OETA?

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/OETAOK

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/oeta/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/oetaok

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MyOETATV

Instagram:

https://instagram.com/oetaok/

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A Field Trip to Kansas

Hello friends, Have you ever thought about going on a trip and then just jumped in the car and left? We recently did just that. We were sitting around after supper one evening talking about a town in Kansas my husband had spent some of his childhood in. My daughters were very interested in this town and wanted to go. So, we packed our bags and were out the door in less than two hours.  It was exciting! 

We spent quite a few hours visiting the town my husband lived in. The town was Sublette, Kansas.  We visited two homes where he had lived and the school and church he had attended. We also took a break and let the girls play at the playground he had played at when he was their age. It was a blast listening to his stories and the girls thought it was very neat. 

After touring the town we ventured around to other areas that he had remembered visiting as a child. Below you will see a couple of the fun places we explored. 

The Dalton Gang Hideout

Meade, Kansas

The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during the 1890s. If you are ever in the area it's a nice place to visit and the museum is filled with lots of history and interesting things to see and learn about. 

Meade State Park, Lake, Wildlife Area and Fish Hatchery

Meade, Kansas

The Meade State Park was a very beautiful area. For nature lovers who like to identify various different trees, grasses, flowers and birds, a nature trail offers birding, biking, and hiking opportunities. There is also a small lake that allows fishing year-round. We really wanted to visit the Meade State Fish Hatchery but they were closed. I thought it would be a wonderful learning opportunity for the girls to see what hatcheries are all about. 

Big Basin & St. Jacob's Well

25 miles east of Meade, Kansas

St. Jacobs Well is a sinkhole that always holds water, even during dry years. It has never went dry. Historically, St. Jacob's Well and Big Basin were used as landmarks and watering sites on trail drives that were bringing cattle from Texas. A Living Water Monument commemorates the area's importance to early settlers. The most visible animals of the area are bison.  It was a beautiful area and we really enjoyed exploring it. 

Below is a short video about the area. 

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We had a blast on our trip and we all learned a bunch of really cool history and interesting facts.

Have you been to any of these areas? 

We would love for you to tell us about it in the comment section below. 

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Field Trip - A trip to the sky

A couple years ago my daughters learned about many wonderful pilots and they absolutely fell in love with the concept of flying. We read a ton of books, watched movies, and did a flying & floating unit study. It was fun for them, but something was still missing. A real plane ride. My husband knew how much they wanted to fly so he arranged a day to do just that. Fortunately, for my daughters, their daddy's friend is a pilot.

When we arrived at the hanger, I could tell the girls were anxious. They were excited but unsure. After all, it was their first time and they had no idea what to expect. The plane was much smaller than they anticipated.















Our friend did a wonderful job explaining the parts of the plane and procedures. One by one we climbed in and buckled up. We were handed our headsets and we talked into them to make sure they were working. We went over the checklist and then it was time to fly. As we entered onto the runway, I peered over at my oldest, who was sitting beside me. She had tears in her eyes. I was nervous for her and asked her if we should stop, but she wanted to continue on. I then looked back behind me, looking for tears from my two youngest. There were definitely not any tears. Those two had the biggest smiles I had ever seen. They were ready to go. We paused at the end of the runway, bowed our heads, prayed and off we went.

My oldest was no longer scared. She was excited and began pointing out all the wonderful things she had never seen from such an view. It was absolutely perfect. I've flown many times but had never had the opportunity to see the view so close to home. I loved it. We all did. The girls thought it was fun to see our house from the sky. We also got to see those huge wind turbines. The ones that look so big from the ground, looked so small from the sky. Our lake, well... it's been in some desperate need of some water and you could really tell from the view we had.

 We all had a wonderful time. The girls have already been asking when we could go again. I actually had a different question for my husband.....Do you want to buy a plane? While a plane may not be in our future, I do anticipate more plane rides with our girls. It was a wonderful moment and will one day be a wonderful memory.

Follow Jennifer Silcott (Home Grown Hearts Academy)'s board Floating & Flying Unit Study on Pinterest.

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Field Trip to the Fire Department

October is Fire Prevention Month.

 Today we took a pretty awesome field trip to our local fire department. 

I had called earlier in the week to plan the trip and got everything set up for today. When we arrived we found out that the firemen were out on a fire. Fortunately for us, the assistant fire chief was available and willing to give us the tour. He gave us a tour of the building, brought the girls around to all of the different trucks, explained fire safety, and illustrated how the equipment is used. It was very educational and a great experience for the girls. We all had a great time. 

Earlier this week I shared some FREE Fire Safety Printables and some fun resources.

Did you miss that post? You can view it by clicking below

Fire Prevention Month - Resources & FREE Printable

Click below to visit the Friday Blog Hop

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Take Homeschool Learning to a New Level by Stepping Outside the Home

When you set out to educate your children at home, you're given the chance to mold their minds in a way that would be impossible to attain in a larger classroom. Sure, you can give each child more attention than they'd normally get in school, but you also are uninhibited by outdated curriculum's and the requirement to sit at a desk for hours on end. While most students are lucky to go on three or four field trips a year, you have the power to introduce your little ones to the world day after day for a comprehensive and enriching education. To gather ideas about how to use excursions outside the home to expand one’s learning experience, read the top picks below!


1) Musical expression is like “miracle grow” for a child’s brain and spirit. Foster your little ones’ curiosity and appreciation with plenty of concerts and performances. These can range from the symphony to high school recitals to local theater productions. Music is a great vehicle for children to learn about foreign cultures as well, whether it’s through attending an African drum circle, listening to a CD with Spanish guitar playing or taking Irish river dancing lessons. Encourage younger pupils to establish their own musical voice by having a box full of play instruments; percussion will be easier for children that struggle to have their lungs will with air or don’t quite have the dexterity for strings, so consider purchasing toy xylophones, miniature keyboards and drums for kids, like the ones found at child-friendly West Music. On the other hand, if your student is older, consider having a music teacher provide weekly instruction; you can find plenty of instructors through databases like Take Lessons. Let your child have significant say in the instrument he or she will be playing and, once again, consider exploring different options through live music performances!


2) An observatory is a bridge between our eye and outer space, and it may just serve as a bridge between your child’s imagination and a future career. Freed up to take your children on fieldtrips long after traditional schools close, teach your kids about the different planets, and then quench their curiosity by allowing them to behold the stars. If there isn’t an observatory in close proximity to you, consider laying out a picnic blanket and using a telescope to identify the stars. Not only can this lead to further intrigue about science, but your youngsters may be fascinated by such topics as the mythological characters the star constellations are named after.


3) To a nursing home or Grandma’s house. This selection may strike you as strange, but older generations are a wealth of modern day history. Instead of simply having your children learn about the Great Depression or Pearl Harbor in a book, you can have the events brought to life with firsthand accounts by individuals who witnessed it. With the permission of the caretakers, have your children ask aging senior-citizens preplanned questions and have them take notes or tape record the oral accounts. Of course, there’s the added bonus of having your kids develop an appreciation for older generations, as well the possibility that your efforts may brighten the day of an elderly individual.


These are just basic ideas that are intended to spur your own. I’d love to hear your own experiences about what educational opportunities have helped your children to expand their appreciation for learning. Share in the comment section below!

Simpson's Old Time Museum - Field Trip Day!

Field Trip Day!

I recently had the opportunity to visit Simpson's Old Time Museum. It was a lot of fun! My mother had done research and surprised the girls and I with a homeschool trip to visit it. Gotta love mom! :)

We have arrived!

Girls holding signed photos!

They were amazed at all the beautiful dolls in this collection!

This is an very old wheelchair!

History of wheelchairs

Movie set for western movies!

Another part of movie set. Notice the old white ice box! The girls were surprised to learn that it was used to store ice. 

Another part of set.

Look were naturals at acting! ;)

Signed True Grit Movie Script! Too cool! 

I use to love watching Jane Seymour 

We had a fantastic time. The trip was very educational! I think I took about 100 pictures, lol! :)

http://www.skeletoncreekproductions.com/m-museum.html

Hop on over to http://www.chestnutgroveacademy.blogspot.com/ to see some other awesome field trips!