Top 10 FREE Field Trips in GA

After attending home school day at the Capitol for the first time, I was inspired to research more free field trip opportunities and now share them in a post. The only thing, I live in GA so my field trip top 10 list is specific to GA.

1. Home School Day at the Capitol. Of course this one is first because we just attended. This trip was fun, educational and surprising. If you've read my most recent post, you know that there was a home school music band playing on the floor of the south wing, just past the Rotunda. They were excellent! The band consisted of middle school and high school home school students. Also, a point of note is that you can visit the Capitol anytime for FREE! You can stop by the desk to let them know you are there for a self guided tour and the attendant will give you name tags and you're on your way!

2. Winter Months at Callaway Gardens.We did this trip last year. Callaway Gardens is in South Georgia. It consists of acres of flower gardens, vegetable gardens, lakes, cabins, cottages, a man-made beach, restaurants, bike and hiking trails and so much more. During their off peak months, you can go their for FREE. If you are teaching Earth Science or Life Science during the winter months or will be doing so in the Spring, this is the perfect free field trip for you.

***Check out our New Solar System Song (by my husband and me) ***

3. Imagine It Children's Museum. I think that this museum has a pricey entrance fee which is why I find it awesome that they offer FREE entrance on the second Tuesday starting at 1:30 p.m (sponsored by Target). Its really a big play area in my opinion. There's art, water play, barn yard activities and dress up.They will usually have a special exhibit being offered also.

4. Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. I found out about this one in my research and talked to my Phillip about it immediately and now this is on our to-do field trip list for the near future. It's always good to expose children to art and here's a way to do it for free. On Thursdays only from 8am - 11am. I checked to make sure that this center was conducive for children (because you know how "art" can be) and I am please to communicate that it is!

5. Center for Puppetry Arts. FREE museum Thursdays! Every Thursday 1pm - 3pm. The Jim Henson Exhibit is included in this offer!

***Check out our 50 States and Capitals (also by us)***

6. Federal Reserve Bank Atlanta. Here's another FREE field trip that my husband's ready to do immediately. He's always been so interested in this part of our History and Government. I am not, but it will make a great field trip if you are studying economics in your homeschool or even if you are on the other end of the spectrum, like me, and are teaching how to count money. This would still make a pretty cool field trip.

7. Govenor's Mansion. The Govenor's mansion offers free guided/self guided tours and a special Christmas season tour schedule. I'm looking forward to doing this one also; all for FREE!

8. Fernbank Science Center. We've done this field trip more than once because it is just so easy, educational and the girls always respond excitedly as they move through the exhibit.They have their favorite stations throughout the museum. This center does take donations and I am always compelled to give because it'd be a shame for this center to one day not be available to children. Also the planetarium is here and so for a nominal fee ($2.50-$3.00) you can learn about and see the constellations of the stars and many more educational science related shows.

9. Fulton County Free Museum Days. I am not a resident of Fulton County so I do not get to participate in these FREE days that are offered by the city of Atlanta but if you do and are interested, do a Google search for the terms 'fulton county free museum days' and you will find week day as well as weekend day offerings all around the city!

10. Atlanta Festivals in the Spring. There is always a festival going on in Atlanta in the Spring time and with Spring being just around the corner it may be time to do a little research as to what is coming up. These festivals can be very educational. They are usually held in a historic part of town and offer cultural arts, music and activities.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully there is an activity on this list that you haven't experienced and now that you know that it is FREE, you will! Linking up at Top Ten Tuesday!

Who are We and What Have We Done with Us?

 Weird post title huh? Well after I share what we've been up to, you may get my drift a little bit better.

Not only did we start juicing...and let me tell you that was enough...but we also started composting for a ...(wait for it)...vegetable garden!!! Yes, we in a week, have started juicing, composting and gardening. That's just crazy to both Phillip and me. It's so, so, "earthy" of us. We're already recyclers but this beats all.

Please do not laugh at our compost bin and the air flow system that I made. LOL I don't even know if it's serving its purpose. 

The thing is, I've always wanted to plant a garden in our backyard but I could never  successfully get my mind around the entire gardening process. It just seemed extremely insurmountable to me.

What would I plant...How do I plan it...When should I plant...How do I get started...How do I keep the weeds out...the bugs out...the squirrels...the list went on and on.

We have neighbors that are so good at gardening that they plant one every year and even grow things all around the outside of their house. Things like tomatoes of all sorts and sizes, peppers, squash, and BEANS!!! They've had beans planted along the side of their house like it was nothing to do. That baffled me. How could they be so good at something that I am so afraid that I'd be completely and utterly terrible at.

Well, for some reason, I had passion and confidence sprout within me about this garden this year like never before. I said to Phil, "I think this year is our year." LOL

Should it all go well, we'd create a wonderful cycle. We'd juice, use out pulp to compost, use our compost to fertilize our garden, use the veggies from our garden to ... you've got it ...juice! Brilliant.

Anyway, we turned the ground of our garden spot, we've pulled weeds and we'll turn the ground a couple more times before planting time (a tip we got from my father-in-law). He grows a beautiful garden every year as well.

before

 

 

 

after

 

 As for school, in Science, we made an anemometer (wind gauge) to measure the speed of the wind. We got an easy one to make from here. They measured in three different places in our neighborhood. They recorded the speeds and determined where the wind was blowing the fastest.

We attended homeschool day at the Capitol. That was fun. The best part was the home school music band that was performing. The girls LOVED it. I became very nostalgic as they played and I remembered my years playing the clarinet in my school band. The kids and I also got a chance to see the Senate Floor.  They also learned that the statue on top of the dome is not the Statue of Liberty but is Miss Freedom. We compared and contrasted the two statues.

We also took the prettiest day of the season to have school at the park. That was today and it was a lot of fun and very refreshing.

Pics from the week...

Isn't it great how pictures make everything look so peaceful and perfect...I assure you...none of this was! But it was all very fun and very worth it!

We're Up and Juicing!

This week went by in sort of a blur. I didn't take many pictures because it wasn't a pretty sight! First, Madison gets ill after eating McDonald's!! We hadn't had fast food in what felt like ages and McDonald's, even longer than that. We wouldn't have had it that day but we were with my mom in some remote part of the world and "old faithful" was the only restaurant around. I think you will always be able to count on McDonald's to be wherever you are. LOL!

At any rate, I felt queasy after eating it and so did my mom but Madison was the one to really get ill for the next 24 hours, then Chelsea apparently picked it up from Madison because  she was the only who didn't eat the McDonald's and didn't get the initial sickness but as fate would have it, she contracted a little bit of it from her best-est friend in the whole wide world!!! Then, I contracted it from Chelsea (I will leave the details out of how that happened).

At any rate, our week was filled with bathroom visits and sleeping for all three of us back to back. My dear husband escaped the wrath!

We did manage to go the the library. We checked out books on giant Sequoia trees because the kids have been interested in them. We also checked out a book on the water cycle, because although Phillip and I have created the song, I still have to officially teach my lesson plan. But just by hearing the fun beat and catching on to the song, the kids have already learned and get the concept of the water cycle. They are going to be facinated to find out though that all of the original water of the Earth is still here! It doesn't go away! It just keeps cycling through. That is truly intelligent design by a loving creator, our Heavenly Father.

**Keep checking back for our next song, The 5 Senses**

We attended the Aesop's Fables Puppet Show at the library also.

I don't know if it was the McDonald's experience that pushed us over the edge but we started juicing this week!

Actually we'd been considering it for a while. We believe that we need the nutrients that juicing brings about. I mean, I am pretty diligent about making sure we have a veggie with lunch and dinner and apples to snack on during the day but life happens and there are times that doesn't happen despite my good intentions. We are also good about having meatless meals and salads as dinner but I know for sure that we don't get the recommended daily amount of fruits and veggies in our diet and we both believe that if we kick it up in this area, it would only be beneficial.

Plus I am eager for us to try such recipes as the Immune Builder, the Prostate Helper and the Calcium Cocktail (I was told by someone near and dear to me that upping my calcium intake could ward off mood swings during PMS) this person shall remain nameless, let's just say he'd benefit the most, should the findings about calcium be true. LOL

Here are some of our pictures from the week:

Thank you for reading and checkout my lovely link ups page for great blogs that I'm linking up with this week.

Stephanie