Road-Trip Ramblings #5: World Learning

I teach a class called "Amazing Places" to a group of homeschooled 5-8 year olds.  While I was preparing last week to teach about Paris, France,  I stumbled upon the official tourism website for the Eiffel Tower. From there I started digging around and found the materials for teacher's to present to their class in preparation for a field trip to the Eiffel Tower.  

Because Parisian schoolchildren would, of course, take a field trip to the Eiffel Tower! 

My mind has been reeling for days about what other bucket-list worthy landmarks schoolchildren are begrudgingly being dragged to in the name of education...where were your favorite school field trips as a child?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In addition to "Amazing Places" I also teach a Utah History class to an older group of homeschoolers. Our first lesson on native peoples happened to fall during the week our family was in Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta, so I had another parent introduce petroglyphs and the Anasazi cliff dwellers.  It just so happened that at about the same time as they were finishing their worksheets and reading their stories, we were hiking around in the Petroglyphs National Monument.

While I did give that a passing thought while we were there, it wasn't until we returned and were reviewing what the class had learned while we were gone that it really struck me.  We travel (and we homeschool) so my kids can get an up-close hands-on education.  Later on during that class period we were learning about the Navajo tribe in the 4 Corners Area and B & P kept interrupting to ask questions relating what I was saying to things they had just seen a few days before.  They'd driven through the Navajo Nation, seen Ship Rock and other sacred rock formations, and remembered seeing a hogan in the yard of every Navajo family.  

It was world learning by being out in the world.

Comparing hand prints, but not actually touching.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't remember reading Little House on the Prairie as a child, which is odd since I was a voracious reader and catalogued our rather large book collection for a 4th grade project.  I am reading the series now to B & P and we all are absolutely LOVING it! I didn't fully understand how much they enjoy it until our recent trips back to This Is The Place and the Tinkertown Museum.  Over and over as they discovered new relics from the past they would stop and ask, "Mom, is that what the claim shanty looked like?"  "Is this like Ma's cook stove?"  "Did Laura write on a slate like this?" What a privilege it is for me to provide them with the means to not only learn new things, but to see them, feel them, and create a living memory with them.

What hands-on application to learning have your kids had recently?

Why We Love Junior Ranger Programs (And Think You Will Too)

I discovered last fall that I'm a little bit skeptical of our federal government.  I honestly had no idea until B & P were finishing their first National Parks Junior Ranger program and the park ranger handed them a very nice, high quality patch to commemorate their day of learning.  With all the talk of debt ceilings and excessive borrowing and financial cut-backs we hear about in the news, I was caught a little bit off-guard at the quality of a program we'd participated in for free.  We couldn't wait to visit our next park and get started on another one!

That first Junior Ranger program we did was at the Capulin Volcano National Monument in northeastern New Mexico.  I'll share more about that visit in the near future, but today want to tell you the two reasons we've fallen in love with the Junior Ranger programs.

1.  I already mentioned it, they're GOOD QUALITY learning programs.  I'm sure that would be important to anyone, but as a homeschool parent I tend to be a little critical of children's educational resources.  Too many times they're full of cartoon characters or pop culture references and not a lot of learning takes place in what's left of the blank space on a page.  

To become a Junior Ranger, kids have to complete worksheets and tasks.  Both the programs we've done so far have had an option for younger and older kids.  Usually the younger kids are required to complete 3-4 pages/tasks, while the older kids maybe have to complete 5-7.  At Capulin Volcano pages included learning about how a volcano works, the geology of northern New Mexico, the flora and fauna of the area, and more.  A lot of them involve reading signs throughout the park and finding the information.  At that park they could receive an extra reward for completing the entire hike around the rim of the volcano.

Seriously, what can be better than seeing kids out in nature actively and excitedly learning about their surroundings?

Working on their Junior Ranger at Lake Mead

2.  The Junior Ranger programs make kids feel special.  During our trip to Lake Mead last month, we stopped into the visitor's center to pick up our Junior Ranger books.  The retired volunteer park ranger almost jumped out of his skin with enthusiasm.  Both times we've done the program the rangers have given full attention to our boys while they explained the program and the requirements and got them excited for a day of learning.  

Why does it seem like adults don't do that anymore...make time for kids?  Such a spirit-lifting experience for me to have someone else telling my kids how cool science and the outdoors can be! That volunteer ranger answered every single one of their questions and quizzed them and made sure they had not taken it lightly.  B & P just ate it up!  

So what happens when kids have completed their activities and worksheets?  The ranger administers the Junior Park Ranger pledge.  Each kid repeats something like this, 

"As a Junior Ranger, I promise to teach others about what I learned today, 

explore other parks and historic sites, 

and help preserve and protect these places so future generations can enjoy them."

Then they receive their badge and their patches and go on their merry little way...

 

Do you have Junior Rangers at home?

Which park programs have been your favorite?

More information:

Junior Ranger programs are available at

200+ national parks.

The program is free to participate-just ask a ranger at the park visitor center for information.

Many of the booklets and other information are available online

and are great resources for homeschool unit studies.

Your local state parks may have junior ranger programs as well.  

Ask the next time you're there!

5 Things To Do At The Leonardo

What do you know about the Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City? I want you to know everything there is to know. It is such a great resource for homeschoolers, for families, for educated adults, for visitors. I've attended an educator workshop there in the past, but recently returned for a visit with my entire family. I thought I'd share some insight into how to easily spend a day there...

The Math Room

Truthfully, I got giddy walking into this exhibit. It is FUN and my kids had absolutely NO IDEA they were learning. They dropped marbles to measure the effects of impact and motion, followed a "yellow brick road" while creating a pattern, and got their groove on in an infinity mirror closet.

Exploring the Senses

Talk about turning your world upside down! The hands-on activities in this area can really get you thinking. Hearing backwards, optical illusions, and exploring dimension left some of us feeling woozy and others just really confused! 

Saturday Special Events

Every Saturday, the Leonardo hosts activities related to a specific STEM-related theme. Throughout the museum, special projects and displays focus on the days' idea. As an example, the day we attended was Adopt-A-Rock day. After choosing a rock, the boys cleaned and studied it. They weighed and measured their rocks and then a geologist each one to discover what kind of rock they had and how old it was. Ours ranged from young volcanic stone at only a few thousand years old to a beautiful piece of old marble at over 300,000 years old. 

The rock-themed activities continued throughout the day as they made a home to carry their new pet around in, raced them in cardboard cars, figured out how to balance them, and made their own shiny rocks in the members-only activity room. I loved how the theme carried throughout our visit and actually taught the boys something scientific and important. (Saturday Special Events are included with general admission. Members are able to do one extra activity that also includes a small snack).

FLIGHT
The Leonardo Museum's first original curated exhibit is a must-see! Make sure as you're going through that you keep looking up-the are planes stacked upon planes. My husband and I could have pulled up a chair and watched the entire film strip of the first moon landing, but the kids shot off like rockets to get a look inside of the authentic cargo plane.  My oldest was mesmerized by the hundreds of cockpit buttons and controls, and the youngers loved the slide coming out of the tail.

We didn't spend enough time in this exhibit. There is a lot of information to read and learn about. Videos and interviews to watch, and things to do. Which brings me to my next favorite part of the museum, the...

Hot Air Balloons
Okay, no, there is not a hot air balloon in the museum.  And, yes, this is part of the FLIGHT exhibit, but it is no secret that we are huge balooning fans, and so should be no surprise that the section on bouyant flight intrigued me. It actually was one area my kids never even made it to, so we are heading back up soon for a unit study. It will be perfect timing before our annual trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

As I've begun sharing our experiences visiting The Leonardo, I'm beginning to find it is still a fairly undiscovered attraction in the Salt Lake Valley. Too many people know little to nothing about it. Take my word, it is a gem for families. It's not stuffy and hands-off, it's not amateurish and boring for the adults. It is engaging and I know your family will love it as much as ours.

Want to win tickets to the Leonardo?

Enter on our Facebook Page

Get free admission to the Leonardo with the Salt Lake Connect Pass.

Want to save even more money on admission?

Purchase your Connect Pass on Groupon while supplies last!

More Information

Daily Admission & Annual Pass Information

can be found here.

This is not a sponsored post, 

but I have received museum membership 

in exhange for writin gin the past. 

Some affiliate links included.

FLIGHT at the Leonardo #readytoliftoff

This is sponsored post. 
Image Credit: The Leonardo

There are museums I particularly remember from my travels around the world. The Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands was my first fine art museum. The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque completely disturbed me. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum captured my attention so raptly that I had to be shooed out at closing time. Each has in common the element that they awakened a deep-seeded awe within me, teaching me new and important things. The Leonardo Museum, right here in Salt Lake City, also arouses that within me.

Taking inspiration from the great Leonardo DaVinci himself, The Leonardo is designed to be an immensely hands-on place to explore science, creativity, and the imagination's possibilities. While in the past they have been a premier venue for extraordinary traveling exhibits (Mummies of the World, Body Worlds, etc), this summer brings the introduction of their first semi-permanent exhibit, curated from beginning to end by The Leonardo itself. Opening in August FLIGHT is going to excite the whole family!

What is FLIGHT?

At it's core, FLIGHT is an interactive exhibit exploring the history, science, and innovation of the industry of flight. It will include:

• A fully restored C-131 aircraft. The plane is so large that they had to remove part of the museum's outer wall to get it into place. With only 6' to spare on either side of the room, this focal point of the exhibit will not be disappointing. The best part? The plane will be 100% hands-on. Crawl in it, over it, around it. Explore the fuselage, control panels, and construction. You'll even be able to slide out the cargo bay on a over-sized slide. This was a working war-time plane and is ready to inspire a whole new generation of aviators.
• A Russian MiG 21 Fighter jet full of history and technology to learn about.
• A full-size replica of DaVinci's first man-powered flying machine.
• Interactive learning areas covering the areas of Bouyant, Aerodynamic, & Ballistic flight.
• 3 realistic flight simulators that will engage users in a variety of missions and flights.
• PLUS, surprises we can't yet share.

What Do I Need To Know?

FLIGHT opens in August and will be housed at the museum for the next several years. It is going to be an incredible addition for the state of Utah. The Leonardo has painstakingly invested time and resources to provide us this outlet for learning and dreaming. To complete their final push towards opening, they have created a Generosity campaign through Indiegogo and are asking for our help. If this is an exhibit you would want to bring your kids, or take a field trip, or include in your vacation plans, please consider donating in one of the these amounts:

• $5-$15 and receive flight wings, a bomber hat and goggles + 1 admission to the exhibit.
• $30 and receive the above, but to include a total of admission for 4 + a treat ($16+savings)
• $50 and receive 4 PRE-OPENING tickets, + a paper airplane party
• $100 and receive an invitation to an exclusive pre-opening social function with food, music, lectures, and a probable visit from important Utah leaders, including a very flight-knowledgeable member of the LDS church leadership.
• A variety of other levels and gifts available.

Important to note: Donating to the campaign is the BEST way to get discounted admission to the FLIGHT exhibit. Once the campaign has ended and the exhibits open, tickets will be listed at The Leonardo's normal pricing. 

The Leonard Museum is truly a gem in Salt Lake City. FLIGHT will be their crown jewel. Interested in learning more and donating? Follow the links below...

To donate:

FLIGHT Generosity Campaign by Indiegogo

The Leonardo Museum Website

The Leonardo Launches First Crowdfunding Campaign 

(Press Release)

New Leonardo Exhibit Is Taking Wing

(Deseret News article)

Ready For Take Off

(The Leonardo Blog)

Who else do you know who would want to support 

The Leonardo's FLIGHT exhibit?

Share this post on Facebook with them today!

Family in Nature Prize Pack: Grillin' Up Giveaways Blog Hop

It has been such a great summer of exploring in the sun, and we could not be more excited to add to your sunny adventures.  

Check out the fun prize we're giving away, and then hop along to the other participating blogs.  Good luck!

Welcome to the Grillin' Up Giveaways Summer Giveaway Hop,  brought to you by The Hopping Bloggers & Up All Night Blogging! Hosted by Mama Smith’s Review Blog & Women And Their Pretties Co-Hosted by Cia Denise & Real Advice Gal Looking around A Local Wander, you'll quickly discover that we love getting out in nature and exploring as a family.  We are all happier outside.  We are the most connected when we're out away from everything.  
Today we want to share our love for the outdoors and encourage you to take your family out to do your own exploring.  We hope this giveaway pack will help you do that!
Family in Nature Prize Pack

 we Love nature! and The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book

Educational Insights Jr. Bugwatch Kit

Each blogger participating in this hop has a giveaway with a prize value of at least $15 – and some are much more than that! Be sure to scroll down the whole list and visit them all – there is no limit to how many prizes you can win!  Good Luck and Have Fun!

#GrillinUpGiveaways